A cheap flight was on offer to Liverpool, so my wife and I took Friday off before the October holiday for an extra long weekend in Wales (1). Holyhead is about a 2 hour drive from Liverpool. The ferries from Ireland arrive here, the nearest Harbor in Britain to Dublin.
The city, and the rocky headland, are on the western edge of Anglesey Island in Northwest Wales. A seaside trail beckoned, and we went for a short stroll passing dogs gleefully chasing balls on verdant fields, while we enjoyed views to secluded coves. The wet slippery rocks dissuaded us from venturing too far toward the landfall light on the headland
I pondered why the place was called Holyhead, thinking perhaps there was a shape like a cross or something. A local we chatted with later told us simply that a monastery had been located there as early as the 6th Century (1), hence the name. He suggested we visit the northeast of the island where there was an extant monastery from the 500s (2).
(1) In transit at Keflavik, Iceland, I noticed a large number of people with Buffalo Bills shirts on; the team were playing this weekend in London. Enquiring of a Bills fan on the return transit whether they had won, a curt "Oh, no" was the reply.
(2) He also said that the nascent Royal Air Force established its first air base on Anglesey during the first World War due to the prevalence of good weather on the island allowed for my flying time: "We have more clear days than anyplace else in the UK." Another local within earshot, who had recently moved to Anglesey from Newcastle, was dubious.
(3) My wife noted that Anglesey was roughly mitten shaped. While the local had not noticed this before, he went along with it, describing the location of the monastery as being "on the thumb."
Near the trailhead
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