Anglesey - Day 2 - Sunday, 16th June - Part 2: Penmon Point and Lighthouse, Puffin Island, Llangoed lnr and Aberlleiniog Castle

After leaving the priory, church, well and dovecote we travelled on to Penmon Point where you can see Puffin island offshore and there is a little lighthouse.


I mentioned in the last post St Seiriol's connection with Puffin Island or Ynys Seiriol (Seiriol's island) known to the Vikings as Priestholm. It is used by nesting seabirds including puffins but I will write about the wildlife more in a future post.

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Penmon or Trwyn Du Lighthouse

Fast flowing currents in the Menai Straits at the point resulted in shipwrecks over the centuries. In 1831 the Rothesay Castle Ship was driven against Dutchman's Bank and broke up on the sandbanks resulting in the death of 130 people with just 20 survivors. This sad incident highlighted the need for a lighthouse which was built in 1838. The fog bell sounds every 30 seconds and a very eerie and mournful sound it is too! I wouldn't want to be there in the swirling mist or at night!

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Anglesey is a paradise for people who love geology and I could have spent the week dashing round the island looking at many geological features. But as with my interest in churches (also not shared by the family!) I have to fit it in when I can. Anglesey was designated a Global Geopark in 2010 and it covers the entire island. Anglesey is important for its tectonics and oldest fossils in England and Wales. Rocks (there are metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary rocks) span 4 Eras and 12 Geological Periods and there are more than 100 rock types on the island. Anglesey passed through at least 4 Orogenies (mountain building periods). The geodiversity of the underlying rocks influences the flora and fauna found on the island.

Limestone around Penmon(as mentioned in the last post) has been quarried for many years and used in many buildings both on the island and in England. Penmon lighthouse, monastery, dovecote and hermit cell are all built from this stone.

There were quite a few wildflowers between the beach and the car park - yellow rattle (which quite surprised me but my photo was blurred (it was windy) and
Sea Pink or Thrift,

Thyme

Clover and

I think this yellow flower is one of the Hawkbit species? Thanks to Amanda from The Quiet Walker for id confirmation :) Please feel free to leave a comment if any of my flower ids are wrong!!

Quite a few Alexander plants were seen but it was quite windy and my photos are blurred to put it mildly - so no picture!!!

Lichen growing on rocks

There is a tearoom so we bought icecreams :)

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After icecream and eating our sandwiches we drove a few miles to the village of Llangoed in search of a hidden castle. I really must thank William Jones the author of a kindle e-book called "Anglesey Hidden Gem" for giving me the idea of visiting Aberlleiniog Castle



The castle is located within Llangoed local nature reserve which lies with an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The reserve covers 165 hectares and the habitats include wet and dry broad leafed woodland, ancient hedgerows, open meadow grasslands, wetland, ponds and the River Lleiniog. The woods are a mix of species - oak, ash, wild cherry, willow, alder, whitebeam, birch, holly, hawthorn, blackthorn and elder.

The reserve has a super network of paths.

Butterflies seen included Speckled Wood and

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B saw a Painted Lady at one stage (I was lingering miles behind taking photos so missed it :( ).


After getting lost! we eventually arrived at Aberlleiniog Castle which is Anglesey's only motte and bailey castle and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

When work was carried out to conserve the castle in 2007/8 some interesting finds were made which date from the time of the Civil War. The finds include a lead musket ball, a copper alloy button, clay tobacco pipe stems, pottery fragments and a coin dated 1701.

The motte and bailey was built around 1088 by the army of Robert of Rhuddlan, who was Earl Hugh of Chester's Commander of Troops, to house Norman soldiers to fight against any Welsh revolts. Around 1094 it was besieged and burnt by the Welsh Prince Gruffyd ap Cynan at the Battle of Aberlleiniog. The castle was owned by Penmon Priory in the 13th century and until the Dissolution of the Monastery in 1537. 100 years later it was involved in the 1648 Siege of Beaumaris Castle in the Civil War.

The stone fort at the top of the motte was built in the 17th century. In the 19th century the fort interior was used as a garden and the north tower used as a summer house.

The fort was the scene of a 17th century scandal! In 1646 the castle was owned by the notorious Thomas Cheadle who was land agent and legal representative of the Bulkeley family, Deputy Constable of Beaumaris Castle and also a pirate!! Between 1646 and 1653 he was in jail three times for treason and debt. The castle was known locally as Lady Cheadle's fort after a certain Lady Anne who was wife of Sir Richard Bulkely the 4th. Allegedly, Lady Anne and Thomas Cheadle had an affair and, following Sir Richard's suspicious death, both Lady Anne and Thomas Cheadle were accused of his murder. They were tried but were acquitted and later married.

There are quite a few steps up to the castle!

View over the trees

Still going up and

nearly there.

I found the ruins of the fort and the motte quite magical and romantic and in the centre could be seen a mass of wild flowers. It really was a lovely castle and well worth visiting if you are ever on Anglesey.

Timothy just loved the whole experience :)

A few of the many wildflowers -

Hedge Woundwort

Campion

An umbellifer species (I should have taken a photo of the leaves to aid id!).

It would be a lovely place to sit and read had I had a book with me but finally we dragged ourselves away.

On the way down the steps I spotted this orchid (I couldn't get any closer as it was surrounded by a great deal of vegetation) so the photo is cropped. I do know Early Marsh Orchids occur at the site but I suspect this may be a Common Spotted Orchid? Thanks again Amanda for id confirmation. Thanks also to Dr Richard Bate who has just confirmed via Twitter that it is a Common Spotted Orchid.

It was starting to drizzle but we had a very quick look round the village as B and D were keen to find the shop where they could get a daily newspaper. They did do the uphill walk from the cottage (about a two mile plus round trip) but only once!!!

The next posts will include a visit to RSPB South Stack, the Holyhead Mountain Hut Circle (so atmospheric) and a brief visit to Trearddur Bay.

*D Photos taken by my son with the Canon SX50Hs bridge camera
Rest of photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera




Reference: Hidden Gems of Anglesey by William Jones - e-book
Information Boards at Llangoed lnr