2014... A Welsh Odyssey...

[Highlander]

Whilst some members of the 'post have had the golden-opportunity to meet up I've been wandering around in North Wales as part of a trip celebrating my daughter's 21st birthday. I also visited a few ancient churches as part of an art project I'm working on...
I don't have much time this morning as I'm off to an RAF reunion for a couple of days but will post this to give you an understanding of what I was getting up to...





This is a churchyard in North Wales we visited on the way home yesterday and can anyone guess the age of this yew tree...? Let me give you a clue... it's not in the hundreds...

[amptech]

This is a churchyard in North Wales we visited on the way home yesterday and can anyone guess the age of this yew tree...? Let me give you a clue... it's not in the hundreds...

Eons!!

[Stjofön Big]

Interesting! Will follow!

[TBird1958]

 Beautiful Ken, thanks for sharing 




Watch out for those Hellcats at the RAF reunion! 

[westen44]

It looks fascinating. 

[Highlander]

Fascinating it is, Michael...

Watch out for those Hellcats at the RAF reunion! 

Larger rotor fixed to the top with this lot... no identification issues with this one... may get on their brand new pro simulator if time tomorrow... I was given an opportunity to fly the retiring type at last HQ visit in '12 but as operational base may not be free...

Love that pic of Uwe and you... and I promise not to make any jokes about you being seen with your "clothes" off picking up Germans on street corners...

That tree is at most conservative estimate twice as old as Christianity... possibly as much as 5K old... one of the oldest living things on this planet...
Llangernyw Yew Tree

[westen44]

My chiropractor's best friend is from Wales.  I'll mention this about the tree on my next visit.  I don't know what part of Wales he is from and how much he knows about this, but we'll see. 

[drbassman]

Wow, that's really old wood!  I'm surprised some crazed UK guitar star hasn't had it cut down to make a custom axe for a gig!  It does look beautiful there in Wales.  Have to get there sometime.  Do they do crazy stuff like drive backwards and walk on the wrong side of the sidewalk?   

[Dave W]

Wow, that's really old wood!  I'm surprised some crazed UK guitar star hasn't had it cut down to make a custom axe for a gig!  ...

Or longbows. Wasn't yew traditionally the preferred wood for longbows?

[Pilgrim]

Or longbows. Wasn't yew traditionally the preferred wood for longbows?

It was, and I was thinking that tree is a LONG way from any tree young enough to serve as a longbow!

[Highlander]

Longbows indeed... the tree gifted me a nice section of bark... just lying there on the ground to have as a memento...

Anglesey, or Ynys Môn in Welsh, is also home to RAF Valley, one of the UK's training stations for high-speed yet-pilots, but only saw some of the Hawk trainers (Red Arrow's use them) on the way up to where we were staying...

First place we visited was an island off the island, adjacent to an historic bridge with a church with an unknown origin... no one knows who built it or why... but it is part of the name of what I call "that place" as the name is so long (2nd longest place-name in the world) they have reduced it to a third for the two-line road signs...! The church is dedicated to a Saint Tysilio...


I thought it might be a humorous image when I found this old and remarkably small slate gravestone in a remote corner of the graveyard hidden by a tree, because of the initials on it, but Roshina noted it was probably for a stillborn child... '02...? 1902, or 1802, or 1702... not known... definitely not 2002...


St Tysilio's has a fine stained glass window...


A specialised Hercules (MC 130, probably USAF) gave us a demonstration of some low-level flying through the Menai Straits... and I mean pretty low...


The Menai Straits and the Thomas Telford designed suspension bridge... that's Snowdonia and Mount Snowdon in that range in the background... the highest range in Wales... you can get a steam train trip to the top...!


This is what Roshina calls a "Nelfie" (Nala selfie... ) and me with her vicious beast of a dog outside the renowned railway station at "that place...", and yes, I was sad enough to buy a "souvenir" platform ticket...

[Highlander]

Well, up at the north of the Island, post a 10 hour trip, the HOTB found a place to settle almost straight away, so post a brief walk along the cliffs that ended the first day...


First day was dry but blowing a gale so post an attempt to walk a beach up to two abandoned lighthouses we gave up (sand-blasting ain't fun) and we spent the remainder of our first full day wandering a forest looking for red squirrels, and failing... we did find a shredded pine cone, which was fairly conclusive proof of their presence...

So on the way back I stumbled across a significant church (as you do in North Wales) called Llangadwaladr, and snapped a couple of pics...

Examples of a 19th century and a 15th century stained glass window, with an inset of the older one below...

[westen44]

It looks really interesting.  I was talking to a friend the other day who I've traveled to several countries with.  She was asking me if there were any more I could think of I'd want to go to.  Scotland was at the top of my list.  I've never been there. 

[patman]

I too would love to see Scotland and Ireland...those stained glass windows are stunning.  And the outdoors are beyond stunning. Are Scots/Welsh/Irish friendly to folks from the US? Or are we "outsiders"?

[westen44]

I too would love to see Scotland and Ireland...those stained glass windows are stunning.  And the outdoors are beyond stunning. Are Scots/Welsh/Irish friendly to folks from the US? Or are we "outsiders"?

I've spent four months in Ireland (two trips.)  I found it one of the most friendly places I've ever been to.  Even the smallest towns were of interest to me, although I spent most of my time in Dublin.  Of course, I haven't been to Scotland or Wales, but there may be some similarities, especially considering the Celtic background that Ireland, Scotland, and Wales all have.