Hafod

We went for a family holiday to a 6 bedroom big old house which overlooked the sea, called Hafod, at Trearddur Bay in Anglesey. Hafod was once the summer home of the author Nicholas Monsarrat and his family. Monsarrat wrote many novels including the wartime classic The Cruel Sea (1951). Monsarrat said of his time at Hafod:

“We always enjoyed the time we spent over at Ravenspoint, there was an endless variety of things to do and to learn. Ravenspoint, standing high up on the southerly arm of the bay, commanded a magnificent view of the whole coast-line nearly to South Stack lighthouse. On rough days the waves, surging in with the full force of the gale behind them, swept past in successive mile-long crests, piling up until they broke in a white flurry and fell thunderously onto the beach”

I love big old draughty holiday homes. I occupied the top floor and took two rooms; one for an office, and the other for sleeping. The bedroom had a dormer window, out of which the sea was reassuringly within touching distance, and for the duration of the holiday I was gifted with waxing, full, and waning moonlight cascading through the window. The full moon imparted a swollen and at times angry aspect to the sea, which was a pleasure to enjoy in all of her moods. Watching an old black & white movie (I recommend The Cruel Sea 1953, dir. Charles Frend) to the crackling fire, warmed by red wine, was a poetic delight. Below is some photography I took from the bottom of the garden at Hafod. If you skip over the stone wall, you are on the coastal footpath and right on the cliffs looking out to sea.

Nicholas Monsarrat