With the camper being sat on its pitch for six months because of lockdown etc and Nikki’s birthday coming up, it seemed like an ideal excuse to get it out on the road. I hate it being sat for longer than a month normally. So the decision was made to go away on our three days off which also happened to include Nikki’s birthday.

The plan was to go to another club site with a pub nearby, what else did you expect. We would be walking everywhere because we weren’t going to take the car. There is a loverly site on Anglesey called Cae Mawr in a village called Marian glas. A pub just outside the entrance and a twenty minute walk to Traeth beach which also has a beach cafe The site was booked up and we were counting down the days.

The plan was to leave work Sunday at midday and jump straight in the camper and head off, the weather was looking good for the Sunday, Monday and changing on Tuesday. We would get there in an hour and a half, pitch up and chill outside the camper in the sun with a beer. The next day we would go for a walk down the beach and then on the way back go in the pub for a meal and maybe a beer or two.

We had a loverly chill out on Sunday afternoon. Then when the sun went down we came in for some tea, that’s tea as in a meal not a cup of tea. A great treat then looking out the window to see a red squirrel running about just outside the window. The owners of the caravan next to us came back just before we came in and I asked if they knew if the pub was any good for food. No food only on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So that buggered up our plans to go for a bite to eat on Monday.

Monday morning was bright and sunny so decided to walk down to the small beach/cove and have a lunch in the beach cafe. Saw this funeral directors on the way with an old village phone box now converted to house a defibrillator a thing a lot of villages do. I could not help wondering if the funeral directors lock the phone box so they get more business.

We got to the beach cafe and guess what, it was closed all locked up for winter. Our eating out was not going too well. Good job we can laugh about these things. But we were starving so we decided to walk around the coast path to another small village called Moelfre which, when I looked on google maps did have a pub.

The walk was spectacular and the sun was shining, all was looking good. We even had one bay all to ourselves. About 30 minutes later we reached Moelfre. A very busy cafe was looking good but too busy so headed off to find the pub. Guess what. The pub was closed……..but that was only because it opened at midday and it was 11.50am. There were benches outside so we plonked ourselves down on one facing the sea and prayed they would do food, or if not they had a lot of crisps.

Thirty seconds to midday I got up and walked towards the pub door praying for food and beer. The door swung open and in I strolled ordered a beer and a soft drink for Nikki and with bated breath asked if they did food. Yes we do here’s a menu the girl said. I could have kissed her if it wasn’t for the wearing of masks and keeping two metres apart. Back out into the sunshine and deciding what to have for lunch, ordered and another beer to celebrate and staring out to sea and thinking how nice this September weather is on Nikki’s birthday.

A loverly lunch was had at The Kinmel arms and now we had to walk back along the coast path. The tide had come in by now and at one point we knew we had to walk on the beach because of a landslide but all was well because it was not a very big tide and the sea was calm. The photo below is my favourite of the day, I had to stop and just look at this so many times.

We got back to the camper and chilled in the sun again, thinking every thing turned out good. In fact it was better than it would have been if we had stuck to our original plan. The whole walk was only five miles but worth every step just for the views on the coast path. Today we have been for a small walk around the lanes and through the fields. The weather has changed and rain is forecast for later. We will leave here tomorrow morning because we have to start work at midday tomorrow. It’s been great to be out in the camper again, on the road.

Just a quick post to tell you about my playground. Only fifteen minutes drive away from here where we are working is a forest centre called Coed y Brenin. Welsh for Kings forest. It’s a huge big area, forests normally are. Plenty of parking, a cafe, toilets, bike wash, showers not for bikes but for mucky riders of bikes, information centre and a bike shop stocked with lots of goodies and a bike workshop. You can also hire bikes from them.

There are walking trails, running trails, and of course the bike trails. The bike trails are split in to different runs, blue red, black etc. Depending on your skill level and what you like. There is also a skills track which is a bit of everything to give you an insight into what to expect out on the trails. The trails are from 7-23 miles long. Below are some of the gateways to some of the trails.

There are loads of UTube clips on the internet about the trails if you want to check them out. Just put Coed Y Brenin, blue, red, or black in the utube search sit back and watch.

I plan to do a few of them by the end of the season. I love the blue trail because it’s fast and flowing, divided up into four bits and the more you do it the braver you get and faster. The other day I did three loops of the four loops a total of 24 miles. The scenery is fantastic although some of it is a blur when your going fast. Derelict farm houses, waterfalls, etc.

So that’s my playground, where I go as often as I can on my days or half days off. Boys and there toys. Hopefully next year will be better because the cafe will be open so Nikki will come down there and go for a walk and then we will have lunch in the cafe afterwards. She has been for a walk down there and said it was loverly but wants to do other walking trails. So if any of you go there watch out for an old git with a beard on a blue bike, he will be right on your tail trying to pass or trying to get out the brambles where he overshot the corner.

Where has the season gone. It only seems like yesterday we were rolling up here in Snowdonia with a big list of things to do and places to see. And now we only have Seven weeks work left and we will be driving out the gate having not done many things on the list. Some have been ticked off but there is plenty more to do next year. And hopefully next year will be a better year for doing things. The four months of furlough put a stop to most things this year.

The other morning when I pulled the blind down the mountain looked so nice in a faded morning light. The sky changes so quickly and the mountain I see out my window comes and disappears. Sometimes it’s topped with white fluffy cloud other times dark cloud.

I have been down to the bike park and getting used to my bike, sometimes a little bit too confident. The different trails are great and all different skills are involved. It is just like a big playground for me. Yesterday I did sixteen miles of trails down there. And it’s even better now because we are working here we get free parking. It’s only a fifteen minute drive away and it has a bike shop, cafe, toilets, showers although the cafe is not open due to Covid.

Another bike ride took me around lake Trawsfynydd and I had to stop for a photo shoot. Again such wonderful scenery.

Reliant is getting more colour on him by the day and even pops in the office now for a crumb. He is also chasing off other robins that dare to come into his territory. He knows where he is well off and can get regular food, until the beginning of November that is. After that he is on his own but I hope he remembers us when we come back next year.

So that’s up to date, we have just had two day’s off and go back to work today. Our next long weekend off we are going to go away in the camper to a site on Anglesey for Nikki’s birthday. A site with a pub at the entrance and a beach fifteen minutes walk away. Should be good.

Day off today so we had a drive out to Bangor and didn’t we have a loverly time at Bangor. That’s a song if you remember. But before we went there we turned off the A487 and went across the bridge into or onto how ever you look at it Anglesey. The reason for turning off was to go to a town called Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch the town with the longest name in Europe. Now you try to say it. The railway station sign breaks it up a bit so you have more of a chance of getting it right. It’s made up of 59 characters and 19 syllables. The English translation is The church of Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the church of Tysilo by the red cave. So now you know.

Imagine asking for a train ticket to this station, by the time you got your words out the train would have gone. Even worse if you had come out the pub, or it might sound even better.

After leaving that place with the long name name we went to Tesco, just because we knew how to pronounce that if we got lost. Nikki went shopping, I went to a bike shop just round the corner. We then decided to come back to base a different way. The scenery was fantastic. Huge big mountains dominating the skyline with deep valleys.

I know I have said it before but I never get tired of these views. When you stop and look at the mountains you realise how big they are when you spot a farmhouse at the base of them.

We only have two months work left now the bank holiday is over. We were fully booked but all was good including the weather, although the lead up to the weekend we got battered with torrential rain and 60 mph winds. But we came out of it smiling, not just because we only had a short time to go but because we are happy peaple.

Just before the bank holiday we had friends visit us here in their motorhome. Really good to see them and we all went over the pub to take advantage of the eat to save deals. I had a loverly 16 oz steak cooked to perfection and washed down with a pint or two of Guinness. The walk back from the pub is a long one and uphill. About 200 yards.