Let Me Take You Far Away -3

‘Once a year go someplace, you have never been before.’

            -Dalai Lama

I have travelled many places, but when it comes to Wales, this place has always fascinated me. 

I have talked about our time outs in Wales over here and here  in past. This place has special connections with me.  

Llanfairfechan- Wales

North wales is blessed with plenty of hiking paths, walking trails, quaint cities, historical castles and the beaches are also very nice. The sea-water is very cold to our standards, but locals find it absolutely comfortable.

Llanfairfechan 

I cannot imagine dipping myself in that cold North Wales sea water. Anyways, but I never skip a chance of wetting my toes in sea water whenever I am near to it.

Llanfairfechan pebble beach 

Llanfairfechan-
One was pebble beach in llanfairfechan. I also caught a glimpse of jelly fish, and after that I was little skeptical of stepping in to the sea water. The beach has a lovely café where you can relax with cup a coffee or have different flavors of ice creams as well. They have a fantastic menu as well in case you want to grab a quick lunch. 

The corner of that café was very peaceful. As this is a small town, all cafés close early as well. There was no rush to do things. It was a leisurely paced day for us at the beach.

We have spent 5-6 days in a rental and where every night, I used to cook meal after our days out. The coziness of the rental felt home to me as well. Even though, I didn’t have my spice box or our daily pantry, but churning out simple soul food was very satisfying for me. 

Even a simple ‘khichdi’ was delicious, uplifting and satisfying to the soul, which we used to have amidst our banters.

Portmeirion Village- inside

Portmeirion –
Small Italian replica village was well worth a visit in Minffordd. The interiors of this place resemble like an Italian village with good eating places and cafes. 

A day should be spent over here.There is a hotel as well, in case you need to spend a night. The days are busy over there, as hordes of tourist visit this place, all across the globe. 

Once those tourist buses depart in evenings, you can spend some quiet time over there. As we were visiting during summer holidays, it was very busy and a bustling place.

Portmeirion -Wales

Isle of Anglesey, Holyhead-
Beautiful and peaceful that comes to my mind when I want to write about Holyhead.Isle of Anglesey is a small island connected to mainland through two bridges. Minai Strait runs in between the island and mainland Wales. 

Anglesey is considered an area of outstanding natural beauty with its rugged coastlines, beautiful beaches, towering cliffs and vibrant flora and fauna.South Stack Lighthouse is well worth a stop.

South Stack Lighthouse-Holyhead

We spend a day in the island exploring Holyhead and Lladdwyn beach in Newborogh. 

Holyhead is famous for the south stack lighthouse. The rugged coastlines and vastness of sea was very magnificent. During peak nestling times, Puffins come here and set their nests in May. We were little late though as in August they all fly back to their respective homes. Puffins are endangered species now.

Lladdwyn beach 

Lladdwyn-
The beach with its beautiful sand dunes and landscapes is considered a very lovely place to spend a day with loads of activities- from wind surfing, kite flying to pebble stacking etc. The area is well conserved and has a very minimal toll to enter, but I guess it’s required to maintain the surrounding and its landscape.There are two mini food vans in the premise, in case you want to grab a quick tea/coffee or some snacks. We loved the Victoria sponge cake and hot chocolate also.

Caernarfon Castle-inside

Caernarfon-
A fantastic port town with a historical castle. The ruins in castle depicts a story from a bygone era. It is here that Prince Charles had his investiture in 1969.The site is now listed in UNESCO world heritage site. 

We spent half of our day in exploring this castle and its various tunnels. The castle has a unique feature with polygonal towers.

 It’s a small town with limited eateries and café. But well worth a visit is a lovely Fish and Chip shop, whose owners have a friendly approach.

Caernarfon Street

They make the fish right in front of you. We ordered Cod with chips, which was delicious. Once in a while fish and chips should be eaten. Let me tell the name of the shop in case you want to have fish and chips-’’ Ainsworth Fish and Chips’’. We also bought some souvenirs as well. Dear daughter bought few for her friends as well. 

I like this coaster and this love spoon a lot. Celtic love spoon is a very memorable gift for someone you love. These fine hand-crafted wooden spoons are very poignant. 

Celtic Lovespoon

The giving and receiving Celtic love spoon between lovers, family and friends is a very old Welsh tradition from 17^th century. Young men usually carve these spoons from one piece of wood with symbols such as hearts, Celtic knotwork, bells and horseshoe to give away as everlasting gifts.

Aber falls, Abergwyngregyn-
Aber falls is a fantastic place for a wonderful day out. The walk towards falls is very manageable and passes through significant natural beauty. 

Aber Falls Walk - starting point

There are many points where you can stop and look afar and take pictures. 

The epitome of this walk is the fall itself, which never disappoints. The falls after a rainy spell looks even more beautiful. The only problem is car parking.

Aber Falls

If you can get a fine spot, you are all set to explore this beautiful place.

There were times, when we just did picnic with home packed lunches and lost account of our time. 

And that is how holidays should be-no timetable and no rushing through.

Wales as usual, always give beautiful surprises and is worth a visit. There are still many quaint towns and places we haven’t ventured out, someday those will be visited as well.

You have a great weekend ahead.Wishing every one Shobho Mahalaya in advance.Enjoy and celebrate.