Day Trip Through North Wales
4 July 2023 – Holyhead, Wales
For the past week, we have been staying in Holyhead, Wales, as we wait for the weather to be good enough to continue to head south. Unfortunately, the wind has been blowing strongly from the south for the last while so opportunities have been slim. On the bright side, we’ve found lots of things to do in Holyhead while we wait. The first few days we were here, we didn’t do much except hang around and wait for the wind to change, but then we went on a beautiful coastal walk to the top of a nearby mountain and visited the walls of an Ancient Roman fort in town.
Caer Gybi Roman Fort – Holyhead, Wales
The highlight of our stay here happened yesterday, when we rented a car and drove around north Wales.
Rental car – North Wales
It was pretty stressful driving on the left side of the roads, which are also considerably smaller than those in Canada. A few times we were driving down a two-way street barely wide enough for our car which meant that as soon as we rounded a corner and saw a car coming towards us we had to slam on the brakes and back up until the road widened slightly.
Our first destination were the Din Lligwy ruins, which are the remains of a Roman-influenced Celtic settlement from the 3rd or 4th century CE. It is located in a peaceful sheep field and through a beautiful little forest with basically no one around, so we could walk wherever we liked.
Walking to Din Lligwy ruins – North Wales
Walking to Din Lligwy ruins – North Wales
Din Lligwy ruins – North Wales
There is also a Neolithic burial chamber nearby, which features a massive 25 tonne stone resting on top of eight other stones inside of which 15-30 ancient bodies were discovered in 1908.
Lligwy burial chamber – North Wales
Then we drove to Caernarfon Castle, which is the most impressive castle I have ever seen. It was commissioned by King Edward I in 1283 as a symbol of English domination over the Welsh and took almost 50 years to build. It is still extremely well-preserved today, so we could walk through the inside, around the interior courtyard, and up its seven turrets.
Caernarfon Castle – Caernarfon, Wales
Our next destination was the nearby Segontium, which was the Romans’ largest fort in north Wales and was used until the end of the Roman occupation, lasting over 300 years. Many of the stones used to built the fort were taken and used to build Caernarfon Castle, so today only its very base is visible.
Segontium – Caernarfon, Wales
The last place we visited was Bryn Celli Ddu, a Neolithic tomb that was formed by a mound and a burial chamber within. There were also intricately carved stones standing around it.
Bryn Celli Ddu – North Wales
Bryn Celli Ddu – North Wales
On our way back to Festina Lente, we passed through Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch – a small town with the longest place name in Europe at fifty-eight letters long.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, Wales
Because the wind is still not ideal, we will probably leave Holyhead this evening and sail overnight to south Wales, as that is the only weather window in sight.
Full double-rainbow that appeared directly over Festina Lente – Holyhead, Wales
