I just celebrated another 21st birthday, & what a lovely weekend it was. It was the perfect excuse to visit friends on Bardsey island, one of my favourite places anywhere! On Saturday, the swell and wind made the crossing to the island just the right amount of ‘exciting’. I had plenty of energy to use up, after a week indoors editing! Barry and I paddled around the island, admiring the swell booming against the rocks. We passed a few dozen seals, either lounging on the rocks or curiously watching us from the water.

We stayed overnight courtesy of the Porter family, the only family to live on the small island all year round. It was great to see them all again – the first time for over 6 months! Thanks for the delicious dinner, the lovely cake and the glass artwork that Rachel made for me. We enjoyed a bottle of wine that Barry and I helped to make in Sicily a year ago! Thanks to Francesco for bringing a bottle over for us! In the evening we walked around the lighthouse end of the island with Rachel, who was counting the number of new seal pups being born on the island. We saw 4 pups – all born in the last week. 

Sunday was a beautiful day and we climbed up the top of “the mountain” on Bardsey. There was very little wind, but the sea is rarely still here. It’s always great to look down on the tide swirling and colliding in the Sound below. The ebb current was getting up to speed and funneling in different directions around the island, kicking up white caps over shallow areas.

After buying a few Christmas presents home-made by Jo out of willow, we waved a cherry goodbye & headed away on the last of the ebb tide. Instead of heading straight back to Abadaron, we detoured to the Gwylan islands in Abadaron Bay, stopping for a snack break besides the rocky islets. Lunch was back on the mainland, a bit further round towards Hells Mouth beach, where we enjoyed some toasted marshmallows provided generously by a family we found relaxing on the beach! The paddle back to Abadaron, delving into caves and gazing up at slabby cliffs was really interesting. What a lovely day exploring an area close to home that I’ve not taken the time to poke around in…

Happy days!