Walks 36-40 Trefor to Aberffraw 27th June to 1st July, 2014

Ready for the next instalment? Getting excited now as Anglesey fast approaches, birthplace of my great grandparents! Thank you again for your support everyone. Chris and I sometimes have to remind ourselves it's in a good cause when we hit those tired moments! Anyone wishing to donate, have a look at www.justgiving.com/Pamela-Mallpress or if you would like to offer any suggestions or comments, please email me on pamelamallpress@btinternet.com So off we went......

Walk 36: Friday 27th June Trefor to Dinas Dinlle 

It's been a lovely hot and sunny couple of weeks or more so we were not surprised to see the forecast change! But really it has been too hot to walk. So off we set bright and breezy back to Trefor. No rain at all until we reached Porthmadog and then the showers began, but not too heavy so far. we left the car at Dinas Dinlle, of which more later, and taxied back to Trefor. A very nice man, DCO Taxi Service, told us about his walks on the Llyn and Snowdon and about Lord Newborough, the local gentry. He also kindly deducted the fare so we put the deduction in our tin - thank you! He did also give us his mobile number - not sure if he thought we wouldn't make it but it was very kind. Later, in the rain, the thought did cross my mind........On reaching Trefor it was a bit wet....but pretty nevertheless...

 ...with good views of the harbours old and new.

We walked back from Trefor harbour to Traeth Eifl which we had bypassed last time as it was so hot and the legs were tired after the height gain. we had left Trefor and the Irish Sea looking like the Med, it was a bit more British today but clouds can be pretty too, don't you think? It was indeed a lovely walk beside the sea and in the end about the only real sign of the coast today so we were glad we did it, though it did feel strange to have the sea to the right of us! Cormorants and gulls were sitting on the rocks, not too pleased at our presence and we disturbed a few bullocks.....and I saw a fisherman! The sky cleared as we looked back at Yr Eifl and Nefyn point; Garn For sloping steeply down to the mirror-like sea, beautiful!

We walked back the way we had gone rather than cutting through the town as we had done last time, so passing once more the old harbour, now disused, where the trackway led down from the quarry from where once the granite would have been brought down to export. Then we passed again the new harbour which was quite busy relatively speaking. We had set off fully kitted up in wet gear and by now the sun came out so we were really hot as we climbed up the hill to the road out of town so we decided to undress a little! So the road walking began....we just trudged along the A499, first of all keeping quite dry. We were walking quite a lot on the old road (it looked very narrow) so Chris did a "he's so Moneysupermarket.com" impression!

If you don't watch the adverts on TV you will wonder what I mean...We had a respite at Clynnog Fawr, first passing Beuno's well, an earlier holy site taken over by Christianity when Beuno came here in the 6th century,probably from Powys.

He set up the church here, a lovely old building. really a very big place as Beuno made it a centre for teaching too. It has Beuno's tomb and.....

...an 11th century sun dial in the churchyard. this was also a gathering place for the pilgrims heading down the Llyn to Bardsey Island, Ynys Enlli. As we left the church, the rain came down heavier so we coated up again, although it was still very warm! We ate lunch as we walked in the absence of a suitable, dry place to sit. We saw the Llyn path sign and felt a little sad that we were now leaving it behind.

We were then on the lookout for Arianrhod's rock/castle out at sea. She was a beautiful lady, mentioned in the old Welsh book, the Mabinogion, who wasn't awfully nice. She denied that a boy, Lleu ,was her son and so her home was taken by the sea. Apparently it can still be seen at low tide but we couldn't spot it today. We were quite a way from the sea though although we did see Maes Dylan, albeit in the distance, in the rain!

Reputedly the grave of Dylan, son of the Wave, who after he was baptised made for the sea and turned into a fish and swam away. We felt pretty much the same by now.......quite damp that is! The traffic rushing past us splashed and kept threatening to turn my umbrella inside out, terrible behaviour and not much of a coast path this! At least we saw plenty of ox eye daisies and the pink of the mallows and campion, the blue of scabious and the yellow of bords foot trefoil...

Lots of valerian now too which was not smelling too good in the rain. As we turned left and headed seawards, it was quite difficult walking along a busy byroad with no footpath and it was quite busy..maybe cars heading for the airport..or Bird World? And our feet were quite sore now. We even heard a clap of thunder as we headed back to Dinas Dinlle.

We could vaguely see Yr Eifl in the mist as we turned and headed to the fish n chip shop which luckily did a great coffee....bliss! Our exploration of the hill fort will wait for tomorrow when we are hoping for drier weather....I know we needed some rain, I'm not complaining! Think I heard a curlew as I changed my boots..... 

We headed then to our holiday home in Briensiencyn on the Isle of Môn. After a huge queue to get over 

the Britannia Bridge we made it. Views of Snowdon, Yr Wyddfa, from our home for a few days...and chips for tea!

10 and a half miles today.

Walk 37: Saturday 28th June Dinas Dinlle to Parc Menai
Julia's birthday! Hope the weather was good for her party. Sure they'll be celebrating their recent engagement too!

The rain had been heavy in the night and although overcast this morning, it was dry. We collected a hire car first, a Fiat 500. The taxi cost for Sunday morning was going to be £40 so a car hire for a few days made much more sense. Then we found a place to leave the said car and found that Parc Menai, the Natioanl Watersports Centre just outside Caernarfon was just right and they were quite happy for us to do that. Then back down to Dinas Dinlle and this time we went up to the hillfort. Great views of cloud covered Yr Eifl.....

and out to Anglesey, we could see the lighthouse at Llanddwyn Island, one of our targets in the coming few days. It is quite a big hillfort with its inner fort clear to see. 

About a third has fallen into the sea. Some say it once belonged to Lleu, son of Arianrhod, she who had the castle out to sea. We still couldn't see it! 

The taxi driver yesterday said he has seen the fort erode over time. Then off we went by the sea,hooray! The thrift was still in abundance these few days though maybe past its best now...

We walked up the peninsula leading to Fort Belan but had to turn inland at Caernarfon Airport. It really has one, more of a leisure one now but it was an RAF station during the war and until 1955. 

It was quite a wet walk across some marsh land here and we got damp legs as we approached Foryd Bay, a nature reserve. Never mind, we saw egrets and swallows. We walked around the bay for some distance, looking back at the Yr Eifl views and Dinas Dinlle just in front....

We walked around the bay for some distance, very pleasant ....

.....and soon had to go inland to cross the river Gwyrfal. Close to here is another fort, Dinas Dinoethwy but no time to explore today. We were soon back to Foryd Bay, now looking across to Fort Belan at the end of its peninsula and looking across to Isle of Môn. A lovely place for lunch!

It was then a nice walk, if a little windy, to get into Caernarfon. All the walking today apart from the brief one up to the airport and through the marsh, was on lanes that also had traffic. Not a lot but some. But that also meant that the going was fairly easy on tarmac roads. As Caernarfon came into view, we were amazed at the walls which neither of us remembered....it is a long time since we were last here though!

It was really impressive to approach the town from this direction with the castle and the town walls to greet us. and both of us agreed there appears to be a Dinas, the original settlement, in amongst. Edward I certainly built a good castle.....

And the seafront has been really well updated with a good pathway alongside the walls......

The remains of the Roman legionary fort, Segontium,are further west of the town so we didn't pass them but I don't think much remains. The path led us around the marina, what was earlier the coal or slate quay, and is now very well refurbished and modern with lovely apartments and eateries.

The path continued along the edge of the water for a little while but soon the Menai Straits could only now and then be glimpsed through the trees as this path is also cycle track number 8. It seemed a long trek along here and a black cloud seemed headed our way, was it? We got nearer to the road and soon were at the busy roundabout where we turned left and were soon back at Plas Menai.......and the cloud had held off!

We enjoyed a marvellous coffee before heading off to retrieve the other car!

12 miles today...

Walk 38: Sunday 29th June Plas Menai to Moel y don

After a beautiful sunset last night, really stunning colours, 

we awoke to a sunny morning sooff we went leaving car 1 at Moel y Don, just a couple of miles from Brynsiencyn where we are staying where we saw on the map there is a small car park. Had decided last night that we would like a shorter walk today so tried to cut it back to 10 miles....ha! Ha!....

Really pretty place by the Straits with a skeleton boat in the mud 

...and views across the Straits to Y Felinheli, quite near our start for the day. 

Back to Plas Menai in other car to restart. So kind of the people there to let us park for the day. I spotted some orchids in the garden there. We saw lots of orchids this walk ranging from pale pinks and mauves to dark pink and purple.

So began quite a lot of road walking as we went first along a tree lined lane....(cycle track 8....)

.....and then through Y Felinheli down by the water, so pretty. We could see our car on the banks across the water!

Just before the town is a place called Dinas which seemed to be where the marine engineers were and Y Felinheli had a festival going on. Soon we passed Port Dinorwic which is now a little marina. 

Clearly it had earlier been involved in coal distribution and had probably been an important landing place for some time as it is a long inlet. We then passed through another wood and found ourselves following the cycle track no. 8 signs in the absence of coastal ones! More road walking followed and then uphill on the Caernarfon to Bangor busy road reaching a roundabout at the Britannia Bridge crossing where the map told us to go down through Parc Menai, an industrial estate on the edge of the Vaynol Estate which I tihnk belongs to the Queen. It has impressive roadside gates!

Someone though didn't give us path signs here and we wandered through the industrial estate which was quite busy for a Sunday. We even passed the offices of Natural Resources Wales at one point which is now partly responsible for the Coast Path - no-one was there though. We wandered to the edge of the park as we knew from the map that the path should be there....but it wasn't. All really frustrating all the more so because it was really hot now and the nearby sewage works were very smelly! So we had to retrace our steps deciding to go back and follow cycle route no. 8 again over the Menai Bridge which meant more road trudging. I wasn't pleased. As we crossed the busy road we saw a road apparently leading down to the Straits so we took it and came to the underneath the bridge path! It is interesting to see the railway track on the underside.Bet it would be noisy when a train went through!

And at the edge of the straits, there were the Coastal Path signs once more….. bold as brass!

The bridge was rebuilt in1978 after a fire in 1970.  

It was then a lovely walk through a wood once more where we lunched. We arrived at Treborth Gardens boasting its breeding red squirrels, hurray! And a huge old oak tree. The gardens are part of Bangor University.

 Shortly we arrived at the Menai Bridge. 

It was so exciting to walk across it! And so we arrived on Anglesey! 

We had decided a little while ago that we would also walk clockwise around Anglesey so we turned left immediately on leaving the Bridge, going down to the water's edge, now following the new sign for the Anglesey path!

We walked along the pretty Belgian Promenade looking ahead, or was it back? to the Britannia Bridge.

We walked along the straits with pretty views in every direction, including across to Snowdon. We saw a lot of Yr Wyddfa these few days! 

And the Menai Bridge looked stunning against the blue sky! 

We soon passed the shore looking across to the little island, Ynys Goreg Goch, with 2 homes on it. This was on TV a little while ago with Griff Rhys Jones. 

They have a special licence to catch fish here so have nets out all the time. This was the sort of place and day that we would have liked to stop and sit and watch but we had more miles to do yet! We soon went back under the Britannia Bridge

...and so up the roadside before we dropped down again to the beach, passing a pretty church with a huge monument...who was it to? And then on the beach there was a huge statue of Nelson. he was a popular chap!

Really stunning views of the bridges and jet skis were racing about! Leaving the beach at a little pier at Pwllfanogl, we went uphill up a track under trees so at least it was cool! We then had to follow the road again but there was a path parallel to the road behind a hedge so we didn't have to battle traffic. And the path was mostly on boardwalks so the going was quite smooth but it was really hot here! Soon we turned right up over fields to Bryn Celli ddu.....a chambered cairn that we were really looking forward to exploring. The going was hard over the fields but we still had the Snowdon views.............

...and then we were annoyed again as we crossed the stiles towards the now visible cairn only to find the farmer had put up a Private sign!

 

Retracing steps once more, passing a mad cow also....oh dear, we followed the fields around to find a better made path which led to the cairn. What a sight, brilliant!

It had been excavated in 1928 and rebuilt and is in fact smaller than it was but it really is amazing. It had been a henge originally it seems and is unusual in having a standing stone at the front which has swirly patterns....

.....which are also seen on standing stones in Brittany. Travellers then as now!  

A magical place! So we were on the final lap but had already covered over 14 miles! Yikes! So off we went towards the road again then crossing the main road and so back down to Moel y Don, the last mile seemed a long one but we had marvellous views across to Snowdon and Yr Eifl to the right. It did look so lovely across the water! 

Not a lot of butterflies today except some chocolate coloured ones over the fields. Don't know what kind. Meadowsweet, birds foot trefoil, campion, blackberries flowering, silver weed, honeysuckle, clover. Oyster catchers....gulls...herons....swallows....

Another 16 miles !! A lovely day.

Walk 39: Monday 30th June. Moel y Don to Llyn Rhos Ddu 

Had decided last night that today would be a shorter walk, really! So we planned around the tides as the early part of the walk said we should only be able to go on the beach at low tide and so we could have a later start as high tide today was midday. A lovely bright, sunny morning again and as we awoke, we heard aeroplanes from RAF Valley, realising it has been quiet the last 2 days of weekend without them. Not that there are lots, just that they are there now and then and perhaps mostly helicopters. First of all we had a drive to Caer Leb which was very close to us. It is an impressive Iron Age defence site with good ditches still in place.

Just had to fight off the horse flies a bit! Thought about also visiting another Iron Age site, Castell Bryn Gwyn, but it looked a longer walk so decided to leave it til later. Off we went by 11.30 to drop the first car at the finish position, a car park at Llyn Rhos Ddu. However, the car park was closed due to tree cutting but with no lumberjack, or anyone else, in sight.

So an alternative had to be found and we had passed a model village so went back there and asked if we could leave the car and the man was only too pleased to agree especially as we had bothered to ask when usually people leave cars without permission. So back then in the other car to Moel y Don to find a coach stuck at the bottom of the narrow road! what he was doing there was a mystery....satnavs eh? Anyway there was space for us and he did manage to turn around so off we set on our walk....

It was now clear to see the Dinas across on the other bank of the Straits, a tree covered outcrop at Y Felinheli.And the skeleton boat was now submerged by the high tide....

First of all we walked along lanes and then soon dropped down to the beach at Llanidan, oyster catcher spotting on the way .... 

and we enjoyed a lovely walk watching the boat lessons being taught by the tutors at the National Watersports Centre across from us now on the other bank of the straits. 

We sat on the beach here for a while enjoying an early lunch and mountain spotting across to Snowdonia....

....there were the Glyders too....

We then headed inland through wooded lanes, passing Llanidan house, the first of many big estates we saw today including Plas Newydd which we had diverted around yesterday, Plas Coch now a holiday estate. Anglesey does have some big estates and we also saw lots of horses today, Llanidan has its stud farm too.

Not too far across fields, before we were back to the side of the sea again and we were still heading back towards Yr Eifl, another corner to turn soon.....

We had a lovely walk with views across to our walk of yesterday soon coming across from Caernarfon, its walled town now clear to see.

We passed the settlement of Foel with its sea zoo and Mon Halen (Salt of Anglesey) which is a thriving business. We had seen the Mermaid Inn on the map so planned on a coffee stop but it seems to be a name only as is the Ferry House next to it. We went then on to the beach with good views of Yr Eifl, if very hazy. 

It was warm today but humid so not as clear as yesterday. We chatted to an avid photographer here, Rick Bull, a Nikon user. After a short walk along the pretty beach we headed inland again. the last of the coastal bit for today. We headed over fields, up tracks, past houses, got lost a bit missing a hidden in the undergrowth stile, until we came to the river Braint which was very picturesque...

Here we had stepping stones to cross. Not an easy feat for me...but I made it. My they were huge stones...

This river is also tidal as we were now quite near Newborough and its Warren and sands, but as I said before we knew we were at low tide now so all was well. Lovely views back down the Llyn, though hazy. We could see Badrun, Fadrun and even down to Anelog. Then we had just a straight walk up a track, along the road and soon arriving back at the model village.......only to find the gate closed with a padlock on it! Oh no......but all was well after a quick panic as the chain could be lifted over the gate post! Although not so far today, it had been warm so we were glad it was no further. We visitedCastell Bryn Gwyn on the way to collect the other car...

Another typical Neolithic site with ditches, some of it now under a nearby house or farm. Apparently excavations here revealed it had been inhabited into Roman times. The remains of a stone circle are supposedly nearby but were not very apparent to us.......but pretty little Jersey calves were! We had seen many more butterflies today too.

we are so enjoying all the Neolithic sites here! Tea at the pub tonight...the Groeslon Hotel in the village!

9 miles today - far enough.....

Walk 40: Tuesday 1st July  Llyn Rhos Ddu to Aberffraw 

Off we set in the hot sun even at 9.30! Left a car at Aberffraw and so back in other car to start at Llyn Rhos Ddu where luckily the car park was open today!

Lots of horses in the fields here. It was really hot as we set off on the sandy track, first accompanied by little blue dragonflies, and I had forgotten my hat! soon we were walking alongside the forest which wasn't so good as were well and truly flied! Both of us don't get on with horse flies in particular having succumbed to them all our lives, not to mention earlier this week! So it was no surprise we got got again.....first aider to the rescue...It did kind of spoil the opening gambit for today but it was soon forgotten except for itchy lumps and bumps, as we approached the dunes and went onto the fantastic, breathtaking Traeth Llanddwyn......

with its island and its lighthouses....

and the hills of the Lleyn and Snowdon on the horizon, albeit a bit hazy again. 

We could see right down to Bardsey if we screwed our eyes up. 

We had a lovely beach walk with the dunes and forest on the landward side and as we came up to the causeway across to the island, were just amazed at the views....

We enjoyed a lovely ramble onto the island which is dedicated to St Dwynwen, saint of lovers and in Wales her saint day, 25th January, is the Welsh St Valentine's Day. The skyline on the island is so lovely - with the Celtic cross, the runied church and the more modern of the 2 lighthouses standing so clearly against the sky!

A strange love story though. Dwynwen was promised to another by her father so she put the man she loved in a block of ice but then felt bad about it so unfroze him and promised she would never marry and so dedicated herself to help other lovers and she had a holy well full of eels which apparently had some powers! The church here was made ruinous at the Dissolution.

There are apparently 5 holy wells on the island, we did see 1 of them. 

It is a truly magical place with simply stunning views, even through the haze. 

Chris saw maybe a baby Dunlin  here, on the wall under the lighthouse.....

and there were lots of shags or cormorants on the rocks. Once more the views across the Straits were beautiful...here below with the old lighthouse set against them.

Think this was one of my most favourite places though I think it will be very busy in the summer months...glad I saw it today. We then made our way back across the causeway with the tide still coming in (don't think it will get cut off except with high winter (or are they spring?) tides!)around to the adjoining beach, Traeth Penrhos and were about the only people on it. 
The rock here is a bluey green colour and is volcanic, pillow lava it is called, which shot up and cooled on reaching the surface -  amazing! There was more of this too on Aberffraw beach at the end of our walk today.

Traeth Penrhos was another lovely beach walk with many crabs, lots of all types of clam shells, sea urchin shells and even a coconut!

And it was hard to resist the views looking back to the island and the Lleyn - that peninsula soon to disappear for us...turning another corner...

We followed the beach round along the huge dunes.....

and so up the Cefni estuary and its marshes. 

We stopped for lunch on the beach just before we crossed the March and met some lovely ladies just starting the Anglesey coast walk. One of them had walked Lands End to John O'Groats a few years ago. They all work for charities, some I think for the NSPCC, and kindly donated to ours....thank you all and enjoy your walk! And so after the marsh and some forest track walking, we crossed the quite long Cob into Malltraeth.

Here we saw fish jumping in the river being followed by a white egret...

and could that v shape have been an otter? This cob was opened in 1812. As yet I haven't checked its history....but Malltraeth was home and inspiration to one of the best British wildlife artists, Charles Tunnicliffe....http://www.thecharlestunnicliffesociety.co.uk/shorelands.html ...lovely paintings. We had a coffee at the Joiners Arms here and a good chat with the interesting landlord. We then met 2 girls walking the whole path the other way. They are 2 weeks in to their target of finishing in 9 weeks so we had a chat exchanging stories.

They are walking for the Wildlife Aid Foundation and we wish them lots of luck...and much fun en route...to see their story...www.facebook.com/welshwalkforwildlife or www.justgiving.co.uk/teams/welshwalkforwildlife

We dipped back down to the marsh again briefly before we crossed more fields and followed more tracks, sometimes going uphill with fantastic views back to Snowdonia.

We cut through lanes on the Bodorgan Estate.....an estate going back over a 1,000 years and a farmhouse behind the huge Bodorgan Hall was where Prince William and Kate lived when they were on Anglesey.  
Soon we could see Holyhead mountain looming ahead and the dunes of Aberffraw...

We decided to take the beach route back to the car so detoured through the dunes. 
They do come inland a long way here. Many orchids, much restharrow to be seen crossing the dunes and cinnabar moths on the ragwort.....

and weak knees to be felt! It was though a super beach walk with the tide now a long way out and the sun glistening on the water. And I had improvised a hat for the day!

So we followed the river Ffraw up away from the sea and to the car parked near the old bridge...

Another 15 miles down, making it 62.5 these 5 days! And now we have to wait for a week before we continue on our way!

Hampton Court Flower Show awaits next week then back for another week walking......hope you can join us for the next section!