Anglesey Coastal Footpath - at Leisure

Review of the Walks, the Path, the Project

2011-09-26T10:15:00.007+01:00

And now, having completed the path (well, more or less: see below), here are some overall views on it.

It took rather a long time. This is because we were otherwise engaged, shopping, gardening, going away or simply walking somewhere else.

With hindsight, doing the path in the way we chose wasn't all that clever. Sure, it allowed some nice little circular walks at the outset, but we left the most difficult (in terms of logistics) until the end, and had all those annoying little joining-up bits to do. And there are just a few tiny little bits we didn't cover because we took an alternative parallel path or something, but we're allowing ourselves that. Advice to those planning the whole path in bits is to be more systematic from the outset, which needn't mean always starting from where you last left off. It would also have worked out better if we had started off with longer walks.

This walk being complete, watch out for the new and more ambitious sister blog of the North Wales Path.
Now the awards:

Best Pub

There are a few pubs on or close to the path, and all provided a reasonable standard of pub fare (steak pie, fish & chips, etc.) but by far the best pub was the White Eagle at Rhoscolyn, although not on the Path itself, visited on our South Holy Island walk.

Most Convenient Pub

A good runner-up for Best Pub because it is on the Path but also on the A5025, therefore a good base to start the walk in either direction, is the Pilot Boat Inn. Food and drink very acceptable both times (Traeth yr Ora and Completing North-East) we visited.

Best Cafe on the Path

Wavecrest, Port Swtan/Church Bay without a doubt.

Best Artwork on the Path

Dic Evans Statue at Moelfre

Most Welcome Shelter

The very small cave on the beach at Porth Eilian (although that reflects the weather that day).

Biggest Disappointment

The alleged "tea shack" which we expected to find at the end of our Inland Sea walk.

Best Walk

The roller-coaster Cemaes-Borthwen walk.

Best Introductory Walk

Rhosneigr - Rogers volume 1 walk 13. The coastal path is full of variety and this little circular walk encapsulates quite a lot of that variety in a single walk.

Guidebook

It has to be Rogers volume 1 and 2. Although we have sometimes criticised the occasionally out-of-date content, these are handy guides to walks of the right length for us, and don't have to be slavishly followed. The official guide, also by Rogers, contains much of the same content but no return routes and is just a little too thick to be convenient; ours isn't well bound and pages fall out.

We usually took an OS map as well.

We rarely in practice needed the books to avoid getting lost, the path being reasonably well signposted when in countryside.

Beaumaris to Menai Bridge

2011-09-23T16:34:00.003+01:00

This, our last walk, had required some co-ordination involving bus timetables, pub opening hours and, crucially, tide tables. This was because we aimed to do the alternative route along the beach between Gallows Point and Glyn Garth. Now this alternative route isn't mentioned in the Coastal Path guidebook and you may not find it on the current website, but it's there in our laminated map published in 2002 by Menter Mon and others, described as "Newly designated coastal path (permissive) access subject to tidal restriction".

We really did want to go that way because, without it, this walk would not have been very coastal at all. So, after lunch in the Liverpool Arms at Beaumaris (good standard pub fare), we set off along the beach about an hour before low water. And a warning: the tide really did need to be that low, and still going out, for a safe and comfortable walk, i.e. not scrambling on seaweed-covered rocks. It wouldn't be passable at all at high water. No doubt this is why it's not now an 'official' part of the walk.

One of the nice things we have found about the path is its variety, and this stretch was different again. It's a walk along a rocky beach, under steep cliffs which are clearly still being heavily eroded, interspersed with a few stony bays, and covered with primeval oak forest. Rocks are the twisted schists of the Mona Complex we've seen elsewhere, overlain by boulder clay which is also evident on parts of the beach.

We passed the Gazelle Hotel where we could have had another drink, but didn't. This was the start of a punishing ascent up a winding road to join the 'official' path at Llandegfan. Not that we would have known it - this stretch being rather short of the usual friendly Coastal Path signposts. The walk along an inland road through a little village was just that - not a particulalrly coastal feel, but with good views of Snowdonia.

And onwards to Menai Bridge, a town which once boasted a generous number of pubs - but currently both the Mostyn Arms and Liverpool Arms are closed, and not all the others open all day.

This completes the path for us! A review post to follow.

South Stack to Trearddur

2011-09-04T19:18:00.004+01:00

Today's walk wasn't a neat circular walk from a guidebook (although Rogers volume 2 walk 12 takes in part of the same route). In fact this seven-mile section of the Coastal Path occupies only a page of text in the official guidebook - which is undeserved, when it is an interesting, remote but apparently well-beaten section of the path.

We relied on Coastal Path signs throughout, with no trouble at all here. We noticed that a few of these now also bear a logo for the Wales Coast Path: just as we're nearing completion of this path, a much more ambitious target awaits.

Anyway, from South Stack cafe we followed the path down towards the roadway, then into a field and roadside path that later crossed the road again and took us towards Penrhyn Mawr. Here we saw lots of blue butterflies and hairy caterpillars.

Picture shows Penrhyn Mawr, gorse and heather in the foreground, Llyn to Bardsey on the horizon, encroaching weather front above.

The cliffs here are not so high but very dramatic, the weathering of twisted hard rocks resulting in so many jagged edges, with frequent inlets and gullies worn into features of the rock structure. A tide race was to be seen at Ynysoedd y Ffrydiau (also pictured), with a few fishermen taking advantage at the water's edge.

Going on, we later descended into Porth Dafarch where we had our picnic, as a few children on the sand pretended it was still summer. This beach had a little burger van and a Beach Warden, but public toilets were closed. The path after this alternates between circling headlands and following the road, eventually descending into the more built-up environs of Trearddur.

A striking large house here is Craig y Mor, perched on rocks overlooking the sea. Designed by Dublin architect F. G. Hicks for the Smellie family, this imposing construction was completed in 1921.

We picked a few blackberries here, then just outside the RNLI shop were able to buy an Anglesey ice-cream from a van before walking across the newly-enlarged promenade across the beach, to where we had reached on our South Ynys Cybi walk.

For us, this walk now completes, not just Ynys Cybi, but the whole of the western half of Anglesey's path.

Carmel Head

2011-08-12T16:43:00.003+01:00

We finally finished the North West corner today with Rogers Volume 2 Walk 9, on a generally dry day but with the odd threat of drizzle in the air.

Unlike our last visit to Ynys y Fydlyn, this time the tide was low enough to get onto the little island, then look into the cave in the cliff (pictured).

Walking on up the cliff, we disturbed what must have been several hundred grouse in the bracken. This being the glorious twelveth, we wondered if they were now fair game. Probably not - this bit of path being closed from 14 September confirmed their having just a little longer to go.

We stopped at Trwyn Cerrigyreryr for our picnic, this corner of Anglesey offering a fine view almost all the way round. It was too hazy to see any land over the sea, but seems like this might offer both Ireland, the Isle of Man and northern England when the conditions are right.

This walk had disconcertingly too many bird-picked remains of sheep carcasses. Just one on a walk is bad luck, three seems like somebody's carelessness.

Llanfachraeth

2011-07-30T20:13:00.006+01:00

Today was a good day - dry, warm, but not too hot. We aimed to cover Rogers Volume 2 Walk 10, but with an extension to take us to where we reached on an earlier walk.

We set off from Llanfachraeth according to Rogers' insructions, but these country back roads weren't as quiet today as we ususally find. This being a nice Saturday in the peak holiday season, and in the proximity of caravan parks and beaches (see below), we did have to stand by the side of the road rather often to let by the 4x4s, caravans, trailers, etc..

Where Rogers told us to ignore the sign to 'Porth Tywyn Sandy Beach', our diversion took us exactly that way. Joining the coastal path northwards at Porth Tywyn, which traces the base of fields set back a little from the beach, we could see that this beach was popular, but probably less crowded than the average bucket-and-spade beach (pictured). Sand also a little whiter than on most Anglesey beaches - perhaps the influence of blown Holyhead Mountain quartzite?

We followed our diversion northwards to Porth Trefadog (second picture), then doubled back to Porth Tywyn.

The path here passed through Porth Tywyn/Sandy Beach caravan park, then past Penrhyn Bay caravan park. While we are no experts, these seemed to be rather upmarket caarvan sites. Both had little shops, the former being virtually on the path - although being what they are, the opening hours cannot be guaranteed to cater for all coastal path walkers.

Only after that did we get back on to Rogers' trail. Once we had left the caravan sites behind, the terrain changed markedly, and soon we were following the Alaw estuary in a much quieter environment, butterflies everywhere.

Rogers 2006 edition requires a bit of updating here. Where he says at the bottom of page 60, "Keep along the field edge to a ladder stile which leads onto a short access track", by now the access track has been extended towards us, so that in fact you are on it straightaway, not at a field edge. This ladder stile, and a number of others on this stretch, have since 2006 been replaced by kissing gates. We also didn't follow his little diversion away from the coastal path at the tidal pool, because our over-riding objective was to cover the path itself all the way to Llanfachraeth.

Oh, and as for Llanfachraeth meaning 'church at the little beach', that's rather fanciful (that would be Llandraethbach). It's the more straightforward 'church of Machraeth' - see, for example, llanfachraeth.com.

More gaps

2011-07-10T18:52:00.006+01:00

One of the problems of having aimed to do the whole path, but by a series of nice circular walks, is that it leaves a few annoying gaps where the circles didn't quite join up. So we started addressing that today.

First we walked through Rhosneigr, covering what we called "the little bit in the village" that we missed on the earlier Rhosneigr walk, and joining up to where we got to on the Traeth Crigyll walk. Rhosneigr is fairly busy at the height of the holiday season with a High Street of shops that serve the holiday trade and that is more than a little village of this size would normally sustain.

Euler famously worked out that he couldn't traverse the seven bridges of Königsberg once and only once while getting back to his original starting point. A simpler but similar problem faces the Coastal Path walker faced with the little section, east of the Inland Sea, between Four Mile Bridge and Valley. In our case, this joined up where we got to at Valley on both Penrhos and Valley trips on the one hand, and at Four Mile Bridge on both Inland Sea and South Holy Island walks, on the other hand. Unlike our two urban walks today, this was more like a coast!

Then finally we went on to Holyhead, to walk through the town, joining up our previous Breakwater Country Park walk with the other end of the Penrhos walk. This took us past the official start and finish of the Path at Holyhead Church (pictured). Strangely, in contrast to the rest of our travels, the path itself is not signposted at all through the town here...

Progress (3)

2011-03-27T23:18:00.002+01:00

As before, blue is what we've done.

Today's walk has joined up the east coast with the north such that, while we still have Carmel Head to do, we have now covered the path from Penmon to the White Ladies.

We really do expect to do the lot by the end of 2011!

Completing North-East

2011-03-27T22:54:00.004+01:00

A nice day today - dry, not that warm and a breeze on the coast. We started off with lunch at the Pilot Boat Inn (see previous post), then took the path down towards Traeth Dulas. Old Red Sandstone, which outcrops here, was evident in walling along the trackway down to the beach. Picture shows Afon Goch from the footbridge at the head of the beach (with ducks).

Once across the beach, we were well away from the noise of traffic and people, hearing only birds and sheep. In fact, after leaving the beach (where we saw one couple) until in sight of Point Lynas, we didn't see anybody else on the path. This really was remote.

After passing Llanwenllwyfo Church and a few ups and downs on a country road, the path rejoins the coastine which it follows towards Point Lynas. A lot of up-and-down here as successive bays are traversed, but not as extreme as some on the north coast.

We took the Coastal Path Official Guide this time, but it was hardly necessary as the path is well marked throughout this section. Much of this stretch is a permissive path closed on certain days of the year; according to a sign it looks like these are just a few days in October to January, when they shoot - and the game birds were much in evidence today.

No return path? We did this with a car at each end: an extravagance we have never needed before on the coastal path.

Penrhos and rail access

2011-02-21T21:03:00.003Z

We did this trip on Sunday by train: arriving at Valley and returning from Holyhead, one of a few stretches of the footpath accessible in this way.

Setting off from Valley station, we crossed the Stanley Embankment along the A5. A spring tide was flowing into the Inland Sea - and how! We've seen this in the other direction in an earlier post , but this was as if a huge plughole had been opened in an otherwise flat and extensive sea. The picture doesn't quite do justice to the 2m fall visible in the sea just below us.

Penrhos Coastal Park was busy enough, then once past the viewpoint at Gorsedd-y-Penrhyn the walk was quieter.

The path passes 'The Battery' a structure which looks as though it might have housed cannon overlooking the bay, but about which there's not much written that we have been able to find.

Arriving at the port, we crossed the Celtic Gateway Bridge to the town before returning to the station for the return trip.

Access by train is the advantage, but on the whole we have to say this is not one of the most scenic stretches of the path.

Ynys y Fydlyn

2010-09-17T23:47:00.003+01:00

Sunday 12 September was good day - dry, sunny and a bit breezy - when we did this walk. We followed exactly Rogers volume 1 walk 10, except that, the tide being in, we didn't get onto Ynys y Fydlyn itself.

At the bay, we were greeted by a seal. Although they are meant to be common enough around Anglesey, this was the first time on these walks that we can say we definitely saw one.

Plenty of places to pick blackberries here, too.

Traeth Crigyll

2010-08-10T23:12:00.005+01:00

On Sunday 8 August we undertook the Traeth Crigyll walk in Rogers Volume 2 walk 14 – a longish circular route although substantially less than half covers the Coastal Path itself.

The walk begins over Tywyn Trewan, which is an ancient common. If you live in the right (also ancient) parish, you can graze your animals, collect firewood and turf here – provided it is for your own use. We didn’t see anybody actually doing so. Part of Rogers’ route takes a bee-line across the common where there is no path, heading for Cerrig Cynrig. He mentions an old gate, which is indeed there, but doesn’t mention the stile nearby, which, once spotted, is a much clearer target to head for when wending your way along sheeptracks between spiky gorse. This was when we began to think that our Rogers Volume 2 (revised edition, 2006) was perhaps a little out of date.

This theme continued as we followed the fairly under-used path around Llyn Traffwll (pictured). The “tumbled down bridge” described by Rogers must now be completely tumbled away as we found a new wooden plank bridge. Later, after the “small reed filled pool”, we really did go astray. Rogers doesn’t identify the fork in the path shortly after this. We took the more obvious left fork, which actually did lead to a ruined cottage, which is the next waypoint. Eventually realising we were on the wrong line, we had to retrace our steps to take the right fork which does lead to a footbridge but the ruined cottage supposedly here isn’t very obvious.

Once on the beach at Cymyran, we were on the Coastal Path once more, where we had reached on our Inland Sea walk, and the route back became clear enough along a quiet but extensive sandy beach and dunes.

This was an interesting walk. The inland stretch seemed less popular; we saw hardly anybody despite the good walking weather and the path did not look much used. The jagged rock features protruding from marshy land in places were striking. The path markers on the ground were more helpful than the guide book – but perhaps this is a little harsh on Rogers who after all has a later edition out.

Llanddwyn: Another little gap

2009-05-17T08:37:00.003+01:00

We have walked along Llanddwyn Beach before but not, it seems, since starting this project.

On Sunday May 10, we started at the roundabout by Newborough, the one with the marram grass sculptures in the car park where we had also started out for Abermenai and Aber Braint. A camera-shy Great Spotted Woodpecker kept us company on the way down to the beach. Turning right, we continued along a busy beach until reaching the path towards Malltraeth, before Ynys Llanddwyn. Here we doubled back along the trail through the woods which is actually marked as the Coastal Path, then back to our starting point.

Filling in another small gap, and some new leaflets

2008-08-16T07:45:00.004+01:00

On Friday 8 August we sought to fill in small gap in our coverage of the Coastal Path, between Porth Trecastell (Cable Bay) and Porth Cwyfan. When we started out on doing the coastal path, this little bit wasn't necessarily part of it, and it's not shown in our 2005 edition of the OS Explorer 262 map, either. The "at the time of writing" in the Official Guide seemed a little tentative, too.

Still, we needn't have worrried as the path was clear enough on the ground. A little sign says it's permissive path, which means (in this case) you can use it any time but the 10th of December each year.

Having walked round over the headland from Porth Trecastell as far as Llangwyfan-isaf, we tried to make a circular walk of it by returning first along the road past Plas Llangwyfan, then crossing the A4080 towards the small church of St. Mary's Llangwyfan. We found that the first footpath to the left indicated on the Explorer 262 wasn't there, or at least didn't have an entry from the road, so we proceeded to the next one, just after the church. This brought us back via farmhouses Rhosmor and Cnwc, towards Porth Trecastell. We also found that the path down to the beach isn't the straight line suggested by Explorer 262: it is necessary to turn sharp left to leave the rocky crag to your right before proceeding along a track at the base of this sandy valley.

A number of Stonechats seen on this walk.

We have also come across some new leaflets of circular walks - available here as pdfs or by post from here. We've covered many of these walks, or bits of them, already. First impressions of these leaflets not very good - walkers like us need to know the length and difficulty stright off, which unlike many of our guidebooks, these don't give.

Cemlyn - Cemaes

2008-05-24T19:08:00.010+01:00

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

2008-05-24T19:08:00.003+01:00

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

2007-12-31T18:07:00.002Z

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

2007-12-31T17:53:00.000Z

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

2007-12-27T14:36:00.000Z

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

2007-11-04T20:40:00.000Z

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

2007-05-26T20:57:00.000+01:00

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

2007-05-20T22:46:00.000+01:00

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

2006-12-29T00:16:00.000Z

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.

Afon Braint

2006-12-26T20:53:00.000Z

A family Boxing Day walk took us back to the Coastal Path again. Starting at the roundabout just outside Newborough, we followed the path towards Afon Braint.

The stepping stones across the river, close to its mouth, are quite remarkable in being so straight, flat and evenly spaced. Crossing close to high tide made it more dramatic than most of the pictures we had seen.

It was a good job we had the guidebook with us for parts of this walk, for there were times when we were unsure whether this really was the Coastal Path. It was more muddy than coastal.

At last we reached the beach just before Tal-y-Foel. The geological map here refers to 'Glacial Gravels on Red Measures' and both could clearly be seen in the eroded cliff.

Traeth Bychan

2006-10-17T21:34:00.000+01:00

Holidays, ailments, redecorating, and various other distractions having kept us away, we got back to the Coastal Path for a short walk on Sunday 15 October.

It promised to be a bright and sunny day despite being the middle of October, although there was an unexpectedly stiff breeze at the coast,and despite blue skies all round, visibility over the sea was poor.

Starting off at Traeth Bychan, we followed the Coastal Path the short distance, mainly on top of low limestone cliffs, to Moelfre. We stopped at Ann's Pantry for a light lunch: a very good home-made soup. Turning back and returning the way we came, we witnessed a launch of the Moelfre Lifeboat (picture below).

At Traeth Bychan, we carried on. The Coastal Path Official Guide here refers to a proposed new path behind Traeth Bychan which allows access at all states of the tide. This appears to have been constructed now, which we followed. Perversely, for this was a rising tide, we walked back along the beach.

Completing this walk means we have now covered a long stretch of the Path from Lligwy to Penmon!

Llanddona - Penmon

2006-08-28T21:18:00.000+01:00

Sunday 27 August 2006, with fine and breezy weather, we started off from Llanddona beach, eastwards along the shingle. The Coastal Path continues along the beach a short way after the cliffs begin to rise, then rises up wooden steps to walk along a field edge at the top of the cliff. This is the beginning of a steady ascent, as the path joins tracks which zig-zag up some 400feet/120m to the base of the iron age hillfort of Bwrdd Arthur.

It was a clear day, and as we rose the view improved. The picture shows the view looking back towards Llanddona, and northwards we could easily see as far as Point Lynas.

Somewhere along here too, there were butterflies, which we think are Speckled Wood, illustrated.

The Coastal Path passes through a farm called Tan-dinas, clearly marked as a right of way on the Explorer map, but here we found gates tied together across the road, with no stile or kissing gate. Despite this and a loudly barking dog, we persevered in the face of discouragement, but had to climb over two gates to make our way through.

The path joins a minor road shortly before a small chapel schoolroom set in a copse of Scots Pine, with views over Puffin Island and the Great Orme.

We had started the walk where we had turned back on our Red Wharf Bay walk 25 June, and we intended to join up with where we had reached on the Penmon walk (see 'Walks we did earlier (1)'). Unfortunately we didn't find the walk we recognised where we expected it, and had to go on a little further before we got there. Turning back, we retraced our steps but kept along the road this time to pass the other side of Bwrdd Arthur - giving in fact a better view of the hillfort itself - and down a steep road to the beach.

The Coastal Path Official Guide says (p. 93) of the path from Penmon, "There is no true 'coastal' path between here and Red Wharf Bay... Paths and lanes inland must be used instead". Indeed so. The cliffs at this point must make walking along the coast itself inhospitable if not downright dangerous, but the walk from the chapel schoolroom to Penmon village was a relatively dull section, wandering between hedgerows and round the backs of houses.

This walk includes more up and down than other Coastal Path stretches and we were flagging by the end. Fortunately, the threatened showers held off.

South Holy Island

2006-08-05T18:13:00.000+01:00

Today we did our most ambitious walk so far. Starting at Trearddur, we followed the Coastal Path clockwise round Holy Island, doing the whole of Section 2 in the Official Guide, to Four Mile Bridge, then walked back to Trearddur. The guide has the Coastal Path stretch at eight and three-quarter miles, so we probably walked over ten in total.

It started off a little misty and drizzly, but the forecast was for clearer weather and we persevered. In fact in turned out better than forecast and we were very warm by the end.

Trearddur seemed very busy - lots of sailors, caravanners, people with big cars - and we didn't get away from it until well off Ravenspoint Road, when it was suddenly quiet.

The walk then passes two natural arches, pictured, Bwa Du then Bwa Gwyn. Later we reached a part of the Path we had done before (see Walks we did Earlier (1), Rhoscolyn) but doing it in the other direction, in very different weather, made it still a new experience.

These pictures show Saint Gwenfaen's Well, one of a few ancient monuments on the Coastal Path. This is a holy well, of uncertain date but several centuries old, and said to cure mental disorders.

(Picture quality has suffered as these are phone pictures not camera pictures; camera battery ran out)

The plan was to stop for lunch at Rhoscolyn, having seen a pint of beer symbol in our coastal path map. The few houses dotted around Rhoscolyn looked rather unpromising at first, until we found The White Eagle. This place welcomes walkers, with places for sticks and ruck-sacks in the porch, is a free house with choice of beers, and the food was well above the standard you might expect for a country inn in the middle of nowhere. We would recommend this place to anybody (NB according to their website they are due to close for refurbishments next month, and the website itself has a distinct 'under construction' feel to it; best to check before you go.)

The walk carried on around the south of Holy Island towards Silver Bay before turning north. We took the seasonal route at Bodior, a curiously uninteresting diversion from the road, although after all this dry weather we were lucky that it was so dry underfoot; boardwalks over marshes were unnecessary. Lots of horseflies around here.

After reaching Four Mile Bridge, we stopped at 'Y Gegin Fach' Cafe, a very unremarkable place.

We have been doing the Coastal Path in short stretches and didn't see ourselves doing the 10-mile sections suggested by the Official Guide. But having planned this and built up to it, we've proved to ourselves we can do the longer bits - this is in fact one of those sections in the Guide. We are tired but not that tired. Perhaps we'll do another longer walk.

Progress

2006-07-15T21:19:00.000+01:00

Red is the path; Blue is what we've done so far.

Inland Sea

2006-07-15T20:30:00.000+01:00

Today's walk took us along the mainland shore of the Inland Sea between Anglesey and Holy Island, on a hot, dry summer's day.

The original plan was to do Rogers Volume 2 Walk 13, but after lunch at the Valley Hotel (acceptable, nothing special), we decided to start at Four Mile Bridge instead of Cymyran. This involved walking south along the Coastal Path from the B4543 to join the Rogers walk at Tyddyn Cob. We then followed Rogers as far as the alleged cafe (of which more below), turning back then on what was his outward route.

It was close to high tide when we started. This led to some contrast in the views on the way there and back. High tide is more scenic, but there were more seabirds to be seen as the tide fell. (We also saw grouse for the first time on the Coastal Path.)

This seemed to us a much quieter part of the Coastal Path, often much less of a beaten track then we have seen elsewhere (see picture right). It was also less obviously signposted, and there were parts where we really did need the guidebook to know where to look for the line of the path.

In one respect we did find that the Rogers book (see references) needed updating. On page 73 he says, "...until you pass a small building on the right. Soon after this, bear right through a gap in the hedge/fence to join a muddy track...". We did exactly this, which essentially takes you down onto the beach. At the state of tide we encountered it was just passable - at higher tides or in stronger winds it would be more tricky. We realised later that we could have ignored going through the gap and carried on in the field higher up. In fact the Coastal Path Official Guide (same author) says at this point "bear left along a fenced track to join a muddy track...". It did seem that this was a fairly new section of Coastal Path (it's one of the permissive paths) so the "bear right" was once the best way until the new section of path was built to "bear left" onto.
Picture shows field of barley on Path

Rogers also refers to a "little cafe" although later he downgrades it to a "tea shack". It's shown as a little cup of tea symbol on the Coastal Path laminated maps, too. This being at our half-way point, it being a very warm day, and this being one of our longer walks, we eagerly looked foward to this little stop. It was closed.

Walks we did earlier (3)

2006-07-12T20:50:00.000+01:00

North of Benllech

We did this sometime in the autumn of 2005, trying to follow Rogers Volume 1 Walk 3. He says "the area is well walked with excellent footpaths" and indeed it was along the Coastal Path itself - but on the inland return route, somewhere after Plas Llanfair, the path seemed to disappear. After retracing our steps, checking both the guide book and the OS map, we decided it wasn't our fault, that the path just wasn't where it was supposed to be.

Lligwy - Moelfre

We chose on Boxing Day 2005 to do this walk. We did the line of Rogers Volume 1 Walk 4 but left out Din Lligwy. The walk along the cliffs towards Moelfre was a good bracing winter walk along interesting limestone cliffs. You could see why the Royal Charter sank in that storm in 1859. This walk was not very long but enough to help walk off the effects of Christmas.

Cemlyn - Trwyn Carmel

This was a long and very bracing winter walk in late December. We started at Cemlyn, walking west along the Coastal Path as far as Carmel Head, where we went inland at the White Ladies to join the return path via Mynachdy, Hen Felin and Fronddu. (In terms of other people's walks this was Rogers Volume 1 half of Walk 8 combined with most of Walk 9, or alternatively Hamilton Circular Walks Walk 12 but cutting across at the White Ladies.)

We felt the cold when we stopped. But it was a lovely clear winter's day, and although we couldn't quite make out Ireland (which we had expected to see), there was no doubt about the outline of the Isle of Man. We didn't see a soul all the way but there was something quite dramatic about the remoteness. One of our best walks.

South of Benllech

March 2006. We started at the Wendon Cafe and followed the line of the Coastal Footpath to the corner of Red Wharf Bay, returning along the road. We stopped the Ship Inn for a pint, which was worthwhile, resolving to do this again when walking.

Beaumaris - Aberlleiniog

April 2006. We walked over the Mount at Beaumaris but after that this was a beach walk all the way; unusually for us, we returned the way we came. As at other parts of the path, there are several remains of the shipbuilding industry along this stretch, but in this case just a little more recent with the slipway of the former Laird's yard prominent along the beach.

Also of interest here are strange shaped cliffs close to Aberlleiniog where glacial drift has been eroded by the sea.

Picture shows a cave in these cliffs.

This completes the account of the walks we did after we decided to walk the whole path but before we started the blog: the blog is now up-to-date.

Abermenai

2006-07-08T20:46:00.000+01:00

Today we walked to Abermenai point from Llyn Rhos-ddu. We followed the route of Rogers Volume 2 Walk 15, taking the longer option, after checking the tide tables, of course. This was a longer walk than usual for us, although actually doesn't cover a great deal of the coastal path itself. As a circular walk it is probably unique in that the loop is outside the coastal path.

The walk through Newborough Warren was notable for the flora. We are used to seeing wild flowers everywhere on the coastal path, but this area, at this time of year, was exceptional.

The tidal part of the walk was easy enough, just following a straight line over the sand; and despite the tides it was still possible to see other walkers' footprints in both directions.

After walking round the point, where the strait is surprisingly narrow, followed the long trudge back along Llanddwyn beach. It was breezy, and as we got closer what had been blobs in the sky became more and more interesting as we watched the antics of kitesurfers.

As we began on the path back inland (not so well-signed as Rogers suggests) it began to rain. This was only a fine drizzle and we were prepared for it, but we were flagging a little by now and we were glad to get back.

Red Wharf Bay

2006-06-25T21:10:00.000+01:00

Today, 25 June, was warm but potentially showery and not too hot, so a good day for a longer walk.

Starting at the car park at the bottom of Lon y Traeth, Pentraeth, we first walked west to join up with where we had got to an earlier walk (now getting more systematic - you might say obsessive - about completing the path).

We then returned to our starting point and followed the longer option of Rogers Volume 2 Walk 2. With a falling tide, we walked eastwards along the shore line towards Llanddona beach; part of the path here is along the top of a narrrow sea wall, not altogether comfortable. The route took us back via an inland forest route passing Mynydd Llwydiarth. Here and there are views down over the bay (pictured).

The Coastal Footpath is varied in character; this was essentially a beach walk, while the inland route was different again to the cliff walks we often encounter, especially in taking us through woodland.

Filling in a small gap

2006-06-25T21:01:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, 24 June, we visited the garden at Llanidan Hall, which was open for the day. By happy coincidence, this allowed us to fill in a very small gap in our coverage of the Coastal Footpath. Two weeks ago, we had turned back to Moel-y-Don at the roundabout by the church, not quite reaching where we had turned towards Foel last year. It wasn't the purpose of the visit, but we completed the small gap.

The garden was well worth the visit, too.

Walks we did earlier (2)

2006-06-21T23:24:00.000+01:00

Llanddwyn

On a hot summer's day in 2005, we did our longest walk yet, to Ynys Llanddwyn and back from Newborough Forest. We followed the route of Rogers Volume 1 Walk 15, which he says is eight and three-quarter miles. We took plenty of water and sun cream, and needed it.

One of us even had a little swim - but the sea was so full of jellyfish that day it was cut short.

Traeth Penrhos, to the north of Llanddwyn, is said to be used by naturists, and, yes, we did see a few pink blobs in the distance.

Brynsiencyn - Llanidan - Foel

Parking at Brynsiencyn by the Groeslon, we walked down to Llanidan Church then followed the Coastal Footpath across a field to the shore, past Barras to Foel and the former Mermaid Inn. We stopped at the Chocolate Shop before returning via the road from Barras to Brynsiencyn. A short walk as one of us had to catch a train.

Aberffraw - Porth Cwyfan

We did this walk on a weekend in September 2005, when the tide was out so we could walk to the church at Llangwyfan and, fortunately, the church was open to visitors. We walked from Aberffraw to Porth Cwyfan along the road, then after visiting the church took the return route of Hamilton Circular Walks, Walk 18.

Rhosneigr

Sometime in the Autumn of 2005 we did this one, following Rogers Volume 1 Walk 13 (except that we missed out the little bit in the village).

We thought this one of the most interesting walks, and possibly a very good introduction to the Coastal Footpath, beacuse of its variety. A short stretch of inland lake with bird life, a little beach walk, then along the rocky cliffs, and an ancient monument (Barclodiad y Gawres) thrown in.

Between the bridges

In December 2005 we walked the Coastal Footpath between the two bridges. Starting at Menai Bridge, the route follows the Belgian Promenade, past Ynys Tysilio (Church Island)
before taking a short way along the A5. A stile and permissive path took us down again to the shoreline, through what turned out to be a very wet, muddy field, before reaching a nicer stretch through National Trust land.

The tide was high and running fast. This is the Swellies, the stretch of water which belies the old joke about the water-skier who looked for a lake with a slope - because here, in these conditions, you really can see it. We returned through the forest back to the A5.

Walks we did earlier (1)

2006-06-14T23:48:00.000+01:00

Starting to fill in for the walks we did even before we thought of the blog...

Moelfre

This was in the autumn of 2004. Originally we went to see the Dic Evans statue, which is well worth the visit on its own (and considerably larger and dramatic than any pictures suggest). We took the Hamilton Tea Shop Walks book and did walk 21.

It was on this walk that we conceived the idea of doing the whole coastal footpath.

Aberffraw - Porth Cwyfan

We did our next walk in December 2004. This was Hamilton Tea Shop Walks 15 but it's a common walk as it appears in the Menter Mon leaflet as Beuno/Cwyfan and Rogers Volume 1 walk 14 is almost the same. It was wintry.

Rhoscolyn

We must have bought the Rogers book by now, because this was Rogers Volume 1 walk12. There's a short version and a long version in the book, and we did the short one because it was blowing a gale and this walk is very exposed. It was worth it just to sit in the well, Ffynnon Santes Gwenfaen .

Penmon

Sometime in the spring of 2005 we did Rogers Volume 1 Walk 1 - getting more energetic now with a 6.5 mile walk! Unfortunately this walk by going through Penmon village misses out a bit of the proper coastal path - so we'll have to go back one day to do that. There were lots of cattle.

South Stack - North Stack

Getting more energetic again on 1 May 2005, this was Rogers Volume 1 walk 11. We missed out the summit of Holyhead Mountain, after earlier stretches proved steeper than anticipated (and something strange about passing that 'footpath closed' sign).

Picture shows South Stack from North Stack.

Moel-y-Don - Llanidan

2006-06-14T23:21:00.000+01:00

This isn't a guide book path, but a short walk we did to fill in bits between walks we have done and walks we plan to do, to complete the whole. This was walked on 11 June 2006, a sunny summer's day.

We started at Moel-y-Don, where the coastal path breaks for its largest gap, between here and Llanfairpwll, as the Plas Newydd estate intervenes: rather obviously underlined by the boundary wall running down the side of the road from the A4080.

The walk took us a short way up the road from the Moel-y-Don jetty, turning left along a roadway running parallel to the coast and featuring pink hawthorns. The tide was not in, so we took the shore option. At a right angle in the road, a coastal footpath sign points the way over a stile to the shore. This track is an example of a feature seen elsewhere on the coastal footpath - the remains of a good made road once used to ferry goods by sea, presumably to export agricultural produce. Although grassed over, this looked like it was once well able to take a laden cart down to the shore - and sure enough, at the end of the track there was, on reaching the stony shore, evidence of a substantial quay built out a short way into the Strait.

On the left here, just south of Castell Gwylan, is a lagoon. There is a sea wall and a low lying patch of land inside it. I remember this, years ago, as a green field occasionally flooded after wet weather. The flooding seemed to become more frequent. Now, after two weeks of dry weather, the lagoon is still very wet and permanent. I think this was an area of land claimed from the sea which is now being won back.

The evidence of high-water marks confirmed that this stretch of shore can't be walked at high tide. It is also exposed to prevailing south-westerly winds, as demolished sections of sea wall testify. It could be a salty wet walk in such a breeze.

Before reaching a converted boathouse, a track took us up towards Llanidan church. We turned right at the grassy "roundabout", following the coastal path signs, to return on the inland option via Plas Porthamel. The extra height along this lane gives quite a different view. On the beach, we could see peaks of Snowdonia. Here, the vantage is of almost the whole mountain and the foothills (Coastal Path official guide page 76 has this very well).

Turning right past Plas Porthamel took us back to where we left the road for the shore and we doubled back to Moel-y-Don. Not a long walk, but we didn't have much time that day.

Cemaes - Borthwen

2006-06-12T21:46:00.000+01:00

This walk is Rogers Volume 1 Walk 7 (NB see references link).

We did this on 4 June 2006, a warm, dry, summer's day with blue sky, deep blue sea, and numerous other walkers around. This was a classic walk, just what you imagine a coastal footpath walk to be like, in terms of sea, sky, birds, and industrial heritage.

Picture shows view over Borthwen brickworks.

But it was also more difficult walk (not really difficult, just worse than average by Anglesey Coastal Path standards). The Anglesey Coastal Footpath is typically made up of stretches along the sea shore and stretches along clifftops; this one mixed both, with two or three roller-coaster descents from clifftop to beach level then up again the other side.

The Coastal Footpath website describes this stretch as "stunning" but also "dizzying". Rogers says parts may not be recommended for small children. We see what they mean - we were not dizzy or intimidated but we wouldn't like to have done this stretch in winter or when wet underfoot (and we have done parts of the footpath in much worse weather).

At Porth Padrig we took the beach option (permissive path in red on Coastal Footpath sheet 2). This rather obviously was tidal and the way up at the other end was steep but short.

Rogers (page 53) refers to a "well-defined footpath". It wasn't at all well-defined on 4 June and we followed a more obvious track to the left and had to double back.

The guidebooks don't mention that this takes you past the Llanbadrig Vineyard.

All in all, this was an excellent walk, both because it is one of the more dramatic parts of the coastal path, and because we happened to choose the ideal day for it.

Porth Amlwch - Porth Eilian

2006-06-12T21:19:00.000+01:00

We did this walk on Bank Holiday Monday, 30 May 2006. The weather was not ideal. The forecast had suggested some showers but there was a hint that the north coast could be clearer. It began to drizzle as we arrived at Porth Amlwch and it continued all the way, although it was mild.

The walk took us from Porth Amlwch to Porth Eilian along the coastal footpath, then back inland - more or less Rogers Volume 2 Walk 5 in reverse.

This was a fairly gentle walk. The drizzle didn't help comfort or visibility; as we approached Point Lynas its foghorn grew louder.

On the beach at Porth Eilian there is a small cave, just big enough to shelter from the rain and eat our picnic. Public toilets just above the beach were open and very clean.

There's a lot to see at Porth Amlwch. We had thought we might, at the end of the walk, call at the Amlwch Heritage Centre for a coffee and cake, but we were a little too damp by then. This will wait for another day.

References: Maps and Guides

2006-06-11T23:37:00.000+01:00

This blog will refer to the maps and guides we are using.

We usually take the Ordnance Survey maps, for a more detailed picture of where we are, and in case we really get lost:

Explorer 262 Anglesey West/Gorllewin Ynys Mon
Explorer 263 Anglesey East/ Dwyrain Ynys Mon

But for many walks it is simpler to follow a guide. We are using

Coastal Walks Around Anglesey, Volume 1, by Carl Rogers, Mara Books, ISBN 0 9522409 6 3
(ours is the May 2004 edition) [We'll call this Rogers Volume 1]

Coastal Walks Around Anglesey, Volume 2, by Carl Rogers, Mara Books, ISBN 0 9522409 5 5
(March 2006 edition) [Rogers Volume 2]

Best Tea Shop Walks on Lleyn & Anglesey, Dorothy Hamilton, Sigma Leisure, ISBN 1 850587248 [Hamilton Tea Shop Walks]

Circular Walks on Anglesey, Dorothy Hamilton, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, ISBN 0 86381 478 6 [Hamilton Circular Walks]

The Anglesey Coast Footpath's Official Guide (ISBN 1 902512 13 8) is another book by Carl Rogers, this time covering the whole coastal path (anti-clockwise) and bilingually. This is probably better for reading up at home rather than taking along each time.

The laminated maps of the Coastal Footpath are invaluable. You can download these (or something similar) as pdf files from the coastal footpath website, but the hard copy laminated version (A4 size folded to A5) is just what you need in your pocket, and to hand when the wind is blowing and fingers cold. You could probably get by with these alone for most of the path - but they are only sketches and not as accurate as the OS map.

We have also picked a few other leaflets, including a series 'Circular Walks on the Isle of Anglesey, named after the Celtic Saints', published by Menter Mon.

The blog won't give away the detail of routes in the books: readers are expected to buy their own! But we will try to comment on their content as we go.

An Introduction

2006-06-11T23:20:00.000+01:00

We decided to walk the Anglesey Coastal Footpath, but not all in one go or in any systematic way. In fact it all started off in doing one or two Sunday afternoon strolls, then realising it could all be part of something bigger. The "Tea Shop Walks" guide indicates the style of our beginning, but we bought one or two more maps and guides, and soon started colouring in the Coastal Footpath map for those stretches we had covered.

The Coastal Footpath is 125 miles long. Their website says you can do it in twelve ten-mile walks. This is not our style; we don't count ourselves as such serious walkers. But we do enjoy the scenery, the exercise and the relaxation of, say, four miles, perhaps little longer when we have the time and the energy. We are generally doing this in circular walks - so will have covered 250 miles by the end of it.

This blog came later (so we are going to have to write something up about what we did earlier). We will try to write up each new walk we do, with a note of the experiences, good and bad, for the benefit of other walkers and the amusement of our friends and family.