We arrive at 10 at Penrhyn Castle, which is an 18th century Neo-Norman fantasy castle which took its inspiration from the sort of castles we saw yesterday. Cleo shows us the way as she somehow naturally understands how maps work.
The house origins from the 15th century but was reconstructed in the 18th century with money from slavery in sugar plantations. Zeno is in a mischievous mood and we have a challenge to ensure he will not run through the house leaving a trail of mayhem.
The sugar and slate fortunes seem to be spent on an opulent interior with a mix of styles, and a fine art collection. We can visit many nicely decorated bedrooms, a reading room, play room, dinner room and a grand staircase.
The garden has fine trees for some climbing and a play ground where the children can indulge their energy.
We cross the bridge to Anglesey again and drive through the village with the longest name in the world: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch to go to Plas Newydd House and Gardens.
Plas Newydd House and Gardens is Anglesey’s main estate from the 15th century with stunning views over the straight and Snowdonia. The house was passed on from father to son for 400 years showing an impressive concentration of wealth until the 5th Marquess of Anglesey profligated spending almost bankrupted the estate. The 7th Marquess presented it to the National Trust and opened it to the public in 1976 while living there himself until 2013.
We pass a dolmen walking to the estate, and Cleo runs from flower to flower because she got a flower treasure hunt.
Also this house includes some impressive art collections, including a nearly 18 meter long Rex Whistler painting.
There is also a military museum containing relics of the 1st Marquess of Anglesey, who commanded the cavalry at the Battle of Waterloo. He also lost a leg and the house had a room full with instant legs for the Marquess to use to his liking.
When we exit the house, Tim says he’s going for a stroll which Olga interpretates as “get a coffee and relax, I’ll be back”, but what Tim meant as “follow me, but don’t hurry”. Resulting in Tim waiting in the second hand bookshop for Olga to pay for his new treasure about Heresy, and Olga and kids to share a tastefull cappuccino of £4, waiting for Tim to return. Which eventually happens. We all go back to the bookshop to buy the book and finish Cleo’s flower hunt on the way back to the exit.
We end our day at Newborough National Nature Reserve and Forest for a walk through the forest and dunes to round an island. It’s quite busy at the car park but the forest is nice and peaceful. As we exit the forest and climb over the dune we notice that it’s high tide. The island is separated by a small but deep stream, since we only have one pair of walking shoes per person and we don’t like wet foot, we skip the island and walk back along the beach. The views of the mountains with the clouds are magnificient.
