Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/12/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]The Island with the church o St Tysilio was where my daughter (and we when visiting) walked dogs daily. IIRC the little church hails from around AD 740. Reading the gravestones is an interesting lesson in the ebb and flow of the use of Welsh, since some periods they are all in Welsh, others in English. Welsh is very much "in" nowadays. When I was climbing in Snowdonia in the 60s and 70s I came across farmers who didn't speak English. I remember being invited in for breakfast by one generous farmer (when he heard I was from a farm) and we held a conversation about the differences in farming between the Fylde and Snowdonia with his daughter translating! A very memorable breakfast... My grandson, Jacob, will do all his schooling in Welsh. Lovely place to live. Frank On 18 Dec, 2010, at 01:47, Lawrence Zeitlin wrote: > OK. this is almost the last time that I will talk about the Menai Strait > although it is the defining characteristic of north Wales. It and the > Snowdonia mountains proved such formidable obstacles that the Romans never > really conquered Anglesley and it took the British a generation to do it. > As > a result this region, Gwynedd, is the most Welsh part of the country. The > Welsh language is required in schools. Residents speak it at home and many > road signs, place names and TV shows are in Welsh. It's tough on foreigners > since Welsh is rarely spoken or taught outside of an area roughly the size > of a large Texas ranch. > > The Menai Strait itself is about 14 miles long, quite wide at each end and > narrows down to a constricted channel of a few hundred yards at the Telford > Bridge. There is a regular 26 ft. tide but at the full and new moons the > tide can swing up to 30 ft. The different water levels between each end of > the strait force a swift current through the narrow portion that can reach > almost 15 miles an hour. On a mild day the strait looks peaceful enough but > when the wind picks up the waters can be stormy. The tidal currents are > said > to be the fiercest in the British Isles. > > The strait is pockmarked with small islands, some barely more than large > rocks, but a few of considerable size. The small ones disappear when the > tide rises, the only evidence of their existence being ripples and eddies > in > the current. Of the few that remain above water, the most interesting is > Church Island, a five acre plot of rocky land containing a tiny stone > chapel, the church of St. Tysilio. It is surrounded by a flower planted > cemetery. The island is reached by a narrow causeway from shore. The > causeway and walk to the church is called the Belgian Walk. It was built as > a gift by Belgian refugees who were sheltered in the area during WW1. > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Bridge+and+Church+Island.jpg.html > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Church+Island+1.jpg.html > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Church+of+St_+Tysilio.jpg.html > > The other interesting island is about half a mile south of Church Island. > It > is much smaller, only about one acre at low tide. Right in the center is a > stone farmhouse that would be unremarkable if it were anywhere but in the > middle of the Menai Strait. There is a family living in the house and a few > sheep in a pen just outside the door. There is no way to reach the island > except by boat, and that only when the current is slack. At the bimonthly > spring tides, when the water reaches its highest levels, little wavelets > lap > against the front stoop and the sheep get their feet wet. A bit more global > warming and the family will be forced to move to the second floor and raise > ducks. > > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Larry+Z/Menai+Strait+farm.jpg.html > > > Larry Z > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information