travel | farewell to north wales

typically, on our last day in anglesey, we woke up to exceptional weather. we had to have the car back to the depot by 10:30 but out train wasn't until nearly one, so we had some time to kill in holyhead. we dumped our bags at left luggage for a couple of quid, then headed out into the brilliant day to see what we could see in our final few hours. i don't think either of us had slept well the night before, so coffee was certainly on our minds. sadly, as it was a bank holiday monday, i don't think it was on anyone else's...

we walked up to skinner's monument which we could see from the train station, and which overlooked the harbour where an enourmous cruiseliner had come in and parked overnight (we soon saw a few of its inhabitants as we wandered the deserted bank-holiday streets - seemed they were as desperate for coffee as we were!). there was also a little yappy dog trying to scare us away from his yard, but we were more interested in stopping and chatting with him than with getting lost...

we walked into the village from there, hopeful there would be a costa or something like that open and willing to serve us caffeine intravenously. sadly, no luck. we found a small, kitschy cafe (think like b&m cath kidston kitsch, not hipster kitsch) that stank of burnt chip oil the minute we walked in, but we must have looked so out of place that it was almost like walking into a saloon in a country and western film that we felt like we ought to order something. well, one sip of that coffee proved the milk and the beans were as burnt as that chip oil, so we quickly grabbed our stuff and left soon after.

i tell you what: if there's anyone looking for a quick franchise opportunity in holyhead, think about coffee. what i wouldn't have given for a cheap, high street coffee that day...

we had a wander through the gothic ruins at st. cybi church and up and down the quiet streets before tackling a bank-holiday monday line at the co-op for train snacks, and making our way on board. it was a muuuuuch longer journey back than the way up, and we even had to stop in chester for a good twenty minutes, where - wouldn't you know it - we fiiiinally managed to nab ourselves some decent coffee on the platform. thank god for english coffee (said no-one ever)!

all in all though, it was such a busy and epic weekend discovering a part of the uk that i'd never been to before, and literally fulfilling my lifetime's castle quota. i bloody loved north wales, and while i don't expect i'll "pop back" any time soon, i'll certainly be raving about it for a good time to come.