Deers, Camping, Puffins and RAF’s Hawk

Growing up amid the concrete walls of Jakarta, I have always craved for a walk on a green hill like the opening scene of Little House on the Prairie or Sound of Music. Now as an Indonesian expat in Manchester, I found my picture perfect hills in the Peak District, just 40 minutes drive. The bad news is, the weather does not always permit.

Lyme Park Saturday morning. Red deer and fallow deer grazing on the moorland, then a herd of Scottish White Cross cattle came curiously so close watching us human taking a walk.


Owned and managed by the National Trust, the 566 hectares (1,400 acres) Lyme Park was originally part of the Tudor house Lyme Hall. For those who followed BBC's adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Lyme was 'Pemberley'. The back garden of Lyme Hall was the set where Mr.Darcy, played by Collin Firth, took off his clothes and dive into the pond.

There is something about Lyme Park that makes it my favourite getaway. The fact that my first date with my partner took place there was not the only reason. Lyme Park has many faces. In summer, we can sunbathe and have a picnic and sometimes watch the Morris Dancers skipping around. In winter, walking past the snow covered Lyme Hall and The Cage – an early 18th-century hunting tower – made it looks like a different world of winter wonderland.

Last Saturday the day was perfect until heaven opened and rain pissing on everyone. Yet they call this Global Warming?

For longer holiday such as the school half-term break last month, camping was a nice gamble. We booked our six days leave from work months before. We had all our camping gears ready. Then on D-day we read that the weather was going to be rainy.

Well, we decided to go anyway, hoping that Shell Island in Llanbedr, Wales, would be different than the rest of the country. At least we had three days of sun. Having Indonesian upbringing, I said to my English partner, “Three days sun and two nights rain is still better than no sun at all.”

Shell Island is famous for the many different shells on the beach, wild birds, fishing and panoramic views of Cardigan Bay and Snowdonia mountain range. Its 121.41 hectares (300 acres) camping area makes it the biggest campsite in the UK and the biggest tenting site in Europe. Having only a tent license, the site does not accept caravans or campervans unless they have a tent for sleeping purposes.

On arrival at the reception office, we paid our admission: £6 per night for adult, £2.50 for children and £1.50 for dogs. The receptionist said we can pitch our tents anywhere as long as it’s within 20 yards or more from other tents. As we left reception, we saw signs saying, “For family/couple only. No groups/lads” and “No radio/music after 11pm”. Perfect!

For pitching tents, there are choices of sand dunes, woodland or near the harbour. We picked a spot near the sand dunes. Five minutes walk from our tents, there are the main toilet and shower block. The warm shower washed away my memory of counting one two three before pouring cold water in Cibodas National Park. There are three washing basin for washing dishes, also with warm water from the tap.

Not having any kites, boomerang, nor ball to play, I had expected my son to be whiny and bored. Amazingly he did not. The minute we finished building our tents, he disappeared into the sand dunes with his new found friends. I found out later from him that there is another fun family activity: crab fishing or crabbing.

Unlike Indonesians, British people do not eat crabs or fish that they caught. Going crabbing means catching as many crab as you can, collect them in your little bucket – which conveniently can be bought in the camp store along with crab lines and even baits – then you let them go. No crab was injured during the process.

There are many other activities in Shell Island. If you go boating, there are a chance that you can see dolphins and porpoises. Kite-surfing on the beach looks challenging, and of course shell collecting.

In a grey cloudy day when sunbathing on the beach was out of the question, a visit to Harlech Castle, 15 minutes drive from the campsite, was a good alternative. The admission charge of £3.50 for adults and £3.00 for children and students is worth the expense. Picturesque view of the coastline framed by the rear gate is superb.




Built by King Edward I in late 13th century, Harlech Castle was never been used as a dwelling for royalties. Located atop a cliff close to the Irish Sea and overlooking Snowdonia Mountain, it was meant to be a statement of conquest over Wales. Ironically, in 1404 it was taken by Welsh leader Owain Glyn Dwr who proceeded to hold a parliament here. Its seven-year siege and the Wars of the Roses inspired the song 'Men of Harlech'.

Walking inside and around the ruins of Harlech Castle reminded me of Sean Connery and Richard Gere in First Knight. In fact, some scene of the 1995 film was filmed in Harlech and the nearby Llanfair Slate Mine.

Driving further North from Harlech, we visited Portmeirion on a peninsula off the coast of Snowdonia. The Italianate village was built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis from 1925 to 1975, based on his memory of an Italian town Portofino.

The resort village is mostly famous for being the set for TV series The Prisoner, starred Patrick McGoohan. The character played by McGoohan, known only as “No. 6”, was held in a strange fantasy setting, called “The Village”. The classic 60s TV series becomes such a cult that until today fans have annual Prisoner Convention in which celebrity guests attend events and share their admiration on the series and its location.

Before heading back to Manchester, we took a detour to Anglesey Island. Two things I insisted to see before the end of our holiday: to see Hawks and puffins.


RAF Valley where world famous aerobatic The Red Arrow is routinely training is base for No 4 Flying Training School, which operates 71 Hawk T1/T1A aircraft, not much different than Indonesian Air Force’ Hawks. We parked outside the fence at the end of the runway. Just as we sat down on a rock with the runway in front and beach behind us, we heard a thundering sound of two Hawks approaching for landing. It was perfect for an anorak like me.


To see puffins, I mean the real birds (Fratercula arctica) not plane, we drove further West past Hollyhead to South Stack Cliff, a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) reserve. The cute clown-like birds nest in spring and early summer.

We hired a binocular from RSPB visitor centre, and walked to the cliffs. It was the best reality show I’ve ever seen! I fell in love with their comedy red beaks and big red feet, swimming speed and fidelity. Puffins mate for life. They lay a single egg in spring. Both parents incubate it for 36-45 days, and they share feeding duties until the chick is ready to fledge. I also found their ‘billing’ gestures – brushing each other’s beak – like human kissing.