There and Back

Another visit to Anglesey Abbey to see the autumn colours. This entry is an addition to my previous visit to Anglesey Abbey which took place September 2015. Because of this I have not duplicated many images, so both need to be seen to get the full picture! This year the garden was far more colourful than when we visited in September 2015, as you can see by our walk toward the winter garden.  Yes, I did stroke the tree again! Opted for a skyward view this time Also a slightly different view of the Cyclamen. I must say that the display appeared more widespread than it was on our last visit.  We went inside the Mill this time, and this was the view overlooking the Lode, or waterway (in Middle English). Very green, like many of our waterways this year.  As I said, very green! Difficult to believe it is water. On the pathway by the waterway was this Hornets nest. Well marked and very busy.  T...

Anglesey Abbey is a great place to visit and is very family orientated as well. A community of Augustinian canons built a priory here, known as Anglesea or Anglesey Priory, some time during the reign of Henry I (i.e., between 1100 and 1135), and acquired extra land from the nearby village of Bottisham in 1279. The canons were expelled in 1535 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The former priory was acquired around 1600 by Thomas Hobson, who converted it to a country house for his son-in-law, Thomas Parker, retaining a few arches from the original priory. At that time the building's name was changed to "Anglesey Abbey", which sounded grander than the original "Anglesey Priory". Further alterations to the building were carried out in 1861. Now it is a beautiful garden to visit, owned by the National Trust, and well worth spending the day here.  Heading toward the winter garden first, we encounter thes beautiful `touchable` trees Yo...

Today was the start of a great holiday with Graham and Jane - from Australia where they now live, and starting with Anglesey. Anglesey is an island in Wales, off the mainland's northwest coast. It's known for its beaches and ancient sites. The island is accessed by the 19th-century Menai Suspension Bridge and the Britannia Bridge, rebuilt in the 20th century. We were to stay in St Mary's Bay for our exploration of this corner of Wales, none of us had visited before.  One of the first places we visited was South Stack Lighthouse, built on a small island off the north-west coast of Holyhead, Anglesey, Wales. It was built in 1809 to warn ships of the dangerous rocks below.  Some history of Anglesey: Historically, Anglesey has long been associated with the druids. In AD 60 the Roman general Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, determined to break the power of the druids, attacked the island using his amphibious Batavian contingent as a surprise vanguard assault and ...