Barnett Vicarious Adventures: August 9, 2013

The town of Holyhead bills itself as the town on the island off an island. It is actually on the rather small Holy Island which is adjacent to Anglesey Island both of which are located in the Irish Sea off the coast of Wales. We were relaxing at our seafront B&B while Elaine recovered from her cold. The hostess told her about an old Welsh herbal cough remedy which was sold in a nearby shop. We got some and her cough improved so much that we went back and bought the remaining two bottles. We then hired a taxi for a tour of the larger Anglesey Island.

The South Stack Island Lighthouse has been a guiding point of light on the edge of the Irish Sea for many years. There is now a bridge to the island, but in the past, everything had to be sent out to the lighthouse keeper by a rope and pulley system similar to the clotheslines in high rise tenement houses.

View south along the coast of Holy Island.

We arrive at Beaumaris Castle in the town of Beaumaris on Anglesey Island. The castle is one of the most intact castles we have visited and is the only one we have seen with the moat still surrounding it. It is a little green and murky as you can see in the photos below, but it is still there.

Above, the entry to the castle across the moat. The castle is a little ominous since the first structure you pass through is “The Docks” which is the jail tower.

Above and below, views of the old castle walls.

Left, the castle “Keep” (last refuge of the king if the walls are breached) in the background.

Harbor at Beaumaris and the streets of the small town below. The castle is the big tourist attraction. Without the castle, there would not be much to bring people here since it is a little off the beaten track. Actually the town is quite nice and sits on the water passage separating Anglesey Island from the mainland of Wales.

A “Puffin” on a street sign!! Must be a good place to visit.

Below, the views along the water passage between Beaumaris and the mainland.

Below, the original bridge connecting Anglesey Island with the mainland.

Below, now this would be nice. Note the house built on the island in the middle of the river just below the old bridge. What a great setting.

Read closely the sign on the rail station below is says:

Its meaning is written below the word. It is the town with the longest name in the Welsh language. I will buy a drink for anyone who can pronounce it.

Views of the old aluminum plant that closed on Holyhead. It employed over 1,000 people but closed due to the cost of pollution controls even though the Welsh government offered to contribute to the costs. The owners decided to close the plant since it was outdated anyhow rather than spend the money for pollution controls.