| Page Views: 457 Last Visit to Gwynedd: August, 2007 I Used To Live Here | Mostly Anglesey really. by leics - last update: Sep 1, 2007 |
| Mainland view from Anglesey |
Now here's a thing; Anglesey doesn't exist in VT. And that's a bit of a problem for me, because I'd intended to do a couple of pages about its prehistoric sites. So this page and tips will be about those sites. My other Gwynedd pages are separately written: Bangor, Caernarfon, Beaumaris, Llanberis and, of course, Snowdonia. |
| Spot the suspension bridge? |
|  | Anglesey isn't a huge island, but it does very much have its own character. As with the rest of Gwynedd, it remained 'Welsh Wales' even when the language was dying out elsewhere but its popularity with holidaymakers (and for retirement homes) meant that it moved forward a little more quickly, perhaps.
It is a pretty island (Ynys Mon in Welsh), with lots of winding lanes in which to get lost (they aren't very keen on signposts) and a very different landscape to the harsh wildness of Snowdonia. There are sandy beaches (visit Newborough Warren if you can, a vast expanse of sand dunes which once buried a settlement in a massive storm), tiny lakes and a great deal of archaeology and history. There's also RAF Valley, which means one can frequently get rather good views of extremely low-flying fighters.
Anglesey is reached by Thomas Telford's magnificent suspension bridge over the Menai Straits (opened in 1826 and still amazing) or by a road recently built on top of Robert Stephenson's Britannia Railway Bridge (1860). But there were people there many thousands of years before there were bridges............. |
Archaeological evidence shows people lived on Anglesey in Mesolithic times (around 7000 BCE), and there are many tombs and monuments dating from the slightly later Neolithic and Bronze Age. Later, the invading Romans hounded the Celtic Druids backwards onto the island and, although the soldiers were loath to cross over the Menai Straits, eventually destroyed them. Tacitus wrote, of the Roman army: 'By the shore stood an opposing battle-line, thick with men and weapons, woman running between them, like the Furies in their funereal clothes, their hair flowing, carrying torches; and Druids among them, pouring out frightful curses with their hands raised high to the heavens, our soldiers being so scared by the unfamiliar sight that their limbs were paralysed, and they stood motionless and exposed to be wounded.' After the Romans withdrew the Irish claimed Anglesey, then the vikings raided. Christianity became established, with many Anglesey church sites dating back to the 12th century. Eventually, the Welsh were invaded and subdued by the Normans, under Edward 1 although, ironically, it was a Welsh prince (Henry Tudor) who finally claimed the English throne after killing Richard lll at the Battle of Bosworth in 1465. So if you want history, then Anglesey has it. Mind you, mainland Gwynedd has it as well! | | | Bryn Celli Dhu Neolithic tomb |
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leics' Gwynedd Travel Tips
| Overview | Things to Do | | | | Restaurants | Hotels & Accommodations | | | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path
Tips: 5 - Photos: 12 | | | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | | | Transportation | Local Customs | | | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
 Comments for leics about Gwynedd | | | | |
ranger49 Thu Jul 3, 2008 17:22 UTC
Been nosing about your pages - always such an enjoyable, informative read. Today I picked up a bit of extra news - Hope all goes well family-wise and ring fence your travel time! B. | pattypoo Tue Jul 1, 2008 08:32 UTC
I have been back to read your pages on Wales again Leics. and thanks they are so interesting... | jadedmuse Sun Jun 22, 2008 19:14 UTC
What a blue sky it was the day you went exploring here. Very nice. M | nickandchris Tue Aug 28, 2007 19:53 UTC
How nice to read some tips on lesser known places. Give me off the beaten track anytime!! |
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Gwynedd Hotels
- Llandudno Hotels
- Conwy Hotels
- Castle Bank Hotel
Mount Pleasant, , Conwy, Wales LL28 5LF, Conwy
- Glan Heulog Guest House
Llanrwst Road, , Conwy, Wales LL32 8LT, Conwy
- The Quay Hotel
Deganwy Quay, Conwy
- Quay Hotel And Spa
Deganwy Quay, Conwy
- LH&R The Castle Hotel
High Street, Conwy
- Snowdonia Hotels
- Caernarfon Hotels
- Plas Yr Eifi
Trefor, Caernarfon null, Caernarfon
- Seiont Manor
Llanrug, Caernarfon null, Caernarfon
- Tyn Rhos Country House
Llanddeiniolen, , Caernarfon, Wales LL55 3AE, Caernarfon
- The Stables Hotel
Llanwnda, , Caernarfon, Wales LL54 5SD, Caernarfon
- Prince Of Wales Hotel
Bangor Street, Caernarfon
- Llanberis Hotels
- Seiont Manor Hotel
Gwesty Seiont Manor Llanrug, Caernarfon Wales, WA, Llanberis
- Royal Victoria
115 Llanberis, Llanberis null, Llanberis
- Quality Royal Victoria Hotel Snowdonia, LLanberis
Llanberis near Caernarfon (formerly Quality Hotel Snowdonia), Llanberis
- Quality Snowdonia
115 Llanberis Gwynedd Ll55 4tv Wales, Llanberis, G, Llanberis
- Quality Snowdonia
Llanberis near Caernarfon (formerly Quality Hotel Snowdonia), Llanberis
- Beaumaris Hotels
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