Breakwater Country Park

When the teddy bears were on holiday on Anglesey (an island just off the coast of North Wales) a short while ago, they visited lots of interesting places. One of them was Breakwater Country Park, near Holyhead. It's on the site of an old quarry which supplied stone for the longest (one and a half miles!) breakwater in Europe - at Holyhead!!!

There are lots of things to do there - they have a duck pond you can wander around, there are coastal footpaths to walk, there is a Nature Trail, an Information Centre and Outdoor Gallery, a café, and a kiosk run by the North Wales Wildlife Trust where you can buy cups of tea (which the bears aren't really keen on) or yummy ice-creams (which they thought were much better!!)

What they found extra interesting were lots of small (and big) mosaic pictures dotted around everywhere. A mosaic is a picture or design made from small pieces of coloured tile, glass or other material. In fact, looking for them became something of a competition to see who could find the most! Some of them are now a little weather-worn but it was fun trying to work out what the pictures were.

There were small mosaics of a ladybird, a boat, a duck, a seagull, a dragonfly, flowers, and a butterfly, and also large mosaics (or plaques) on the walls of some of the buildings showing the history of the site in pictures. They start with a Prehistoric Plaque showing a mammoth (that was a huge kind of elephant) and an old urn (a type of vase).

Then there's a Roman Plaque showing a Roman Centurion's helmet and a shield, then one of the turn of the 19th Century showing old sailing boats and the Breakwater being built.

Then comes an Industrial one showing the old chimneys and fighter planes, ending up with how it is today with people and their children walking their dogs through the flowers with the ferries and seabirds in the background.

There are sculptures dotted around too - the bears saw one of a dock seed, and another of a type of heather flower.

It was a great place to spend their time. They followed the Nature Trail, looked for mosaics and sculptures, walked along the Rocky Coast path, looked at some of the exhibitions, had a picnic and ate lots of ice-cream!! Of course, they enjoyed the last two things the most!!

If ever you are near Holyhead, it would be worth you making a trip to the Breakwater Country Park - you'll have a whole day full of fun!! Just like the bears did!