To Mona

The course of the road across Anglesey was completely new, all the way, starting of course at the Menai Suspension Bridge.

Was there anything new to walking over the bridge today? It is something I have done many times, and yet it's always a bit thrilling, especially on the central deck whee you're essentially hanging off the chains. It's something I like to bring visitors to do, both the marvel at the Menai Strait below and at the bridge.


Yes, there was something I noticed (although no doubt this is not something recent, just what I happened to notice today); the 'except bicycles by bicycles' plate, under the no overtaking sign, has gone. This was something which has been there on the bridge ever since I remember, stating the totally obvious in a way which made it idiosyncratic to this bridge, and therefore charming. The approaches up to the central deck on either side are very narrow separate carriageways with a raised kerb in the centre, so it's not physically possible for a car to overtake even if anybody wanted to try it, but within the carriageway space it's just possible for one cycle to overtake another, and this statement of the obvious has always been underlined in the sign. Along the short central deck there is a dotted white line, where it's a complete free-for-all as far as overtaking is concerned - although the looming limestone arches concentrate the mind so as to limit its popularity. We do still have the signs 'No overtaking/except bicycles by bicycles/End' on entering the central deck, but somehow the ending of the exception to the prohibition has less force when you hadn't been told about it first.

Llanfairpwll and Garwen developed as ribbon villages after the road was built, so there's nothing along these roadsides that is older than the road. I located the sites of a few former inns in Gaerwen: the site of the Half Moon on a prominent brow of a hill coming into the village, the Cross Keys, now a hairdressers, and a cottage Jeru, once the Jerusalem Inn.

There is nothing to see of a tollhouse at the turning to Llangefni, now complicated by also being a  grade separated junction of the new A55, the old A5 and the road to Llangefni. Yet the tollhouse survives in another way - the junction, in popular parlance, if not on any sign, is known as 'Turnpike Nant'.

Just before coming to Mona is a house with the sign facing the road, Ystumwerddon A5.  I used to think this a witty Welsh name derived from the bends in the road here as it climbs the hill, ystum meaning a twist or meander, together withe a shorteneing of Iwerddon, for Ireland - i.e. the meanders on the road to Ireland. The A5 on the nameplate seemed to confirm the intention.  But it's not so: the placename predates the road (and would have been nowhere near the older road to Ireland), and probably refers to a refers to a curved gwerddon, a piece of wet land.

This, my shortest walk, ended up at the Mona Inn.  In general, Telford's road joined up with pre-existing coaching stops, but here, his road took such a new course, and the distance between Bangor and Holyhead too long to be undertaken without a change of horses, a new inn was required, so the road building programme also included a completely new coaching inn, opened in 1822. Telford called the inn 'Mona', following the Latin version of the Welsh name for the island, and the name seems to have transferred itself to the surrounding neighbourhood, although not quite developing in to a village. The Mona Inn became a farm, and is no longer operating as even that. Thanks to the present owners, Mr & Mrs Doran, I was treated to a rare visit inside the property which includes the inn itself, a yard, coachhouse and stables, all in a remarkable state of preservation - and currently on the market.

Depots:25