ANGLESEY, WALES: DAFFODILS, SCENERY & HISTORIC SITES
By Glynn Burrows
ON BIG BLEND RADIO: Glynn Burrows, owner of Norfolk Tours, talks about his adventures in Anglesey, Wales. Watch here in the YouTube player or download the episode on Podbean.
When we were planning this month’s podcast, we were thinking about travel in the Spring and my mind always goes back to my childhood when my sister and I used to pick Primroses which grew in the ditches and on the banks around the fields when we were little. Yellow is a real Spring color and when I see Primroses and Daffodils, I know that they are a good sign that the weather is turning.
It just so happens that the national flower of Wales is the Daffodil, and this last weekend, Diane and I were in Anglesey putting together an itinerary for a company for which I do tours. All of these coincidences!
The Daffodil has been used by numerous cancer charities across the globe to signify hope and renewal, and the UK is no exception to this, with people dressed in bright yellow costumes collecting in supermarkets and in the town centers. Cancer is a disease that touches every family, and it took both of Diane’s parents, so our family knows all too well how cruel it is.
So, let’s look at the positive side of things and what it is like to travel in the Spring, when the whole country is bursting into life, with yellow flowers everywhere, lambs gamboling in the meadows, and beautiful blue skies. It is still a bit chilly, but it is generally a gorgeous time of the year.
On Anglesey, which is the island off the North coast of Wales, the countryside is quite hilly and many of the roads are little more than a single track with steep banks on either side. Driving can be a bit hairy, but most people drive to the conditions and take things steady, so, as long as we all take it easy, driving around the island is a lovely way to see the area.
There are many little villages and small towns, with interesting buildings and some of the places have extremely interesting names. One such place has the second longest single word placename in the world! It is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch and we went to take the obligatory photographs. The locals often call it “Llanfair PG” and I don’t blame them!
There are several sites of special scientific interest on the island, as you would expect, and the coastline changes depending on where you are. Some lovely sandy beaches and some lovely pebble-strewn stretches too, some with large rocks, leaving lots of rock pools when the tide goes out and some areas which are decidedly craggy. For the nature lover and birder, the photographer or the artist, this island has everything you need in a very small area.
So, why is the Daffodil the national flower of Wales? There are a few possible answers, as we always find when we are looking at old customs, but my own idea is that it is because St. David’s Day is the first of March and the abundant flowers then, are the Daffodils. Another idea relates to an older traditional Welsh symbol – the leek. That’s because the Welsh word for Daffodil is cenhinen Bedr, which translates to “Peter’s leek”. (We don’t know who Peter was.)
When the Princess of Wales married her now husband Prince William, the Prince of Wales, she wore a wedding dress featuring hand-cut lace flowers depicting a rose for England, a thistle for Scotland, a daffodil for Wales, and a shamrock for Northern Ireland.
Anglesey has some very fine buildings too, and we visited two of them on this trip. Beaumaris Castle is a real stronghold. It is often called the greatest castle never built because it was never completed, but it was the last of the royal strongholds created by Edward I in Wales and often thought of as his masterpiece.
The castle is a fortress of immense size and near-perfect symmetry, with four concentric rings of formidable defenses including a water-filled moat with its very own dock. Sadly, the work had almost stopped by the 1320s and much of the south gatehouse and the six towers in the inner ward never reached their intended height. The Llanfaes gate was hardly started before it was halted.
The other major building we visited was Plas Newydd which has a fantastic, elevated position overlooking the Menai Straight.
The house is magnificent, with sweeping lawns and a beautiful park, with mature trees and formal gardens. Inside, there are unique treasures, including the Rex Whistler Dining Room, where the 17.5m mural covers the whole wall along one side of the room.
The house itself has a fascinating history, with stories from Henry VIII to the battle of Waterloo and of families building and rebuilding, making their fortunes and bankruptcy. One member of the family lost a leg at Waterloo and one of his wooden legs is on display in the museum. I say “one of his wooden legs” because he had different legs for dancing, walking, riding, etc……….
We also visited a local jail and a courthouse which really brought home the utter unfairness of sentencing during the nineteenth century. Why would someone stealing a handkerchief be transported to Australia for seven years? A trifle excessive wouldn’t you say?
On our way back home, which is across the whole country, from the West Coast and nearly to the East Coast, we went through Lincolnshire, and I just had to stop and get some pictures of the Daffodil fields. This is where most of our Daffodils and Tulips are grown, both for the flowers and for the bulbs. Quite a spectacle, don’t you think?
Glynn provides customized, private tours and also helps his clients trace their English family history. Past guests have visited and experienced stately houses and gardens, castles and churches, ruins and villages, birding and wildlife, World War II airfields, and general area taster tours too. Accommodations can be in all types of establishments, from character buildings such as windmills, thatched cottages and castles, self-catering or five-star luxury – just say what you want, and it can be arranged. Nothing is too much trouble for Glynn!
Visit www.Norfolk-Tours.co.uk
