Our last piece of paradise. Snowdonia, Part 3.

Before we knew it our final day in North Wales was upon us and we were begrudgingly thinking about heading back up to London and reality. However, with one full day still ahead of us we wiped away any thoughts of tubes, bosses and the rat race and packed up the car ready to set off to the beach.

Amy and Will didn't tell us much about where we were going other than it was on Anglesey and always seemed to have it's own micro climate. They weren't wrong! The weather through the Snowdon mountains was dreary, grey with great splodges of rain, however, on arriving in Anglesey the weather was warm and the sky mostly blue.

Dogs on their leads, we headed off in search of our last piece of paradise.

We passed all the crowds of beach goers and climbed through the sand dunes, along the first beach and then the second, until finally we had reached our destination. One beach, entirely to ourselves - and the doggies of course.

Setting down on the soft sand, we delved in to our picnics before the boys decided to brace the water!

Amy set to making Daisy dog a nice shelter from the sun as there didn't seem to be any shade anywhere close by.

P dusted off the cover and Will collected some sticks....

And voila.....Amy's shelter for Daisy! Not only an incredible designer of Plas Curig Hostel but a dog sun shelter creator extraordinaire too!

P played fetch with the dogs on the beach after a quick dip. Unfortunately during his "paddle" he managed to get stung by a jelly fish. Being the "oh so macho" man he is though he didn't complain. . . too much!

There were lots of Jelly Fish dotted along the coastline and with morbid curiosity and out of respect for my poor, stung fiancé I had to take a closer look (a large prod).

Exhausted from chasing the dogs back and forth and some beach gymnastics we all fell asleep in the sun. We woke up just as the sun was starting to waver and set so we quickly packed up, took some much needed group shots and set back all along the coast line back to the car park.

Finally our magical time in Snowdonia was over and we were heading home with the most incredible memories with two of our dearest friends.

Snowdonia is such a special place and it was amazing to think that in three days we had been wild swimming in a lake, a river and then the sea- all in total tranquillity from any other visitor. If you would like to have a similar experience then I cant recommend Plas Curig Hostel enough, an unforgettable experience.

Snowdonia's best kept secret, Plas Curig Hostel.

In the height of this almighty heat wave we seem to be having and having a little London cabin fever we accepted a long overdue invitation to one of our closest friends hostels, Plas Curig, in Snowdonia, Wales. Just two years old and based in Snowdonia - a good few hours drive from busy ol'london P and I hired a car from our usual 'trusty' car hire company and left London on a muggy Thursday night, complete with a car full of provisions ready for our long journey ahead. As night fell and the red sky glowed pink to red to deep jet black P suddenly pulled the car over realising that the car's back lights weren't working! Stuck in Telford at this point with no back lights and less than 10% phone battery each we headed in to a local pub and waited.... and waited for roadside emergency assistance. Two tiring hours later, a closed pub and a weary couple sat in the dark there was light- our roadside assistance man! Quite a character and very helpful, he immediately fixed the car ( blown fuse) and let us follow him to a local hotel. It was now way passed midnight and we were bit shattered. £65 later we were in bed laughing at how wrong our first night's rest should have been, but excited for the following morning and eventually getting to Amy and Wills! Friday morning and with a burst of energy we bounded out of our room and set to the car hoping this time for a smooth ride. Quite rapidly the scenery changed from fields and industrial estates to lush green rolling hills and then more dramatic valleys, open to the blue skies. Eventually mid morning we reached Plas Curig and could see all the mountains in their full glory! 

After a delicious and much needed breakfast, Amy showed us around the hostel. 59 beds and 14 bedrooms, a library, chill out lounge, dining room and immense kitchen complete with everything Gordon Ramsey would require- aside from a usual hostel dweller! The interior is gorgeous, chocolate brown leather arm chairs, lamb's wool rugs on every bed, reclaimed flooring and many other incredible pieces that I ooohd and ahhhd at as she showed us around. All designed by Amy herself, this could be an exclusive hotel rather than a hostel, it's dog friendly too! All the bedrooms are light and airy with high ceilings and incredibly comfortable looking beds! The design is so well set out and makes you just want to climb to the top bunk and dive in- a child and adults play pen.

After snooping, Amy and Will took us for a walk around their local swimming pool, Lynn Idwal . . . And no, we're not talking about a wee infested Tooting lido- but a glistening, clear- warm(ish) and deserted lake at the foot of the Snowdonia mountains, complete with its own beach.

Seeing very few people at all, we walked along the jagged rocky paths, up over and around until we finally saw the foot of the lake. With the warm air and blue skies, the dogs chasing stones, sticks and the splashes of water, Amy and I sat on the beach and gossiped as we watched the boys plunge in to the lake- trying to assert their machoism  as they felt the icy cool water on their sunned bodies. 

 After a good hour watching the boys splash around we headed back to the car over the rugged heathland. Such vivid colours and beautiful rare heather which smelt like a perfumery. 

Before heading home we stopped off for a well earned drink at the Pen-Y-Gwryd Hotel. Steeped in mountaineering history, it displays a plethora of mountaineering artefacts used by Sir Edmond Hillary and Tenzing on their maiden ascent of Mount Everest in 1953. A truly welcoming bolt hole and retreat with lots of different nooks and crannys to snuggle yourself away in (+ the dogs) and a great selection of food and drink to choose from. 

Back home, with rumbling tummies Amy and I set to preparing the BBQ food as Will and P headed to the local shop for some more provisions. 

BBQ blazing we tucked in to home made haloumi and veg skewers, sausages, bbq'd asparagus and corn followed by Amy's insane and utterly indulgent brownies for which I must get the recipe of. These were a chocolate lovers heaven and a dieters hell.... But hey, you only live once and for this weekend the wedding diet was also on holiday! 

Not thinking it was possible to fit anything out in our bulging tummies Amy cracked out the marshmallows! Using skewers we each roasted them over the roaring fire, seeing who could get the white fluffy clouds to be of optimum sinful gooeyness. 

 Pitch black now and under a star scattered sky we headed for bed ready and excited for the next days activities! 

..... to be continued!