Anglesey at the weekend
Mark and I visited North Wales yesterday. We had a lovely day and the weather was gorgeous. First off we had lunch in a pub called the Newborough Arms (which is in Bontnewydd just south of Caernarfon). It looks like a normal size pub from the front, but it goes way back to a huge car park (which is handy because parking would be a nightmare otherwise). The food was tasty (freshly prepared) and the service was good. The prices were very reasonable too. I had my favourite - steak and ale pie, and Mark had a whole trout which he demolished at speed.
The we went to Plas Newydd, formerly the home of the Marquess of Anglesey, but now in the care of the National Trust. The house is not the most attractive of buildings from the outside, it’s grey, kind of military looking and rather lopsided. Inside it’s a typical grand house with expensive but very worn furniture, lots of very stern looking portraits, and lots of locked doors. There are some very opulent rooms, particularly the bedrooms, but for me the two highlights were the portraits of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, and the fresco by Rex Whistler. The fresco is astonishing - it’s a romanticised harbour scene where the harbour steps and Neptune’s wet footprints follow you across the room. They are always pointing towards you. It’s considered Whistler’s greatest achievement and deservedly so.
Afterwards we went for a walk in the gardens which are not spectacular but are very pleasant. The highlight of the day was probably our discovery of a hidden adventure playground in the woods (free from children!!). We were there for quite a while. It’s worth the entry fee by itself.
Next we went to Newborough Beach and paddled along the shore watching the parasurfers speed along. That looks like so much fun. It was very refreshing even if it did take 20 minutes to get the sand out from between our toes before getting back in the car.
Then it was time for a pint in Llanfair PG (the place with the really long made up name). We went to the pub which won the Best Country Pub in Wales 2005. We considered eating there, but there was a guy who looked just like Hywel Bennett (does anyone remember Shelley?) sitting at the bar and staring at us which made us quite uncomfortable.
So after much umming and ahhing we headed off to Beaumaris to visit a pub listed as doing good food in the Rough Guide to Wales - the Sailor’s Retreat. It’s safe to say you can trust the Rough Guide - it is everything a pub should be, welcoming with good beer and fantastic food at very reasonable prices. The service was excellent and sincere. We both had homemade chicken curry (the smell was irresistable) followed by pudding - Mark had bread and butter pudding and I had clotted cream and honeycomb icecream. All very fattening, but yummy nevertheless. We’ll definitely be going back there! I think I’ll probably drag mark around the Castle and Gaol at some point too.
Then it was time for a nice drive back to basecamp at my Mum and Dad’s house. A glorious day all in all!!