North Wales weekend & ISLAND OF 20,000 SAINTS!

I’ve gone this weekend on a short break away up North Wales to relax and refresh mind after a busy week. The time was wonderful, filled with enough relaxing and enough adventure!
Visits up North Wales are one of my favourites in the UK so far. The absolute beauty of misty hills, forests and nature is astounding! Waking up and drinking a fresh cup of coffee with mountains in view outside is such an amazing way to begin the day!

On Saturday we (me and my amazing company) went to the nearby seaside, it was a cloudy, rainy day – but of course I loved it! The clouds were casting a dark, gray light onto everything, it seemed like a movie set! The clouds were so dark, it looked like a tornado is about to emerge from them.

We walked among the seaside path, observing small wonders of the sea, that got washed up ashore. We saw beautiful shells, coral remains that still were vibrant in pink or red color, some fish cages that probably fell out of the finishing boats out in the sea… oh and of course a massive remain of sea lion… which at first glance looked like a tree, but then at a closer look we realized it was a massive pile of flesh…. So much for that magical beach walk vibe, eh?

After the ‘thrill’ of discovery, we headed back to the cottage we were staying at, and had a refreshing cup of tea, before spending the rest of the day talking and relaxing in a gentle glow of the fireplace.

Sunday was more eventful! We got up early and headed into a Plas Glyn y Weddw mansion. The mansion was very gothic and elegant, and while admiring it I was just thinking of how wonderful it would be to live there!

The mansion was used to display different artworks from Welsh artists, from paintings to pottery… it was quite magical. We went from room to room, analysing and admiring paintings until deciding to re-vitalize our brains with some caffeine. The mansion had a small café, so off we went for some coffee and cake.

After that wonderful stop we went to the regions of Bardsey Island, also known as the island of 20,000 saints!
We stood on Mynydd Mawr, from which we could see this amazing island in all its glory! There are boat trips available to the island, when the weather permits, but the day we went - wind was so harsh, it was tough to even stay stable walking in this area! I can’t imagine a boat ride in the strong wind, roughness of waves and my sea sickness! So, this day, we just watched from afar :)

Bardsey Island is quite rich in history. Filled with stories of monks, Vikings, pirates... I was stunned to be standing and looking at a such a remarkable place.
It is known as a sacred island, since the first establishment of the Celtic Christian church which attracted devout monks, building a monastery in the 6th century. The dissolution of the monasteries in 1537, left Bardsey in the hands of pirates and marauders. The town later established farming and fishing community in mid-eighteenth century.

The island is known as a place of burial of royalty and holy men.
‘’For centuries, the island was important as it was said it was: "the holy place of burial for all the bravest and best in the land". – say the historic articles I found online.
It is said that there’s 20,000 saints that lie beneath its soil. Some stories also claim that it’s the burial site of Merlin and King Arthur!

So yeah…. Trying to wrap my head around that while standing there, and imagining all the history linked with this place was pretty tough! Quite mind-blowing, in fact.
We were looking at the beauty of the island and admiring the sight of the lighthouse on it, I definitely plan to revisit this place in a better weather and get a boat ride to admire this island’s beauty up-close! If anyone is travelling around Wales- I highly recommend this place.

The day was cloudy and rainy, but as we stood there, the sky started clearing up, allowing golden sun rise to lighten up the sea and hills we were standing on. It was so beautiful!
We headed our way to Bangor, however we run out of time and before we knew it, we had to start heading back to mid- wales… back home.

We gazed up the stars on our way back, among hills and forests, in a very cold but beautiful night. When we got home, had a cup of tea and went to bed, ending this magical day!
Hope you enjoyed this post!
Cheers,
Marta x