So, I hear you ask, what’s so special about Holy Island ? It’s not a big island, as islands go, being just eight miles long by about three and a half miles wide at its widest point, surrounded by twenty five miles of coastline. But from the very first time I came here, I was hooked.
That was back in July 1998. We, that is, my husband Mike and I, and our two youngest children, Billy who was then 12, and Katie who was 7, had planned a day out to Amlwch on Anglesey, to a VintageTransport Rally, as this is Mike’s hobby. Before the visit, I had gone to our local library and taken out a book about Anglesey, so I would have a rough idea about different places of interest. The Rally didn’t start until lunchtime, so by leaving home early, we’d have a few hours to spend exploring before going to Amlwch.
We crossed the Britannia Bridge, and halfway along the A5 (the new A55 across the island didn’t exist then) I first spotted Holyhead Mountain. Its silhouette dominated the skyline as we drove along, and I knew that’s where I wanted to go first. I’d read about South Stack and the Hut Circles, and from their description, I was intrigued.
We turned left at the Valley Crossroads, towards Trearddur Bay, and then from there turned left onto the coast road, on our way to South Stack. As we slowly drove along, I was completely enchanted by all the little coves I encountered. There seemed to be so many of them – one around every bend.
The very first time we actually stepped foot onto Holy island was at Porth y Post. We scrambled down onto the beach, and found we were the only ones there. With just the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore, the cry of the seagulls, and the warm sun beating down on my face, an overwhelming sense of joy came over me.
We continued along the coast road, then turned left, climbing up Holyhead Mountain, towards South Stack and the Hut Circles. And it was there, amongst the hut circles, that I really fell in love with this place. There is something very special about the Mountain. How can I describe it ? - mystical, magical, spiritual, ethereal, other-worldly, sacred, holy – all of these and more. To understand what I’m trying to say, you really have to experience it for yourself. The exquisite silence, peace and tranquillity of this place, broken only by the hum of bees and crickets, transports you back to another time, another age. Once you have stepped foot onto Holyhead Mountain, if it likes you, it will keep calling you back – again and again and again.
This was a huge turning point in my life. A major shift took place within me. I knew that I had come “home”, and felt an immense sense of “belonging”. A massive surge of relief flooded over me, as if after years of wandering, I had finally found the place I had been searching for, and longing for, yet thought I would never, ever find.
And that is why this website has come into being. I want to share with you my own personal Holy Island experience, and why this “Sacred Isle” is so very special.
Jan Pendragon
