A Cottage by the Sea

 

It's only two weeks into our summer break and already I'm noticing signs of the seasons beginning to shift. The garden flowers are fading, blackberries are ripening in the hedgerows, and the elderberries won't be far behind. I try to avert my gaze, but there's no denying we'll be marching into late summer very soon. It also seems to be passing a lot quicker, this summer, simply because I've planned so much for us to do. Since my working hours increased earlier in the year, I don't have as much available free time in an evening, or on the weekends, which is the reason I've tried to squeeze as much as I can into these six weeks. Whether or not this is a good idea remains to be seen.

Way back in early spring, I'd asked Lily where she might like to go on holiday this summer. She had a little think about it, and decided on Wales. Her reasoning was that she'd been to England, Scotland and Ireland, but had never been to Wales. Immediately (after quickly reminding her of the difference between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland), I began searching online for somewhere that we could stay. And luckily, after establishing whether we wanted to be close to a lake or by the sea, I managed to find somewhere that looked perfect for us. And you can probably guess from the title of this post, that it was right by the shore. It was the most delightful little stone built cottage, with a lovely walled garden.

We had the best time there. The cottage was beautiful, and the owner, who lived right next door, was incredibly kind, and had the sweetest dog - always a bonus :)

On our first morning we visited South Stack Lighthouse. To reach the lighthouse we needed to climb down 400 steps, before crossing a small footbridge, which you can just about see in the above photograph. The view from the cliffs was incredible. It was so beautiful there, and although we were slightly disappointed to have missed the puffins - they leave in July - we did get to see some seals. 

Our next visit was to Newborough Forest and Gwddw Llanddwyn. It was the most gorgeous spot to spend the afternoon. Pine trees, sand dunes, and quiet little bays. I was in heaven.

Then, of course, we had to stop off here. I don't even attempt to pronounce it. 

The following morning we set off early to visit Aber Falls. Beautiful! We ate our picnic lunch right alongside...

...before spending the afternoon in Conwy. We enjoyed a walk on the town walls, as well as some ice cream :)

We spent our final day there at Porthdinllaen. It is owned by the National Trust, and to reach the village we needed to walk along the beach from Morfa Nefyn. The soft sand and pebble beaches are stunning, and of course, the further we walked, the quieter they became. I'd taken my binoculars, so we spent ages watching the seals from the headland. 

That same evening, after walking along the shore, I watched the sunset from the bench behind the cottage. Rather pleased that Lily chose to stay in a cottage by the sea.

Back soon. 

J. X