After three short trips in Martha to check everything was okay following our lengthy warranty work over the winter, it's time for our first long adventure of the year.
On Sunday (27 April) we drove to Stanmore Hall Touring Park. - the day had started misty with the forecast of a mini heatwave. After setting up on site we had lunch before walking across the road to the Country Park. We returned to the site after a short walk to sit in the sun and read our books.
On Monday (28 April) we went to see Steve's mother. We stayed with her for a few hours before driving to Spring Paddock Caravan Park. It was a lovely sunny day so after setting up we sat outside until late evening.
Tuesday was another hot sunny day. We drove off site to visit my mother and sister before returning to the site early afternoon. After setting up we walked to the Chetwynd Arms for a drink before returning to the site for the evening.
On Wednesday (30 April) we drove to Portmeirion Motorhome Park. We've wanted to visit Portmeirion for a long time and as they now have a motorhome park in the village we decided to visit on our way to Anglesey. The site was situated between the car park and delivery depot, so at times it was noisy but the facilities were clean and the site fees included unlimited access to the village. After setting up we spent the afternoon walking around the village to get our bearings for the following day's walks. It was very busy so we went back to the site late afternoon and then returned to the village in the evening when it was a lot quieter.
On Friday (2 May) it was time to head to Anglesey and our first site Gadlys Touring Park at Cemeas Bay. The site's in the grounds of a 4* hotel and was rather expensive so we were expecting something special. Unfortunately the site was a disappointment as it was scruffy with grubby facilities. After setting up we walked into Cemeas, which is a lovely village with lots of walking trails. We returned to the site late afternoon and sat outside until it got cold.
Saturday started dry and cloudy, there was also a cool breeze as we were on the north coast. We caught the bus to Amlwch and started the day with a walk around the town and harbour. It used to be a mining town but has now seen better days, so we headed for the coast path to walk back towards Cemeas. There was a cold wind all day and the coast is very rugged which made us both feel tired. As we neared Cemeas there was a very steep section of the path that neither of us wanted to walk as it was too close to the cliffs so we backtracked and took an inland path back to the site. We sat outside for a while but the wind was still cold we retreated inside Martha.
After our challenging walk on Saturday we decided to have an easier walk on Sunday. It was a lovely sunny morning so we walked from the site towards Cemeas and came across St Patrick's Bell, one of the Time & Tide Bells, which sounded lovely as it was ringing with the tide. We then walked to the woodland trail and spent several hours walking through the woods before returning to the site for lunch. In the afternoon we walked an easy section of the coast path.
Monday was another bright morning and we decided to walk along the coast path to Cemlyn Bay. It was an easier stretch of the coast path but not as scenic as it skirted the edge of the nuclear power station! We had almost reached Cemlyn when we came across a field of cows and to continue with our walk would have meant walking through the middle of them. After our encounter with a herd of cows last year we decided to retrace our steps and returned to the site.
On Tuesday (6 May) we drove to Rhosboeth Caravan Site at Benllech. It was only a short journey between the sites so we stopped at Amlwych for our lunch. The site was lovely, with spacious pitches, clean facilities and a small shop and laundry with an honesty box. After setting up on site we walked into Benllech to collect some shopping before returning to site for the evening.
Wednesday started sunny with the promise of another dry day so we caught the bus to Menai Bridge. After walking around the town and having a pot of tea at we walked across the Menai Bridge to Treborth Botanic Garden. We spent an hour or so in the gardens before walking back across the bridge to visit Church Island. We had a short walk along the coast path until it turned inland and then returned to the town and our bus. When we got back to the site we sat outside for a while until it clouded over and then retreated inside Martha.
Thursday started sunny but with a cool wind and we decided to walk along the coast path to Red Wharf Bay. On reaching the bay we sat on a bench for our lunch, but as there was a cold wind we retraced our steps back along the coast path to Benllech. After picking up some shopping we headed back to the site.
The wind had dropped on Friday and it was much warmer. We walked the coast path in the opposite direction towards Moelfre and out to the lifeboat station and monuments before walking back along the coast path to the site. We sat outside for a while before heading inside the van when it started to get cooler.
Saturday (10 May) we drove to Kingsbridge Caravan Park at Beaumaris. This isn't our normal type of site as it's very large with a lot of static and seasonal vans but it's the only one near Beaumaris. It was well maintained and also had a clean facilities block so were were happy with it. After setting up on site we had a short walk to Llangoed before returning to site for the evening.
Sunday was a lovely sunny morning but with a cool wind. We walked from the site along the coast path to Penmon Point which overlooks Puffin Island. Most of the coast path is inland along the road, so it wasn't one of our favourite walks. After lunch we returned to the site on another inland path.
We had a lot of rain overnight but Monday started dry so we walked into Beaumaris, a lovely town but very touristy and expensive. We pottered around the town and walked along the seafront before returning to site early afternoon as rain was forecast. Fortunately we were back at site when the rain started and we also had a thunderstorm in the evening and a lot more rain overnight.
On Tuesday (13 May) we were to move to our next site, but as it was only a short drive we parked in Beaumaris to visit the Castle before heading to Newborough Warren Holiday Park (White Lodge). We had received a text the previous evening with our pitch number and on arriving at the site were surprised to see no-one in reception or on the site, just a note of pitch numbers on the door. After setting up we walked into the village and had a look around the area.
Wednesday was a very hot day. We walked from the site to Newborough beach and had our lunch whilst we waited for the tide to go out so we could walk across to Llanddwyn Island. The walk around the island was lovely and we returned to the site on one of the forest trails that seemed endless in the heat. By the time we returned to site we had both had enough sun so stayed inside for the rest of the day..
Thursday was another sunny day but with a breeze so it didn't feel as hot. We decided to have an easier day and caught the bus to Plas Newydd, a National Trust property. We spent time walking around the gardens and woodland as well as visiting the house. Although we don't normally visit NT houses, we were interested in seeing Whistler's mural in the dining room - which was well worth the visit. It was another lovely evening when we returned to site so we sat outside until late.
Friday was another hot and sunny day. and we walked from the site to the Red Squirrel Trail. The walk through the forest was lovely, especially as it was so cool among the trees. We didn't see any squirrels on the trail so sat in the picnic area for our lunch and were delighted to see a red squirrel at a feeding station. We watched the squirrel until it left the feeding station and then walked another woodland trail back to the site. We sat outside for a while but decided we'd had enough sun so had showers and stayed inside for the rest of the evening.
On Saturday (17 May) we drove to our final site - Llanfair Bach Campsite near Holyhead. The site was well laid out with large pitches but the toilet and shower facilities were some of the worst we have every seen. After setting up we went to get our shopping and then had a walk along the seafront. It was a hot afternoon so we to site and sat outside for a while.
Sunday was another warm day although there was a cool breeze from the Irish Sea as we were back on the north coast. We walked through Holyhead, which has seen better days, and along the coast path to the marina. On our way back to the town we had a mug of tea at Cuffed In Coffee before returning to the site mid afternoon. Although it was very windy our pitch was behind a large hedge which made it very sheltered so we sat outside until early evening.
On Monday we walked along the coast path again, past the marina to Breakwater Country Park. The park is in an old quarry and a lot of the old buildings have been retained, which made it an interesting place to visit. Again we returned to the site mid afternoon and back to our sheltered pitch.
Tuesday was another lovely morning and we walked the coast path in the opposite direction to Penhros Coastal Park., another lovely woodland on the edge of the coast. Whilst on our walk we decided to cut short our stay at the site - originally we had booked an extra day thinking we may hire a car but we didn't have anywhere we wanted to visit that would justify the cost. We had also had enough of the site and it's awful facilities, so we decided to leave the following day.
On Wednesday (21 May) we drove to Blackmore Club Site at Malvern for an overnight stop to break the journey on our way home. We set off in glorious sunshine but drove into heavy rain near Stafford. When we arrived on site the rain held off long enough for us to set up before another downpour. After it stopped raining we had a short walk around the site before settling down for the evening. This is a lovely site and as it's not too far from the motorway it's also a good place to stop to break our journey on the way home.
We arrived home on Thursday to unpack and take Martha back to the storage site. We've got just ten days to get ready for our next trip to the Lake District.
27 April-22 May
