Cemlyn - Cemaes

Today, 24 May, was the first day of the 2008 Anglesey Walking Festival, but that wasn't why we went for a walk - just that we had the time and weather forecast seemed much worse for the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend. The weather today turned out ideal: blue skies, sunny and dry but a stiff easterly breeze all the way.

This was a long walk by our standards, combining, roughly Rogers Volume 2 walk 7 and walk 8, making a total of nine miles.

We started, in fact, at the eastern end of the bar at Cemlyn, and the walk along the shingle bar was not at all comfortable, so we came round the shoreward side of the lagoon before pressing on towards Cemaes.

This section is of couse rather marred by the huge Wylfa Power Station plonked on the coast. Having passed it, we took in the inland path of walk 7 to get to the village of Cemaes. Here we stopped at the Stag Inn. We were warned as we arrived that service could be slow which indeed it was, but the beer was good (Jennings Bitter) and the food reasonable. We took the Coastal Path proper round Wylfa Head, which was the wildest and windiest part of the walk: choughs here as well as the more common seabirds.

We were very glad after returning to Cemlyn to be able to stop at the nearby jam factory for tea and cake!

Aberffraw - Malltraeth

On 18 May we started from Aberffraw village and walked down the estuary following the beach option of the Coastal Path. Going inland later through the dunes, we surprised a hare - and it very obviously was a hare, too, as we were to remark later when we saw the more common rabbits.

The Coastal Path isn't particularly coastal for the next bit, as it passes along the A4080 through Hebron, but on reaching the brow of the hill there is a splendid view of Snowdonia.

We crossed the cob at Malltraeth to join up with where we had reached on an earlier walk to Llanddwyn - while watching the cattle wading through the lagoon.

Progress (2) and a new book

Here's what we've covered (in blue) up to the end of 2007. Maybe there's a chance of completing it all in 2008!

In addition to the books we have been using and referred to earlier (see references), there's another book out about the Coastal Path - All Around Anglesey by Terry Beggs (ISBN 978 184323 715 0). It's a coffee-table book with pictures around the path, not a guide book.

Porth Llechog - Porth Amlwch

Our little walk today took us from Porth Llechog (Bull Bay) to Porth Amlwch (Amlwch Port), and back.

The path here is mostly at the top of jagged cliffs characteristic of much of North Anglesey. It was surprisingly muddy and the day rather gloomy, so much so that after reaching Amlwch we decided to return along the road.

Stanley Embankment and Valley

Our Boxing Day outing didn't follow any of the handy little circular walks in our guidebooks, and wasn't as well-signposted as usual, so I'll have to be more careful in describing the route.

We started at the Penrhos Coastal Park and began the walk towards mainland Anglesey along the Stanley Embankment. At the mainland end, just by the ATS Euromaster tyre depot, a Coastal Path finger sign pointed northwards along the shore and, as high tide had passed, we followed the shoreline. This was a rocky and pebbly beach, starting off with the eclectic boulder clay pebbles we have seen so often around the path. As we progressed, the beach became dominated more by the local rock, with varied hues of red, purple and pink of the 'New Harbour series'.

Just before a small headland, we avoided a path inland to the right with the remains of a signpost but pressed on along the beach. A little farther, at Penrhyn Bach, an angry sign forbade us to walk along the private foreshore and diverted us to a path inland. This short hop took us to one of the few dead ends on the Coastal Path, where it stops at the Alaw estuary - but there was no sign to indicate this.

Turning back, we decided to follow the inland (high tide) alternative path. After returning past Penrhyn Bach onto the beach nearby, the steps up were easy to miss but did have small Coastal Path logo to show the way. The path passes the remains of a well in the field on the left before joining a road where the Coastal Path on the map expects us to turn left then right. We then walked up Gorad Road past a series of interesting concrete electricity posts. There should be a right turn from here, but we missed it at first as there was nothing to indicate the path. Doubling back, it was necessary to turn into the estate of ugly bungalows where we found the pathway, half of whose width was being used by somebody to store a pile of breeze blocks. Over a stile, then following the right boundary of the field, took us to some steps downwards which eventually brought us out round the back of the same ATS Euromaster tyre depot as we passed earlier. Had we been looking for this inland route when we came by in the opposite direction, this wouldn't have been the obvious way to go!

On the way back, the ebb tide was rushing through the flume under the embankment (picture).

There were lots of birds to be seen on this walk - Great Crested Grebe and Egret as well as the more common seabirds, and various ducks and geese at the Penrhos Coastal Park.

Porth Llechog - Porthwen

After a summer doing other things in other places, we got back to the Coastal Path today.

This was ostensibly Rogers Volume 2 Walk 6, but we thought we should start in Porth Llechog (Bull Bay) to avoid parking on a grass verge. It turned out it was easier to follow the signs for the Elaeth Circular Walk - although there's very little difference.



Despite a very warm, dry day for November, this was a quiet walk, hardly anybody about.

The walk finished off with refreshment at the Bull Bay Hotel, one of few hostelries on the Coastal Path: acceptable but unexciting fare.

Traeth yr Ora

Today's walk started off with an intention to do Rogers Volume 1 Walk 5 - but we ended up starting from a different point, doing it backwards, and not doing the whole of it!

We began with lunch at the Pilot Boat Inn on the A5025 between Brynrefail and City Dulas. This was a spacious pub, Robinsons' beers, "food all day" and is recommended. The pub also tops the charts (so far) for proximity to a Coastal Path sign, so we set off without difficulty towards the coast, although uphill for what seemed like most of the way. Traeth yr Ora is indeed, as Rogers says, "a beautifully secluded sandy beach".

We wandered along the beach for a while, it being low tide, then back up to the footpath as far as Traeth Lligwy. We followed the footpath inland which leads from the northern car park, as far as a little signposted diversion to Tyddyn Môn. (Picture shows field sculptures there). Tyddyn Môn looked worth a visit but turned out to be closed at the weekend, so we returned via Brynrefail to our starting point. The Craft Shop and Garden Centre at Brynrefail were unimpressive.

To Porth Swtan

Today's long-overdue walk started by Llanfaethlu, at a small car park near Penterfyn (SH293868), and we followed the Coastal Path northwards. (Picture is the beach at Porth Crugmor).

We walked as far as Porth Swtan (Church Bay), where we stopped for lunch at the Wavecrest Cafe (open 10.30-5 except Tuesday and Wednesday). This supplied good basic food of which 'Granny Hudson's Bramley Apple Pie' was much appreciated. We got as far as reading the menu at the Lobster Pot restaurant, and failed totally to visit the little Swtan museum. Then we returned along the roadway which runs more or less parallel to the coast. At Penterfyn we continued southwards along the Coastal Path (after a little difficulty finding the sign), around a headland as far as Porth Trefadog, turning back to complete the loop by an inland track.

It was a lovely sunny day. We found the whole area quiet, quiet enough to listen to the birdsong most of the way. All the way, but particularly between Porth Fudr and Porth Crugmor, there was an abundance of what we thought were swallows, or they might have been sand martins.

Breakwater Country Park

Thursday 28 December, and we started off from Newry Beach in Holyhead. Actually, we started with lunch. This was at the Harbourfront Bistro (which is attached to the Holyhead Maritime Museum, the museum itself being closed at the time). The baguettes were good but more filling than we had planned.

We walked west along the Coastal Path. Despite it being late December, there were periwinkles in flower by Porthyfelin House.

Ascending after the quarry, we reached roughly where our earlier North Stack walk had taken us, turning back here as the sun had set behind the mountain. We returned through Breakwater Country Park, then wandered along a footpath inland towards Llaingoch and the town of Holyhead.

Weather mild for the time of year, blue skies all around but a hazy sea. There were lots of people out on the path and at the country park.