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After a few years of preparation our Anglesey weekend will take place 13–15 May 2016, with our base being The Bulkeley Hotel in Beaumaris. Members should respond to the email if they are coming. A joint programme with members of the Anglesey Antiquarian Society is being organised, see lower down for details.
Borrow wrote about his 1854 visit to the area in Wild Wales and if you haven’t read it then you’re missing a treat (see link to download the book). If you’re prefer to listen to it Steve Gough of LibriVox has made an audio book which is free to download and you can listen on an iPod, computer etc.
*** Please note the programme is still being worked on and may change.
The conference takes place at the Bulkeley Hotel which is in the middle of the main street in Beaumaris. There is plenty of parking in Beaumaris and as it’s very small you won’t have to walk far for anything.
Meet at the Bulkeley Hotel in Beaumaris.
Talks/presentations arranged by the Anglesey Antiquarian Society.
• Historian of 19th Anglesey—Rail journey in 1850s—development of Anglesey, poverty/economic;
• Goronwy Owen;
• R. S. Thomas—Links to Borrow and taught himself Welsh;
Buffet Lunch.
Clive Wilkins Jones will give the Sir Angus Frazer Memorial Lecture on Translating a Dream: George Borrow’s Vision of Ellis Gwyn’s Gweledigaetheu y Bardd Cwso. Borrow’s published translation (1862) is available for free at Project Gutenberg if you’d like to read it before the weekend.
The remainder of the afternoon is free for exploration of Beaumaris—using self-guided walking tour prepared by Anglesey Antiquarian Society. You can walk to most places in Beaumaris in a minute or two, with a castle, jail, courthouse, plenty of teashops, interesting shops and glorious views across the bay.
The George Borrow Society Dinner will be held at the Bulkeley Hotel with the after dinner speaker to be confirmed.
All day coach trip to Holyhead, looking at various sites visited by Borrow.
• Pentraeth;
• Penmynydd;
• Llangefni;
Buffet lunch at Oriel Ynys Mon–Museum of Anglesey and Art Gallery.
• Holyhead;
• Park near the Maritime Museum for view of the bay and Holyhead Mountain.
Tea at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds visitor Centre and view of South Stack lighthouse.
Optional: Members could stay for a further day/days to explore Beaumaris.
• The Castle, a World Heritage Site;
• The Courthouse and museum;
• The Jail and museum;
• A boat trip to Puffin Island
Beaumaris is really small and the tourist information is staffed by volunteers so there’s often no-one to talk to. They have a range of publicity leaflets but don’t appear to have any accommodation leaflets, lists etc.
If you’re going by public transport then you’ll generally go by train to Bangor (Gwynedd) station with trains via Chester running more or less hourly. At Bangor railway station the buses to Beaumaris run from outside the station at the stop just a few yards up the hill road: they all drop you in the middle of Beaumaris, taking between 30 minutes and 50. A return ticket from Bangor station costs just over £4, the single presumably being less. Taxis are available at Bangor station: the cost to Beaumaris is unknown.
Bus timetables are available, and you’ll notice the buses aren’t too frequent, and don’t start that early or run late. Public transport on Anglesey can be a bit hit and miss. There’s also a journey planner but this seems to give some strange journeys.
Anglesey tourist information Website have an accommodation section and a few options in Beaumaris are listed below. If you don’t stay in Beaumaris you really are going to need your own transport (i.e. car): there’s plenty of parking at Beaumaris so driving in won’t be an issue. It would be straightforward to have accommodation in Bangor (about 7 miles away) and drive to Beaumaris for the day: it would be a lot cheaper and you’d have a greater range of accommodation (see link for details). Depending on taxi fares and when you book, you might find it cheaper to stay in Bangor and bus or taxi to Beaumaris.
The Bangor/Beaumaris buses go over Telford’s Suspension bridge so if you don’t like heights you’ll need to close your eyes! If driving and that’s a problem, you cannot see the drop on the Britannia Bridge (just to the south of Telford’s one).
Although small, Beaumaris has a number of cash machines and a Nat West bank (closed Saturday/Sunday). There are a number of tea shops and plenty of places to get a snack or meal. Beaumaris library closes at 5 p.m. on the Friday so if you wanted to have a look, you’d need to do it before then. There is a secondhand bookshop in Beaumaris (Borrovians seem keen on books).
These are a few of hotels in the area, there are other options, see above.
Name |
Address |
Telephone / eMail / Website |
|
The Bulkeley Hotel |
Castle Street |
01248 810415 reception@bulkeleyhotel.co.uk |
|
Ye Olde Bulls Head Inn |
Castle Street Beaumaris |
01248 810329 info@bullsheadinn.co.uk |
|
Bishopsgate Hotel |
Castle Street Beaumaris Anglesey |
01248 810302 hazel@bishopsgatehotel.co.uk |
|
Castle Court Hotel |
Castle Square |
www.castlecourtbeaumaris.co.uk 01248 810078 info@castlecourtbeaumaris.co.uk |
|
Liverpool Arms Hotel |
Castle Street |
01248 810362 enquiries@liverpoolarms.co.uk |
|
Victoria Cottage B & B |
Castle Square |
01248 606817 / 07798 606817
|
|
