Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competiton

Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:

Q1. Bodelwyddan

Q2. Rhyl


The initial clues seem to place us in the vicinity of Rhos-on-Sea, in county Clwyd, in the Conwy region of Wales, specifically at St Trillo's Chapel, which judging from the photographs I saw of it, is very small indeed (thought to have a capacity of twenty worshippers max) and does lie next to a beautiful sandy beach. The altar is said to be built over a pre Christian holy well. St Trillo according to some of his bios, is thought to have been born in Brittany c 6th century and his feast day is the 15 th of June.

Motoring south east from Rhos-on-Sea would bring us to the seaside resort of Colwyn Bay. The town has a disused pier which some of the sources I checked claim is around seven hundred and fifty feet long and which opened c 1900.

Seven miles east of Colwyn Bay could be the site of a Donnybrook between the Welsh and the Saxons, c 795 ad, the Battle of Rhuddlan Marsh. The Saxons under the command of king Offa of Mercia are thought to have won this encounter, defeating the Welsh team under king Caradog ap Meirion. The mutiny by demob happy Canadian soldiers, seems to have occurred around the 4th and 5th of March c 1919, on the Kinmel Park estate, where they were billeted after the end of WW1, in cold and cramped conditions. The riots appear to have started when news reached the camp, that the ship which was to have taken them home, had been diverted to carry food supplies to the Russians. Five soldiers were killed during the disturbances and four of them seem to be buried in the churchyard of St Margaret's, which lies in the nearby village of Bodelwyddan. St Margaret's (designed by John Gibson, b 1817) was constructed from various types of marble, by Lady Willoughby de Broke, c 1856, in memory of her husband. I found several references which describe World War One practice trenches at the nearby Bodelwyddan castle

North of Bodelwyddan castle and village, lies the seaside town of Rhyl and it was here that some of her biographies claim that a talented journalist and author called Penelope Ruth Mortimer (nee Fletcher) was born c 1918. Mortimer wrote under the pen name Ann Temple and worked for The New Yorker and the Daily Mail. Her first novel, published c 1947, was called Johanna.

Rhyl at one time had a two thousand three hundred and fifty five foot long pier but it appears to have been demolished c 1973. I did find several references which say that there was also a Lido at Rhyl

N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but rest assured, if you have a non abusive comment related to the solution of the puzzle, he will endeavour to publish it.