Chances of survival for Solero looked grim after he was blown off course in the Gulf Stream and ended up in a tidal pool at Beaumaris, Anglesey.

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The beach here, adorned with a tidal pool, acts as welcome respite from the bustle of the town, while the walks along Chapel Cliff and through the valley itself are among the best throughout the region.

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Hirauchi Kaichu onsen, the tidal pool in which the man and I were poaching, is on Yakushima, an island whose cedar forest earned a spot on Unesco's World Heritage List (and was the inspiration for Hayao Miyazaki's anime classic "Princess Mononoke").

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The tidal basin formed by the two converging rivers was named "dubh linn" (meaning "black pool") by Celts, who had inhabited the area upstream as early as 500 BC.

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