Anglesey, with a puppy!

Anglesey is very special in our house, it’s where my Husband grew up and his family home built. I somehow managed to steal him away from this island to Leeds! So, when I asked him to come up with a family holiday, that all of us and a puppy could enjoy, this is where he came up with.

Anglesey or Ynys Môn in Welsh, is an island off the coast of the north west of Wales, it’s accessed by road bridge and boasts beautiful beaches, coves , medieval towns and castles. We rented a small cottage, that was puppy friendly, in the village of Rhosneigr on the south west of the island. Anglesey is about a four hour drive from out house in Yorkshire, but throw in a Friday night, a few road accidents and height of summer holidays it can take longer. We had taken the kids to Anglesey when they were tiny and visited Beaumaris, but this time it was teenagers and puppy in the car. The first time our puppy would see the beach and the SEA!

Here’s what we got up to:

Short walks:

Llanddwyn Island and Newborough Warren nature reserve

We spent a few hours here, although you could spend all day here with a bit of planning. Think forest walks or visit the beach and sand dunes. There’s a large parking area by the beach with toilets and a food van was there serving cake and coffee. We had a small forest walk before visiting the beach, which suited us. However due to dog walking restrictions on some of the beach, the puppy could only go on designated places on a lead. She’s not trained off lead anyway, so it was fine for us and we stuck to the dog areas. Check the information boards when you arrive as it depends on the time of year.

We spent time on the beach before heading for Llanddwyn island but forgot to check the tide times! The small expanse of beach and island was covered by the tide. Some of us braver (more stupid?) soles, waited until the water had receded, before braving the below knee high water across. Some of us may have screamed at the cold water! In all seriousness, if you know how anxious I am, you’ll know I didn’t just foolishly go into the water and I felt safe. Puppy stayed on the beach with the more sensible.

Please check tide times and do your own risk assessment.

My Daughter and I had a lovely walk on LLanddwyn island, completing a loop walk of the island’s paths through the heather and rocky outcrops to the lighthouse and old buildings. It really is beautiful and so peaceful.

The Dingle nature reserve, Llangefni

Improvement works were taking place when we visited, however we had a short walk on the boardwalk and then made our way up to the reservoir. Look out for the red squirrels! We parked in the centre of Llangefni and picked up lunch from the local butchers.

Beaches:

Rhosneigr – A lovely wide beach with a huge expanse of sand for the dogs and humans alike. Great for viewing the sunset or watching the kite surfers. You’ll hear the jets taking off from RAF valley air field too. Look out for the vintage tractors parked at the back of the beach.

We had lovely meals at Sandy Mount House which is dog friendly. Also amazing cake from Café Notos, who have a good selection of food and drinks. The pancakes looked unreal!

Cable Bay – Porth Trescastell

A sandy cove located between Rhosneigr and Aberfraw, with plenty of room to run around on the beach. There’s a small pay and display car park. Once you’ve paddled in the sea then take the coastal path up to the headland and see the ancient neolithic burial chamber.

Aberffraw

A pretty village and a walk through the huge sand dunes to the beach. Our puppy discovered the sea here wasn’t as shallow as she thought! The sea was pretty but we didn’t stay long. We did experience the “Aberffraw crab phenomenon”. There were hundreds of Spider crab shells littering the beach and it was pretty stinky. We’ve since learnt this is natural and happens during the summer when hundreds of crabs moult their shells.

Finally, on our way home we stopped at Menai Bridge and Ynys Tysilio, Church island for a small walk and a look at the view. The island is reached by a small causeway and a Church has reportedly been there is 659AD, the present church dates back to 1400. The views down the Menai Straits were pretty, attracting walkers, cyclists and a couple staging some wedding photos. No actual wedding, but they had wanted to dress up for the surroundings.