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.