While I will always enjoy an exciting city break or jetting off somewhere a bit more exotic on my holidays, sometimes all we really need is to reconnect with nature and take a break from the noise and stress of every day life. So when Wayne’s birthday rolled around, we knew we wanted to get away but the question was… where?

We discussed what we wanted from our mini break – a little cottage somewhere along the coast, somewhere without a lot of bustle or a pressing itinerary and fairly remote, somewhere we could take long walks with the dog. Oh yes, we were taking Quito. Our first holiday with the dog was going to be interesting and we weren’t quite sure what to expect! He’s nearly a year old now (time flies, eh?) and getting better with being off the lead so we figured it was time to test the waters, both figuratively and literally.

We ended up booking a little cottage right on the seafront in Cemlyn, on the northern coast of Anglesey. For those unfamiliar with this part of the world, here’s a little map. Anglesey is an island off the coast of Wales (I know that’s difficult to tell from the map below but it’s not actually attached and you get there via a bridge) and so we were basically at the very northern tip of the island. The blue dot is where I live so it took less than 2 hours to get there. Can’t beat that.

Cemlyn, where we stayed, is part of the Anglesey Heritage Coast and owned by the National Trust, having been deemed an ‘Area of Outstanding Beauty’ which means it’s protected from development. We arrived to the cottage around 2 in the afternoon after a leisurely drive, admiring the coastal views on the way and the miles of countryside from every angle. Wales is a beautifully rugged country, with wild landscapes and lots and lots of farmland as you’ll see!

As soon as we arrived, we let Quito off his lead for a drink and to explore the garden and enjoyed the beautiful views we had right on our doorstep. He was absolutely LOVING IT. It was so cute to watch him tear around in the sunshine in excitement.

The cottage was immaculately clean and we even had two welcome packs – one for us with lots of local goodies like Welsh tea cakes, local honey, fudge and freshly pressed local apple juice and another one for the dog with little doggy snacks, a towel and poop bags! Ha! Such a nice touch.

It was such a lovely day so we decided to not waste any time – we wanted to get out and explore. We took a really long walk around the area and took Quito to the beach. There was so much wildlife and so much gorgeous countryside that I ended up taking over 300 pictures in all (!!!) but have narrowed it down to just my favourites for this post – you’re welcome.

Check out the duck in mid-flight!

Needless to say, Quito absolutely loved it.

After a couple of hours of walking through the countryside, we headed back to the cottage for a well earned glass of wine and a bit of relaxation, enjoying the amazing views from the big picture window.

The only thing Quito was interested in was the wild rabbits in the garden. It’s okay, no rabbits were harmed in the making of this holiday. We were always with him in the garden to make sure he wasn’t chasing them but he was utterly fascinated by them. Check out that fluffy butt. He looks like an Ewok ;)

That evening, we decided to head to the tip of Cemlyn Bay to watch the sun set along the rugged coastline. It was Earth Day so it seemed a fitting way to celebrate our planet. We weren’t disappointed by either the views or the sunset.

Love these shots of Wayne silhouetted by the beautiful sky and Quito enjoying the views.

The following day, we decided to head for Lligwy Beach – this one sandy rather than the pebble beach in Cemlyn – and about a 30 minute drive away.

After playing for a while on the beach, we headed to one of the nature trails to check out the stunning views.

And then back to the beach for a little off-the-lead time with Quito.

By this point, Quito was starting to flag as he was so excited, he’d not napped all day and he’d had more exercise in 24 hours than he’d normally have in a few days so we decided to drop him back at the cottage so he could rest for a few hours. We then took the car and headed to Camaes, Almwch Port, Bull Bay and a few little towns around the coast for a bit more exploring.

After a bit of playing ball with Quito in the garden when we got home, we settled into a relaxed evening of wine and board games! By this point, my legs were stiff with all the walking we’d done! We’d packed a lot into 2 days and the following morning, we were due to leave sadly!

We really enjoyed our time in this part of the United Kingdom and if you’re looking for a nice getaway and a chilled walking holiday with your dog, this area of Anglesey is perfect. We were so lucky with the weather – it only rained once when we were headed back to the cottage with Quito and by the time he was settled, the sun had come out again. If it’d been pouring rain the entire time, I’m not sure what we’d have done but thankfully, it was a great trip and it felt really good to unplug for a while.

Is this an area you’d visit? Have you been here before? Where’s your favourite spot to reconnect with nature? I’d love to hear from you!