Good morning everyone from Dublin's fair city. I can't believe our wonderful holiday to discover my father's and his ancestors' roots is nearly over. Where did the time go? It has been wonderful and the holiday packed with emotion.
Last Sunday we were still in The Cotswolds. We were very happy at the lovely little Airbnb cottage called Dartbury Lodge on the grounds of the owners' beautiful property and I took some photos that morning to remember it. It has been like a home away from home with everything we could possibly need provided for us. It's a place to recommend and the hosts were lovely.
That day we decided to stay near home - Dartbury Lodge near Yatton Keynell in the Chippenham area - and visit 2 of the prettiest villages near us rather than going further afield. Being Sunday I also booked a table for a Sunday roast at a nearby pub.
Following our hosts' recommendations we visited the town of Corsham and then the beautiful fairy tale like village of Lacock which I had seen with the girls on a trip here two years ago. Corsham which I had never heard of is a historic market town in west Wiltshire on the south western edge of The Cotswolds. It's actually a town and was once a centre for agriculture and wool as well as the quarrying of the beautiful Bath stone which apparently still goes on today although we never saw any quarries. What we did see was the superb Georgian style high street although it being a Sunday everything was closed.
A bit further up and just by Corsham Court (private manor house) we saw the Weavers' houses in a Dutch style called The Flemish houses. They were lovely. The problem though with taking photos in beautiful areas is that there are so many cars it is impossible to take photos without them. Anyway, here are the Flemish houses.
Everywhere we went we saw peacocks ambling freely and walking along the streets with their long and beautiful feathered wings. They seemed immune to people looking at them.
Like them, we wandered around the beautiful streets and made our way to Corsham Court, a spectacular country house owned by the Methuan family who still own it and live there. It was closed for visits so I just spied it through the gates next to the Church of St. Bartholomew.
It was Sunday and the church was open so we went to see it. It was one of those lovely English churches you see in villages all around England. Eladio who knows a lot about churches remarked that they were all like mini cathedrals. Here I am outside St. Bartholomew's.
What surprised my Spanish ex Catholic priest husband was to see people inside chatting and having tea and cakes, something you would never see in any Spanish church. A christening had just taken place and was being celebrated. It was rather nice and both of us talked to members of the congregation.
From Corsham we drove to Lacock, one of the most famous villages in The Cotswolds and made even more famous by some of the Harry Potter films being partially filmed there. I also read that part of the upcoming Downton Abbey film has been filmed there too and I am not surprised as it is a perfect period drama location, just as Castle Combe is. It features in Pride and Prejudice also and other films. But it's bigger than Castle Combe. It is just a most beautiful picturesque medieval village, the type you only usually see in paintings or on chocolate boxes. I mean it is just stunning. Visiting the 13th century village of Lacock, once a thriving wool industry, is like stepping back into history. It is totally unspoiled and is now nearly completely owned by The National Trust. There is a magnificent abbey there too in amazing grounds but we didn't visit it thinking the 13 pound entry fee per person was rather expensive. In any case it was the village we really wanted to see.
My photos do not do justice but let me share some of them for you to get an idea.
It was interesting to see that many villagers sold their goods by leaving them outside their houses for people to take and pay for by placing money into a letter box or openly in a box. That is something I have only ever seen in England but know it happens elsewhere. Sadly I commented to Eladio that this would not really work in Spain as people would probably just take the goods and not pay. We did buy something via this method; locally made fudge and home made strawberry meringues.
As you can see I couldn't resist the sweets and cakes at this little stall on someone's wall outside the prettiest little cottage you could imagine. They were to take home to my father. I also bought a post card for him which I posted at the quaint old post office.
Happy with our visit to Lacock, we walked back to the car to drive to the little village of Ford very near our lodge where we were to have a Sunday roast at The White Hart. The White Hart was a lovely old pub and was very busy that day as I imagined most pubs in England would be on a Sunday.
There was lots on offer on their menu but for me there was nothing more enticing than their roast beef and Yorkshire pudding which we both had. It was more than delicious.
We then drove home to take a siesta after which we planned a long walk to work off our lunch. But that was not to be. When Eladio got up from his siesta he gave me a huge shock by suddenly fainting. He got out of bed, came into the lounge and sat in the chair next to me where I was on my PC. He tried to talk to me but couldn't and suddenly collapsed. He gave me the biggest scare ever when he fainted. I really thought he was dying on me and I panicked. Thank goodness our neighbours returned from their weekend in Ascot just as it happened. He passed out but thankfully soon revived but looked completely yellow and was covered in sweat. Graham dialed 999 and an ambulance arrived with a lovely paramedic called Heidi about 5 minutes later. I was impressed with the speed. Feeling confused and very woozy, she took lots of tests to rule out any heart or brain problem. Thankfully there were no red flags. But it was difficult to diagnose him as he was very confused while trying to explain his symptoms. He could hardly get his thoughts together to do so. Thus Heidi, debating whether to take him to the hospital in Bath performed more tests and he passed them all, thank goodness. She was with us for over an hour and during that hour he slowly recovered so she left with strict instructions to ring again if anything happened. Thankfully nothing did happen. He went to bed and slept well all night. It was not a nice end to our stay in The Cotswolds and we had both had a dreadful scare.
I should add that on Sunday I was delighted to hear that the 37 year old Spanish tennis player, Feliciano López won his second Queen's tournament winning both the singles and doubles title. The British press were delighted his partner was Andy Murray and me too as he has been injured for a long time and this could be his comeback.
Monday came, the day we were leaving for Wales. Thankfully Eladio woke up a new man with no sign of his fainting episode the next day. We got ready to leave our lovely cottage which we would miss and left at around 10 am. Our next destination following in the footsteps of my father's and his family's roots was to Anglesey where his father, Revd. John Collins Lloyd, was born. But we would stop half way in Shrewsbury where he met my grandmother. He was posted there as a curate from 1915 to 1919 at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, a beautiful red brick building with one of the tallest spires in England. Here he may have well met my grandmother, Dorothy Gertrude Scull, as they lived nearby at 121 Abbey Foregate. In his letters to her that I have and which are written during their courtship, they are all posted from his house on Coton Crescent. I was keen to see the places they met and that he mentioned in his letters.
Amazingly we parked on Castle Street where my grandmother had lived at 31 Castle Street before the family moved to Abbey Foregate. This was the house, a beautiful Tudor building.
The church was just around the corner on St. Mary's place. Today it is a redundant church but is still used for the occasional service. It is upkept by the friends of St. Mary's and is the only completely medieval church in the town. It dates from Saxon times and once again Eladio commented it looked like a mini cathedral. I felt so awed to be there, so emotional, so respectful of my past and again I shook with nerves, love and joy all at the same time. Here I am outside the church and inside trying to imagine my grandfather as a young man there.
In some of his letters to my grandmother during their courtship, he complains about the vicar. I think he found him a little strict or bothersome. I looked at the names of all the incumbents and found the one who would have been my grandfather's "boss" during his time in Shrewsbury. It was William Geoffrey Pennyman. I think his complaints were about his work overload when all he wanted was to spend time with my grandmother with whom he had fallen desperately in love to judge from his letters. In those letters he also mentions meeting my Grandmother on the bridge and he would have referred to the English bridge that crosses the River Severn nearby where they would meet on their bicycles. So I had to see that too of course. Here I am on their bridge.
It was very special being in the beautiful town in Shropshire where my grandparents fell in love. We were there for about 2 hours and soon it was time to move on if we wanted to get to Anglesey at a reasonable time in the evening.
It was another 2 hour drive or a bit more. We drove on the A5 for most of the way and then the North Wales Express the A55, only stopping for a picnic lunch shortly after leaving Shrewsbury. It was sunny there but when we drove past what we thought was Snowdonia the fog made its appearance and it would stay for our arrival and the next day.
We arrived in the town of the famous long name llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch near where we would be staying. The long name is shortened for practical purposes to Llanfairpwl. By the way it actually means "Saint Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio of the red cave. OGO - This comes from the word "ogof" meaning "cave" in Welsh." Would you believe that the St. Mary's was my grandfather's first church where he was appointed curate after his ordination in 1910 at the Cathedral of St. Asaph? We would be visiting it the next day.
We found our little Airbn place, "Paddleboard Cottage" down the road from Llanfairpwl and just on the Menai Strait in an area called Moel y Don. We were supposed to use a key pad code to get in but as we had never used one before we needed the owner, Nicky's help. She lives just next door and popped over to help us open the door but then left us to our devices. This is the cottage by the way, nice but a bit below expectations. It is described as a water front property but there is a house right behind it that blocks the view. Also the dirty looking beach on the strait is downright ugly with the tide out the whole time and just mud instead of sand. However, inside the cottage it is fine but it wasn't as nice as our cottage in The Cotswolds and we couldn't help but compare the two.
Eladio went straight to bed while I unpacked everything and settled in. I then went out for a short walk to explore the area which I didn't find very beautiful but at least peaceful and surrounded by green. Perhaps it was because of the fog. In the followings days when the fog lifted then the views were lovely.
Later I rang Val, my friend Joanne's sister, who lives in Llanfairpwl and who had very kindly offered to take us on a tour of some of the points of interest in my grandfather's life on the island. She had also invited us out to lunch in Beaumaris. This was so kind of her and Eladio couldn't understand why she would want to do that. I'm not sure either but am extremely grateful.
We had a light bite for dinner then watched a bit of TV on my iPad and went to bed early again.
I woke up at 5 a.m. as usual here and up to more fog. It would rain later though the sun did come out in the early evening finally. Back home in Madrid it was sizzling and there was a tremendous heat wave but not in Anglesey I am afraid.
Val wasn't picking us up until 10.45 so we had time to go shopping. I chose Waitrose in Menai Bridge which I heard later was the supermarket Prince William's wife, Kate Middleton, used to shop at when the lived on the island shortly after their wedding. I do love Waitrose. Here I am at the till.
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Shopping at Waitrose on Tuesday morning in Menai Bridge
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Just as we got home, my publisher had sent me the e-book version to my kindle. It was to check all the text for any more mistakes and facts to be corrected. This meant I would have to re-read it again. It felt funny seeing my father's book on my own kindle and I got rather a thrill out of it.
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| My father's book on my kindle |
It's not yet ready for sharing with the wider world but is in the final stages.
A short while later Val (Valerie) was here to pick us up. On the way to her house - would you believe she lives in the old rectory of my grandfather's first curacy in Llanfairpwl? - she told me her story of how she had moved to live on the island. Originally from Lancashire, a few years ago, she bought one of the flats in the Old Rectory as a holiday home and when she split up with her partner came to live here two years ago. . About my age, she loves it and is quite integrated and has even begun to learn Welsh, such a difficult language. There at her house with views of my grandfather's church as well as the magnificent Brittania Bridge, she introduced us to her friend Alan who had help planned our guided tour that morning. Born and bred into a Welsh speaking family, he is now retired and history is his hobby, especially local history. When he first spoke to me I couldn't understand a word he was saying as he has a very thick Welsh accent when he speaks English. However, later he spoke carefully and slowly and I, at least, was able to understand better although I kept having to asking him to repeat himself. He told us that Welsh is on the decline and that sometimes, as happens in other parts of the world, the language divides society. He is not for indendependence and told us the movement was not very strong. Although people in Wales voted overall for Brexit, many people here are regretting the decision, especially farmers who live off subsidies from the EU. Alan's explanation of the situation makes sense as what will the latter do when they no longer receive subsidies, many of which exceed 100.000 pounds a year, far more than what they make from actual production? The main income on the island comes from sheep farming. Also Anglesey is famous for its copper mining and now tourism.
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| The Old rectory of my grandfather's first church which has now been turned into flats, one of which belongs to Valerie |
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| Val's garden with its view of my grandfather's first church |
From the Old Rectory we walked the short distance to my grandfather's first ever church, the Church of St. Mary. Joanne and Alan had got permission for it to be opened especially for us. That was so kind. In the rain walking down the field to the church, I once again got rather an emotional feel. This would be one more of my grandfather's churches I would see on this trip this one being his first and the place where he started his pastoral service after ordination in 1910. He would be here for 3 years and lived in the nearby White Lodge.
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| The Church of St. Mary in LlanfairPwl where my grandfather started out on his pastoral career in 1910 |
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| Inside my grandfather's first church as a curate |
The current vicar was in the church with the warden and he explained how services today are held in Welsh and English at the same time. His name was Eric and although he also had a Welsh accent I understood him perfectly.
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| In the church with Val, Alan, the current vicar and the church warden |
We later walked in the grounds and went down to see a statue of Nelson built by a former Marques of Anglesey which serves as a navigation aid and then back to Val's place for a cup of tea. I should add that her cocker spaniel, Alfie, joined us.
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| Walking in the grounds of the church with views of the Brittania bridge |
Val's house is in a great location on the Menai strait with its views of my grandfather's church, the strait itself and the Brittania bridge. The latter was first built for railway traffic in October 1850 and was designed by the famous Sir. Robert Stephenson. Further down is the Suspension Bridge to Bangor which was built earlier in 1826.
The next stop on our agenda in Tuesday's guided tour was to the nearby town of Llandegfan. My first lesson in the Welsh language was to learn that "Llan", pronounced Clan, means church which figures. There are 100 churches in Anglesey but worship is declining. We were told the congregation on a Sunday at St. Mary's was not much more than about 13 people. I wonder what it would have been in my grandfather's days.
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| Llandegfan Church of St. Tegfan's |
I loved this second church and imagined my grandfather walking into it just as I did that mornng, over 100 years since he did. Amazing. This is it inside, a jewel of a place.
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| Inside St. Tegfan's church in Llandefan |
Alan explained it had been founded in the 6th century and although it has been rebuilt many times there are some remains of those early times, including the beautiful font.
From Llandegan, our guides drove us to the pretty little seaside town of Beaumaris meaning pretty marsh, if marshes can be pretty. It was a pity it was still raining and foggy so we missed seeing the Snowdonia mountain range or Puffin Island. I would have liked to see the Norman castle but there was no time to see everything. Here we had lunch at the Bulkeley Hotel. The Bulkely family are known in the area and the 10th baron of Bulkely built the hotel in 1832 for a royal visit to the town. He later invented the famous Hansom cab. It was a lovely "oldie worldie" place and we enjoyed a great meal of fish and chips. Val insisted on treating us.
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| Fish and chips at the Bulkeley hotel in Beaumaris |
After lunch Val drove us to a superb viewing point on the Menai Strait where we could see the two bridges that cross to mainland Wales. At that moment the sun came out and we got good views.
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| View of the Suspension Bridge |
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| Eladio and I with the Menai Strait behind us |
After a little photo session there, we returned to Val's house where Alan showed us some old picture post cards he had collected of scenes of LlanfairPwl in the past, around the time my grandfather lived on the island. I, in turn, showed my new friends some photos of his time there, including one of his mother, my great grandmother, Marian Collins. It must have been taken around 1910 at least. Notice her long dress and hat.
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| My great grandmother, Marian Margaret Collins in Anglesey around 1910 |
We had a packed programme and it was time to go back to Paddleboard Cottage to rest. On the way, Val drove us to the railway station to see the famous sign of the long name of the village. And here I am standing by it. It must be the most photographed place in the village.
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| Taking a photo of the full name of the village with its English pronounciation underneath at the train station. |
It would have been here that my grandfather would have caught the train back to Holyhead and it would have been here that the train he would catch to either Shrewsbury or London would pass when he travelled.
We were home way after 5 pm. Eladio went to rest and I began reading the e-book to look for mistakes until I nearly fell asleep too. The sun had made its appearance and by then our location by the Menai Strait looked a lot more attractive. We went on a walk on the fields above it past sheep and cows and enjoyed the views.
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| On our walk on Tuesday by Moel y Don where our cottage is |
It was still sunny when we returned to the cottage at about 9 pm and, although we were not very hungry, we had a small crab salad followed by strawberries, raspberries and bilberries with a meringue shell which was delicious.
Wednesday came and our search for my grandfather's roots on the island continued, this time to see Holyhead where he was born and where we would be in the good hands of Barry Hillier. While I was writing my book, Andy D. came across an
article written by Barry about my great great grandfather, John Collins, after he had seen his grave at the town cemetery. It was full of information on his heroic efforts in The Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny and very interestingly included his obituary when he died in 1904. This mentioned the mourners, including my grandfather and all his siblings. I knew at the time that his siblings were called Tom, William and Ellen but there was another one mentioned, Noel. Noel proved to be a mystery which only Barry would unravel for me. His real name was Owen Noel Lloyd and he was the youngest brother who I was to find out sadly died of TB aged just 16. I kept telling my father about his uncle who he never knew referring to him as Owen. It then transpired he was commonly known as Noel (he had been born on Christmas Day in 1899). My father suddenly remembered when I mentioned the name Noel and he said "Oh Noel, I remember my father telling me about him". Later Barry would find his birth certificate where the informant was my grandfather, John Collins Lloyd. I found it very poignant that my grandfather lost his brother aged 16 and years later would lose his own son, Raymond, also aged 16. It was my newly found cousinKatriona from Glasgow who sent me Noel's photo, aged 13, which would complete the picture.
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| Little Noel aged 13 |
After reading the article about my great great grandfather, I wrote to Barry who by the way is a trustee of the Holyhead Maritime Museum. He wrote back immediately and provided me with all the research material from his article and much more. He also found the grave of Noel which lies together with his parents, my great grandparents, William Fox Lloyd and Marian Margaret Collins (daughter of John Collins of the Crimean War and Indian mutiny fame). William Fox Lloyd, by the way was the chief steward on board the Cambria ship, or the Mail Ship, as it was called then and was really the ferry that sails from Holyhead to Dublin and back - hence our keeness to take that same trip to Ireland, following in his footsteps. This is a photo of my great grandfather with his crew - he is the man with the cap in the middle.
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| My paternal great grandfather, William Fox Lloyd, the chief steward on the Cambria, the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin. |
So I was to see all their graves but also other significant areas of interest related to their lives in Holyhead over a hundred years ago.
Eladio and I were to meet Barry at the Maritime Museum at 10.30 on Wednesday morning. We set off on plenty of time and decided to drive quickly to one of the island's most famous landmarks, the South Stack lighthouse which I know my father remembers well from his holidays with his father's family in Anglesey when he was a young boy.
Anglesey is quite large, much larger than I had imagined and we were staying at the opposite end, near Bangor, to Holyhead which, by the way, is on a separate island "Holy Island". It is an important gateway to Ireland - just 50 miles to Dublin - but the town which still has a very important port, is not as thriving as when my ancestors lived there or so I was told. Anglesey has a population of about 50.00 people and measures 150 miles. Today Holyhead has a population of about 10 to 12.000. My father recently told me the name for Holyhead in Welsh was "Caergybi" and boy was he right as I was to see on all the signs in the town. What a memory! I learned this week that Caergybi means "Cybi's fort" after the Welsh saint or rather Cornish saint as he was born in Cornwall. He was a king in the 6th century working mostly in North Wales. We were to see the church named after him, the church my ancestors worshipped at.
As we drove into Holyhead on our way to the lighthouse, amazingly we went right up the street where my grandparents last house on the island was, Alderley Terrace. I made Eladio stop so as to see the old house at number 19 which my father remembers very well. It is not very beautiful but is larger than it looks with 5 bedrooms. Today it is on sale for about 150.000 pounds. Barry wondered whether I would be interested in buying it but of course I am not. Here I am outside the house. That was quite an emotional moment.
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| Outside 19 Alderley Terrace my grandfather's old house |
From there we drove about 3 miles up the road to find the South Stack lighthouse which is on a little island. Apparently there are 400 steps to reach it. Unfortunately we didn't have time to go down them so took photos instead of its amazing positioning. The coast of Anglesey is very treacherous and we would learn of the many shipwrecks over the years that caused a lot of loss of life in the area.
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| Eladio by the South Stack lighthouse just outside Holyhead |
At 10.30 we met Barry outside the Maritime Museum. It was wonderful to see the man who had helped me so much with my book. He had done so voluntarily and I just didn't know how to thank him enough. We got into his car and he drove us first to the Maeshyfryd Cemetery. There he led me to John Collins' grave and we had a photo taken together at the grave he had told a story about and which had led to us corresponding and finally meeting.
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| With Barry by John Collins' grave - my great great grandfather |
I could just about make out the inscription: "In loving memory of John Collins late of the 82nd regiment (of foot) who served in the ???? Crimean War and the Great Indian Mutiny. Died 4th November 1904 aged 76 years. At the bottom of the headstone was written: "Erected by his son David John Collins - RIP". David John Collins was my ancestor who was awarded two medals by the King of Siam at the end of the 19th century for his important surveying works there. We had researched his life and only know he was born in Dundee on his way to India with his family. It seems he was well educated - probably from money awarded by Lord Wellington to those who fought in the Indian Mutiny and the CrimeanWar - and seemed to have lived all his life in Siam, India and Burma. There is no record of him attending his father's funeral in the obituary Barry found so we can possibly presume he never ever returned to the country where he was born but must have arranged for the headstone from afar.
The other grave I was most keen to see was Noel's and his parents, my great grandparents. Here it is. It was a humbling moment and very emotional to be there.
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| Noel's grave where he is buried with his parents |
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| My great grandparents' grave |
The words on the inscriptions had faded too and we could just about read them. "In loving memory of Noel. Beloved youngest son of William and Marian Fox Lloyd. Alderley Terrace. Born Christmas Day1899. Died 24th October 1916. Thy will be done". What sobering words. The inscription for his parents is: Also William Fox Lloyd who died May 28th 1936 aged 76 also Marian M. Fox Lloyd died August 27, 1940, aged 78.
We then drove to the road across the way from the railway station where my great great grandfather, probably with some of the money he earned for his part in the Crimean War and Indian Mutiny, had bought a refreshment house, a sort of café, probably hoping to gain the business from rail travelers. A few yards up was the pub he would later buy called The Sydney Inn, one on a row of 5 pubs called The five sisters on the Rhos y Gaer terrace in Holyhead. Today it is called The Dublin Packet - name of a ferry to Dublin - and is not in use. So, as I said in my biography, my grandfather was born in a pub yet he would go on to be a man of the church.
We were to see a church in Holyhead that day too, the Welsh church of St. Cybi's where my grandfather and his family worshipped. There was a flower festival going on and coffee and cakes were being served - something unheard of in a Catholic church and which fascinated my husband. I loved the church and again imagined my grandfather walking in there. We know he sang in the choir and had a wonderful voice, so good that he was awarded a chorister scholarship by New College Oxford.
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| Walking with Barry into St. Cyb's church |
We also saw the port which has changed a lot from my great grandfather's day and the British School, the primary school a few steps from Alderley terrace which my grandfather and no doubt his siblings attended. It is no longer in use.
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| The primary school (The British School) my grandfather and his siblings went to in Holyhead |
After seeing all the significant places related to my ancestors in Holyhead, Barry drove us back to the Maritime Museum perched on the beach near the port where we were to have lunch overlooking the great breakwater which is the second longest in the world.
I was to try Welsh lamb for the first time and Elado had local mussels. My father used to tell me how his father, no doubt missing his Welsh food, used to order lamb from Wales to be sent to Henbury in Bristol where they lived by the Royal Mail! My lamb was good and the Bistro pertaining to the museum was a lovely place. Afterwards Barry showed us around the fascinating museum which was once a life boat shelter. Today it is filled with maritime memorabilia related to the area. Even more fascinating was the restored WW2 shelter across the way.
Our day in Holyhead with Barry ended at just after 3 pm and we had had a marvelous trip to my ancestors' roots, the main objective of coming to Anglesey. We said goodbye but were to see Barry again on our last night on the island.
The afternoon was spent lazily. I carried on with the e-book corrections and had a cup of tea sitting out in the sun on the terrace of our little cottage while Eladio had his siesta. Later I would fall asleep too on the sofa. The sun was still shining at 7.30 and once again we went out for a walk to enjoy the last rays of sun and the beautiful scenery. We were not disappointed. I just love the view of the Menai strait and lush green fields with their cows and sheep.
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| As seen on our walk on Wednesday evening |
One of the black and white cows came up to greet me hahaha. That was one very friendly cow.
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| A friendly cow greeting me on our walk on Wednesday evening |
We came home to make dinner - Lincolnshire sausages and asparagus. We loved them. Tired, we went to bed early again on our last but one night on the island.
On Thursday I woke up to brilliant sunshine, at 5 am in the morning. It was to be our last day on the island and the only day on our own. I had reserverd it to visit the beach my father and his cousins and family would go to when on holiday in Anglesey; the Treaddur Bay Beach. It's quite near Holyhead and about 25 minutes from our cottage. We were there quite early and I was thrilled to be there.
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| Treaddur Bay |
I wondered if it had changed much since my father was last there, probably in the late 20's or early 30`s. I have one photo of his brother and two cousins, Blodwen and William on a beach in Anglesey, presumably Treaddur which my cousin Katriona sent me. This is it.
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| My father's brother Raymon (the one leading the horse) and cousins Blodwen and William in the 20's very possibly on Treaddur Beach |
There weren't many people bathing that day but if there had been I would have noticed a big change in dress. Just look how the two boys are wearing a jacket and tie. Before setting off for a walk on the beach and coastline, we went to buy a post card for my father which would be the last one I would send from the UK. The coastline is lovely and we walked along paths which belong to the Anglesey Coastal walk - it's a 150 mile round walk - and only wished our stay there could have been longer. The headlands were beautiful; it's a rugged coast and a bit like the coast in the north of Spain with lots of green, rocks, mountains and on that day blue skies.
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| Treaddur Bay |
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| On the rocks above Treaddur Bay |
It was a warm day but not warm enough in our opinion for sitting or bathing as we are used to far warmer temperatures. When we had had our fill of Treaddur Bay, we returned to our car and drove to our next and final destination; Church Bay which is a bit further up the coast. My friend Jackie had recommended the Lobster Pot restaurant there and as I can't resist lobster, I had booked a table for lunch there on Thursday.
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| The Lobster Pot at Church Bay |
The drive to Church Bay was short; about 20 minutes and soon we were parked next to the restaurant which we later learned has been there since the 1940s and is very popular especially in the summer. We had time on our hands to see Church Bay before lunch and walked down the steep path to see what is a beautiful little cove with a sandy beach.
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| The beautiful little beach at Church Bay |
With our walks at both bays we had worked up an appetite and were both looking forward to eating lobster which I can tell you my friends, together with crab, is probably my favourite food on earth and it's not often I get the chance to eat it. Well I did that day and I got my fill as you can see.
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| Delicious locallly sourced grilled lobster at The Lobster Pot in Church Bay |
The lobster came with chips which I ignored as I wanted a desert (raspberry pavlova) and I had another dinner that night, our last dinner on the island with friends. As soon as I got in the car to drive home, I promptly fell asleep and then went straight to bed for a 2 hour siesta. I was much in need of it. I woke up feeling bleery eyed and thinking my goodness how was I going to face dinner out and more food. But the dinner was to be a special one. It was to be our last one on the island but also dinner with all my new friends who I had made while writing my father's book and who are related to Anglesey in some way; Joanne, her daughter Elisa, Val, Alan, Barry and his wife. We were to go to Dylan's at Menai Bridge and the table was booked for 8 pm to suit both UK and Spanish tastes.
It was a balmy night, the warmest since we arrived in Anglesey and I was able to wear a summer outfit. Dylan's is on the seafront with lovely views and the night was perfect.
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| The view from Dylan's |
We were there on time as were our guests and soon there were 8 of us around a table with the best views from the restaurant. Neither Eladio nor I were hungry but managed to eat hahaha. It was an unhurried, informal and lovely evening, the perfect end to our stay on the island. Barry asked me how I felt now I had seen Anglesey and all the places on our long trip to my ancestors' roots. I told him I felt satisfied and that it was the perfect end to the journey of writing my father's book which started in January. It was something I really needed to do; to see many of the places I had written about. I never imagined I would ever visit Anglesey and it is thanks to my father's book that I have now. After I published the book as I think I have told you before, I had this sudden urge to take a trip to the United Kingdom and Ireland to trace his roots and I am very happy that I have done so. In a way it closes a most beautiful chapter in my life and I shall remember it for everyone. That is what I told my new friends when I handed out a book each and thanked them all personally for their contribution to the book and to our stay on Anglesey. I gave them a signed copy of the book each which I hope they all enjoy. I think I got quite emotional and they did too. Here we are all around the table on our last dinner on the island, a wonderful way of celebrating our visit there and a great way to end our stay on my grandfather's beloved Anglesey.
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| Last night dinner on the island |
It was getting late, after 11 pm and we were the only people left in the restaurant. And so our lovely night finished at Dylans with my new found friends. They asked whether we will ever return. I would like to definitely.
My night at the restaurant was interrupted by phone calls to Spain to explain to new Airbnb guests how the air conditioning worked. Suzy was out and asked me to tell them. She was out with her sister, Oli and their bosom friend Elena. They would send us some lovely photos of the three of them together celebrating Oli's ever increasing bump - she is seven months pregnant now. I imagine her boyfriend, cameraman Miguel must have taken them. Here is one of the three of them. It's lovely.
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| My beautiful daughters including Oli with her bump and their friend Elena in a photo they sent to me on our last night in Anglesey |
We went to bed late and would be up again early on Friday morning when I would have to pack and we would vacate Paddleboard Cottage for the last stage of our journey. It would be to Dublin on the ferry where I would be following in the footsteps of my great grandfather William Fox Lloyd who was a chief steward on that same sea route for many years. We were also to visit Ireland for the first time ever and I felt quite excited.
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| My great grandfather, William Fox Lloyd, chief steward on the Holyhead to Dublin ferry route |
The ship we traveled on, The Dublin Swift, was very different to the ships he would sail on. One of them was the HMS Cambria built in 1897, 10 years after my grandfather, John Collins Lloyd was born, and no doubt it was modern for its time. During WW1 it was used as a hospital ship. This is it, compare it to the Dublin Swift hahaha.
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| One of my great grandfather's ships |
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| The Dublin Swift, the catamaran we took from Holyhead to Dublin on Friday |
One thing probably hasn't changed and that's the breakfast served on board. My husband couldn't resist the full Irish breakfast. I could not face it at noon. Our ferry left at 10.40 and arrived at about 13.50 and was no doubt a shorter trip than in my great grandfather's days.
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| Eladio enjoying his full Irish breakfast on board the Dublin Swift from Holyhead on Friday |
It was a short journey made longer by quite a wait when we berthed. Finally we were ushered out by a young Romanian steward and touched Irish soil - well concrete. Here is Eladio by the ship which brought us to Dublin for what would be our first ever trip to the Republic of Ireland.
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| Eladio upon arrival in the port of Dublin |
We arrived to very warm weather and rather sticky too but we felt lucky to be escaping the intense heat wave in Spain and other countries. In France on Friday they reached the historic temperature of 45ºc. In Zaragoza it reached 43ºc. We took a taxi to our guesthouse, The Celtic Lodge, not a great choice actually.
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| Our modest lodgings in Dublin |
We had chosen it for its central location and good reviews but really it's not very nice. But I have to say it's very clean. Here I am in our room wondering where on earth to put all our luggage or how to unpack. In the end we had to keep our suitcases open on the floor. There was no alternative.
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| In our room at The Celtic Lodge in Dublin |
It was a far cry from the beautiful Airbnb cottages we had stayed at in England and Wales but we were not complaining. Eladio was tired and slept a siesta while I stepped out into the streets to explore. We are on Talbot Street just off the main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street, and I have to say the streets were teeming with people. It was very warm and people were scantily dressed to say the least. I guided myself using the very tall millennium obelisk which can be seen from the end of Talbot Street and next to the impressive GPO (General Post Office). I walked up Mary Street which must be one of the main shopping streets. Here I bought a pair of amazingly comfortable Skechers which I would need for walking in Dublin.
I went back to fetch Eladio at about 3.30 and I think we walked the streets in search of some of the most famous landmarks until about 6.30. Thank God for the Skechers. We went in search of the Molly Malone statue. I'm sure you know the song about Molly Malone which starts like this: "In Dublin's fair city where the girls are so pretty I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone". It's probably Ireland's most famous song and I used to sing it to the girls very often when they were small. Molly Malone is a fictional fishmonger in the song. When I saw on the map that there was a statue of her, that's where I wanted to head first. We walked along O'Connell Street until we came to a bridge over the River Liffey, The Carlisle Bridge. From there we walked past the Irish bank and Trinity College Dublin, both important landmarks here.
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| Walking in Dublin on Friday exploring the city |
The streets were packed, so packed I found it a little invasive, especially as we had come from the countryside. I could never live in a city. We found the lovely statue and were able to take a few photos in peace until the hordes arrived.
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| By the statue of Molly Malone in Dublin |
From there we made our way to Temple Bar but for some reason didn't find it. We would later. We walked back and wandered into the courtyard of Dublin Castle and back on our heels and passed Trinity College. Here we had a look in.
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| Eladio in the library courtyard (Book of Kells) in Dublin on Friday |
Founded in 1592 and Ireland's most famous University and one of the oldest in Europe, it really is magnificent. It boasts some very famous former pupils such as the writers Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde. Even Michael O'Leary of Ryan Air fame studied there hahaha.
We walked back to our guest house stopping to see statues, take photos and generally watch things going on in the streets and returned to our little room at about 7 pm. We were very hungry as we hadn't really had lunch that day. We had lots of Waitrose food left over from our stay in Anglesey which I didn't have the heart to throw away and that was what we ate, picnic style, sitting on our narrow beds. But it was lovely. We slept well as the mattresses are comfortable thank goodness.
I woke up on Saturday at a later time than usual - 6.30 Dublin time - and "core blyme" it was raining. How could it be raining yet sizzling all over western Europe I thought? Luckily it didn't rain for long and it turned out to be a pleasant day. Dublin was full of people who had gathered for World Pride Day which is something I am all for but I have to say it packed the streets so much I found there were too many people and longed to be back in quiet Anglesey or The Cotswolds. We tried to ignore it as much as possible as, after all, we were here to discover the city.
Our day started with breakfast at our guesthouse which served all the things I least like for breakfast. I cannot face a cooked breakfast and neither do I like cereals very much and certainly not orange juice from a carton. Thus I took my own fruit to the dining room, as well as my cafetiere and ground coffee and only had the toast. Eladio went for the full Irish breakfast and wouldn't be hungry for a long time hahaha.
I had booked a 2 hour historical walking tour starting from the gates of Trinity College at 11 which would last until 13 where we hoped to learn something of the history of Ireland. Friends had suggested we take one of those ghastly touristy hop on and hop off buses but I hate them, feeling like cattle on board. I far prefer to walk and walk we did that day. My Samsung health app showed me that by the end of the day we had walked over 15 kilometres!
We left the hotel early to walk the 20 minute or so stroll to get to the beautiful Trinity College. On our street, Talbot Street, I spied a statue of James Joyce, the famous Irish author and had to have a photo with him as I did with Molly Malone. Here I am in the best hands to discover Dublin.
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| With James Joyce in Dublin, perhaps Ireland's most famous author |
We were at Trinity College well on time, as were hundreds of other people. Dublin seems to be a huge tourist attraction for people from all over the world and there are hundreds of different ways of touring the city and Irish gift shops every few metres or so.
At 11 we set off with a group comprising mostly of Americans but also people from Germany, India and England. Our guide, Brian I think his name was, spoke with a very thick Irish brogue and very fast too that I had a little trouble following him. I had to translate a lot for Eladio. He was a very nice guy but he rambled a lot and told us so much history of Ireland in a higgledy-piggledy fashion, that at times I lost the thread. But I got an overall picture of the troubled history of the country and the past oppression of the Catholics by the 10% of protestants in the country. I asked him if he could ever envisage a united and independent Ireland including north and south. He told me it was very difficult but not impossible and hoped to see it in his lifetime.
The tour took us along the main sights of the city including Christchurch, The castle and fleetingly the area of Temple Bar which is the area most teeming with people.
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| Temple Bar |
We ended up at the castle, a ruin really and partially a palace now with lovely Georgian architecture. Our guide rambled on so much about all the different battles in the history of Ireland, so feeling tired and losing the plot, we left just before he finished.
Feeling hungry too we headed for a lovely place we had seen the day before, The Bank of College Green, once a bank, the Ulster Bank, I think but now a thriving bar. The big banks in Dublin, as in many places, are more like stately homes with their beautiful lobbies. This was one of the best I have ever seen. We sat upstairs admiring the dome and ceilings, the chandeliers and decor to the sound of someone playing the piano and to other diners talking loudly.
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| Lunch at the Bank of College Green |
There was Irish food on the menu and Eladio went for the seafood chowder while I went for traditional shepherds' pie. Both were delicious.
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| Shepherds' pie at The Bank of College Green |
We then wandered back to our modest little guesthouse for a siesta after so much walking. I think we slept for about two hours believe it or not. But our day didn't end there. We left the Celtic Lodge to roam the streets again in the general direction of one of the city's best known parks, St. Stephen's Green. The sun had come out and it was actually very warm. We got a bit lost by taking a different route until we found our bearings again, always The Carlisle Bridge just off O'Connell Street.
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| Carlisle Bridge |
I wanted to capture the flag of Ireland on my phone. I found it here. It seemed that all the flags flown that day were World Pride rainbow flags but I finally found my Irish one.
From Trinity College we walked up Garratt Street which was so full of people it felt like queueing to walk which I do not like. We queued too to get an ice cream from a kiosk called Ginos and I was served a lovely scoop of pistachio (my favourite) by a young girl from Mexico. There are people from so many nations of the world in Ireland, it feels like the United Nations.
There were even more people in the park - a beautiful ornate one I have to see with wonderful flowers - either having a picnic and a drink or two or just resting in their Gay Pride outfits after a tiring day. The lawns were full of them, except for the best kept lawns with their beautiful flower beds.
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| The park teeming with people resting from Gay Pride day at St. Stephen's park yesterday |
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| One of the beautiful flower beds at St. Stephen's Green |
We sat for a while contemplating the gardens and the people and then took a walk around the park - as if we hadn't walked enough already. We loved it and took lots of photos. Here is Eladio in a quieter area of St. Stephen's Green and me by one of the pretty flower beds.
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| Eladio in the park yesterday |
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| Me in the park yesterday |
It was getting late and time to walk home. Neither of us felt like dinner out and once again had a picnic in our cramped bedroom of food still left over from shopping at Waitrose in Menai Bridge. That night we both slept like babies. I really have caught up on lost sleep here in Dublin.
And today is Sunday, the last day of our journey to my roots and what can I say? It has been amazing, tiring, emotional, happy and a wonderful thing to do. It has also been a need satisfied after writing my father's book and I am so happy to have visited his educational institutions, the places he lived, his father's churches and of course the family graves. I now feel as if I have nearly closed a chapter. It's still not completely finished as the book has still to be published on Amazon as an e-book but that should happen very shortly. Only then can I go on to the next chapter in my family history - the story of my mother.
Today we shall be visiting the pretty little seaside town outside Dublin called Howth but you will hear all about that in next week's post.
Meanwhile, I wish you all the very best from Dublin, a city I have always wanted to visit.
Cheers till next time,
Masha
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