Well what a quick summer....but a beautiful one! We did keep in trim walking when we could - the Radnor Forest is a lovely place to walk and we did more discovering of new local walks too. Have enjoyed family times too and we were very happy that Helen, our eldest daughter and Greg, our son-in-law and our 2 lovely boys would be joining us to finish Anglesey and get on to the north Wales coast.
Friday 12th September
So we were excited to be off again this morning. Left bright and early we thought, just past 7, but the roads were quite busy. We went the pretty route still via Dolgellau and Porthmadog and it was a typical autumn morning, the mistiness making the hills silhouettes against the sky with the sun trying to peep through. Made it to Red Wharf Bay, our pre-arranged meeting place with the taxi lady, Annie's Cabs, just in time! Annie was a lovely lady and she took us back to Traeth Dulas, our last finish point. Annie said she never likes it here as it's a bit smelly and always wet. It was a bit smelly this morning and really damp to say we've had no rain for so long but the seaweed on the bridges we were soon to cross told us that the tide had been high here recently.
So we were excited to be off again this morning. Left bright and early we thought, just past 7, but the roads were quite busy. We went the pretty route still via Dolgellau and Porthmadog and it was a typical autumn morning, the mistiness making the hills silhouettes against the sky with the sun trying to peep through. Made it to Red Wharf Bay, our pre-arranged meeting place with the taxi lady, Annie's Cabs, just in time! Annie was a lovely lady and she took us back to Traeth Dulas, our last finish point. Annie said she never likes it here as it's a bit smelly and always wet. It was a bit smelly this morning and really damp to say we've had no rain for so long but the seaweed on the bridges we were soon to cross told us that the tide had been high here recently.
Rounding the estuary and crossing the fields at the other side, we couldn't resist the blackberries - a feature of the whole week...what a good harvest! and aren't they a bit early this year?
As we crossed fields heading back to the coast there were lots of pheasants in evidence and it looked like they may breed them here too. We first came to Traeth Ora......what a stunning place, so pretty and now bathed in sun!
We chatted to a couple from Sheffield here who know Anglesey quite well. Thank you so much Mr and Mrs Matthews for your donation after we met! Much appreciated and it was good to meet you - take care. It was lovely to be walking by the sea again and the views each way and of the rocks below were just lovely.
Very soon we approached Lligwy Bay - by now the twinkling sea was looking great...
....and we know that in the fields behind is all that history - the iron age village, huge dolmen and ancient church...on such a marvellous coast line who could blame them all for having built here!
By now we were leaving Dulas Island behind and out at sea we could see 3 big boats at anchor, for Liverpool we guessed and every now and then their fog horns sounded - it was hazy out to sea.This area had its own coast path signs - though a little hard to read now....
The rock formations are still so amazing but dangerous too....it was on these rocks that the Royal Charter sank..........
We soon came round the headland to Moelfre, first passing a memorial stone on the headland above us, commemorating those who lost their lives on the Royal Charter, a big boat which hit rocks in a storm just off Moelfre and broke up.
Just
before getting into the village we passed a modern statue which supposedly is
to celebrate the surroundings here….the slate, rock and metal…..didn’t quite
get it and it didn’t seem to fit with the heritage of this lovely corner of Anglesey .
And apparently there was one brave boy who tried so hard to save lives going up and down the cliff to help.
The good news is that weather forecasting was begun after this terrible misfortune!
Moelfre has seen a lot of ships in trouble I think, which may be why they are building a huge new station, meantime the lifeboat is moored just our at sea.
We saw fishermen at Traeth Dulas this morning.....lots of yellow fritillary butterflies around the headland between Bychan and Benllech, it was like a butterfly house! Campions still flowering but a bit woebegone, herb robert, buttercups struggling to keep going in this long summer...bracken turning brown and crispy....so many blackberries! The gulls are quieter at this time of year; the cormorants were swooping low over the sea and near Moelfre we saw a heron looking out to sea - lovely to be back!
Saturday 13th September
The family arrived just after 10 last night....all ready for the walking ahead, I think!! We were up and off by 8.30 leaving a car at Red Wharf and then another at car park at Llandonna where the boys would stop and rejoin again later so that they wouldn't get too tired. Back to
We saw crabs and razor clams too.....and then had a lovely, if scary, walk
over a high sea wall, eating blackberries the while....
This boardwalk was much higher than it looks but it made crossing the wetland much easier. Along it it had "passing places" and each had been "dressed" up with flowers and feathers, quite artistic!
Very soon we arrived at Llandonna beach which looked really pretty in the sun...
After our picnic (where the lovely lady at the cafe donated our coffee money to our collection tin), Greg and the boys stayed to play on the beach and to meet us in a couple of hours at Penmon Point. Helen and the old folk continued....up to Bryn Offa, there it is on the hill above the beach....
We peered down the long beach to see the boys and to look back to Red Wharf Bay and beyond as we set off...
...and then enjoyed the climb!
After getting up the hill we then went around to Bwrdd Arthur, another hill fort which we observed from below this time, deciding we had far enough to walk today! There had been a diversion near here but had been told it wasn't necessary to avoid it now and indeed the landslide wasn’t bad at all, have seen much worse places on the path. It was a very uncoastal bit of walk but we enjoyed it still...crossing lots of fields but often with lovely views back across the huge Red Wharf Bay and forwards to Snowdonia
Along the way we ate more blackberries! and saw lots of haws....a sign of a bad winter?? So many people we have spoken to about the wonderful weather this year have said, Oh we'll no doubt have to pay for it with a bad winter!!
There were again a lot of fritillary butterflies - and I managed to get a picture, if not a very good one!
We also passed another old windmill looking smartly painted ....and more horses...
Near the end we came across a big lime kiln, really quite inland unusually and then we did have to cross a field of bullocks but they weren’t young ones so they ignored us! Helen and I weren’t that brave! The guinea fowl we saw earlier weren’t quite so scarey! As we approached Penmon Point the boys came to meet us. The lighthouse is a very pretty black and white standing dinging its bell in the middle of the sea.
We enjoyed drinks at the little cafe where once more we had donations, whilst the big boys did car changing again ready for us all to walk together to finish the day. It took them a while as Beaumaris had a food festival going on! Helen and I and the boys walked down to the toll at the old monastery and dovecote and there is a lovely holy well to St Seiriol there. He set the first church up here along with one on the island in the 6th century. The original well was covered with an 18th century roof over....
We played a bit waiting for the
car movers to return........
...then off again down the road towards the sea and
very beautiful the Menai Straits looked!
It had been a lovely day, warm and
mostly bright. Seemed strange to have
clouds after the lovely sunny weeks we’ve just had. We walked along the side of the Straits with views down towards Llandudno...
We
crossed a bit of the Lleiniog beach gathering stones and shells, watching the
cormorants hang out their wings ...
And so arrived at the car park and played once more whilst the 2nd car was retrieved...the boys did so well. We had had such a lovely day!
11 and a half miles....finish about 5.30.....
Sunday 14th September
So...all slept well I think..up and off by 8.30.
We were dropped at Lleiniog where the boys found hidey holes in the rocks to shelter from the cold breeze whilst we waited for the big boys to do car moving to pick up points. It had looked like rain as we left the house but by now the sun was creeping through. We knew there is a ruined castle at Aberlleiniog in the woods nearby but it was a 1km walk inland and we ran out of time really. It was built before Beaumaris and superceded.
So off we set down the stony beach. Tide was out so we had a brilliant walk beside the sea! The boulder clay here is amazing...some artistic people have left their marks...
It is incredible to think this clay full of tiny stones collected in the ice age amassed as the ice brought it down from Scotland or Ireland to be dumped here!
Helen was suffering a bit this morning with many blisters from yesterday but she trekked on without complaint! My first aid could have been of good use yesterday had I known! The view across to the hills on the mainland were stunning in the sunlight and we could see the sun reflected from cars going up a hill over there...
We passed some old fishing net stanchions and all along the beach were collecting pretty stones...
The tide was so far out that we were able to keep to the beach all the way into Beaumaris and along the final approach to the town, we passed what seemed to be the remains of an old lifeboat station.....complete with rusty old launching stage...
.....and a bollard for tying up...
Very shortly we came to the harbour wall where we had to climb up the steep ladder - it looked much steeper than the picture shows!
..and the blue sky lit up the path we had come from...looking back to Puffin Island.
And so we emerged onto the green in front of the castle and here Greg, Chris and I took our leave of Helen and the boys who would amuse themselves in Beaumaris until we re-met at Menai Bridge town.
The food festival was still ongoing and the smell of bacon sandwiches quite alluring! Another of those moments when you wished you could stay longer! But we had to press on and we knew we had some climbing to do out of town! This was another reason why we had decided to split the day here for the boys.
We left the town, passing a lovely harpist by the side of the road. The emblem for Beaumaris on all its signs is a Puffin. Boat trips to the island seem to be popular....
So we soon struck uphill passing the golf club - and it was quite steep! The view back was lovely back to Penmon and on a hill was an obelisk which I found out later is a memorial to Sir Richard Williams-Bulkeley (1810-1875), the Bulkeley monument made from local Penmon limestone. After a little wood walk where we heard noisy jays shouting, and several fields crossed, we had missed our way slightly so had to do a commando manoeuvre around barbed wire! Once back on the track we had great views across to Bangor and its pier - our destination for today!
We headed won through Llandegfan where we enjoyed a drink from the post office and the lady kindly signed our last space on our Anglesey path forms for us to get our certificates! We dropped down to the main road heading into Menai Bridge town with views still across the Straits. you can just see Bangor pier - I hope!
The 4 miles with Greg had taken around 1 and a half hours - some going uphill for us! The pacemaker had done a good job! Though this is as nothing compared to those who take part each year in the Ring O' Fire. It was the last weekend in August this year and Arry Beresford-Webb (who ran round the Wales Coast Path when it first opened, and down Offa's Dyke and kindly donated to me a little while ago - thank you again, Arry!) took part I believe. The Ring O' Fire involves running round the Anglesey path in a very short time - phew!
As we went down the High Street, 2 lovely boys ran to meet us telling us about their time in Beaumaris. A kind lady there in a cafe donated generously when the boys told her what they were up to this afternoon. How lovely! They had been so good at fundraising!
After a picnic lunch by the side of the Straits watching the boats go by, the cars were duly changed once more. The rest of us wandered down under the Menai Bridge. First in search of the Eisteddfod stones...these commemorate the Eisteddfod held on Anglesey in 1965....
We walked a little way on the Belgian Promenade, didn't seem that long ago that Chris and I had done this the first time in June! It was lovely to look at the Britannia Bridge again...especially with Helen with me!
Wish we had found the stone lions under the bridge which were first there under the original bridge but are now underneath the road bridge....next time!
Then the boys really enjoyed skimming stones into the water near the Menai Bridge - into the Swellies., the water between the bridges so called because of its unpredictable and strong currents!
When we walked back up to the end of the bridge, there were our car movers. So off we set across the bridge - really I was quite sad to be leaving Ynys Mon.
But we hadn't finished yet - we still had to get to Bangor! First we headed alongside the road but soon dropped down coastwards crossing fields and into Nant Porth nature reserve, a walk through a limestone woodland alongside the Straits and quite reminiscent of the wlak though woods betweeen the 2 bridges on our way onto Anglesey. Quite soon after many up and down steps!, we came to a pretty beach where we could see across to Beaumaris and up to Bangor pier
We soon arrived in the town and walked through a park and passed University buildings to arrive by the pier. Alex with a sniffling cold now and Helen with blistered feet - they had done well! Alex did our special Velindre Victory sign as he had in Swansea last year!
We played I-Spy whilst the other car was retrieved once more...and rounds of "Didn't we have a lovely day, the day we went to Bangor" was sung! Our other song of the weekend has been " I'm walking on sunshine...and don't it feel good" as Ben has been singing it at school and it was most appropriate!
Just before we drove home, I had to get some pics of the pier!
On the way back, we passed Penrhyn castle which we had been trying to name for a few days now! We will walk around it tomorrow.....
Fritillaries and dragonflies in the woods. Oyster catchers, cormorants and gulls by the sea...
Missed the northern lights last night but Ben thinks he saw them Friday when they drove across.
Think we're all looking forward to the final lap together in 2 weeks...
10.6 miles. Start 10.15 ...finish about 4.30
Monday 15th September
A cloudy but dry start as we left around 9 to get the 9.53 train from Penmaenmawr back to
Was fun on the train again and the guard was quite chatty and a bit envious as he has always fancied walking the coast here.
Anyway off we went and at the station took a cab to the pier. It was easily a mile's walk and we knew today was a longish one so a cab seemed a good idea to us! Students are back next week the taxi driver informed us...16,000 of them!
It seemed a bit lonely leaving Bangor pier just the two of us after the lovely weekend.
The harbour is near one of the entrances to Penrhyn castle which we skirted around all morning but never near enough to get sight of it. It is National Trust owned - that organisation that owns so much....and was apparently originally a medieval manor. the present "castle" is a 19th century "fantasy" castle built by some rich industrialist of yore...We soon entered the Cegin Valley nature reserve...its entrance decorated by a local school...
..and we enjoyed another pleasant walk through woods. Passing under and over the railway several times, we were now on the North Wales path!
This took us through a NOT industrial estate which remains for sale. It had obviously been built some time ago with all facilities I'm sure and the roads and footpaths neatly marked out only to be used as a coastal path...all courtesy of the EU...
Soon we crossed the Afon Ogwen and edged further round the Penrhyn estate and as we approached Tal-y-Bont, we turned again towards the sea following the river and had a wonderful walk at the edge of the Straits with the tide far out.
Birds were calling - we saw egrets and oyster catchers, gulls and even a lone swan. The area here is Traeth Lafan and lovely it is! We had our picnic at Morfa Aber overlooking the marshy ground between us and Anglesey. This had been a good ancient crossing place which was why Llewellyn built his castle a little inland here at Abergwyngregyn. Too far for us to visit today - there in the mist shrouded hills...
Along this stretch the farmers were using straight pieces of slate for their fencing...
And then the sun started to shine - Beaumaris looked happy over there in the sun!
It didn't seem far then to Llanfairfechan, the first of the so called quarry villages. From all the quarrying in these here hills - Penmaenmawr being the biggest just up the road. A hill fort on the top was recorded before it was also quarried! As we left the beach, it was astounding how many millions of cockle shells there were - great banks of them
....and along the seafront to Penmaenmawr...
We came into the town passing a funny old sign which gave people of the town right to pass here by the boating pool - by the Governors of a hospital in Northampton!
The seafront and its cafes looked very inviting but then we had to turn up through the town and head along the road to then get across the busy A55. It wasn't as bad as we had anticipated as the dual carriageway has a footbridge - well also a cycle track which made it a bit dangerous! Why don't these modern bikes have bells?? Still it was funny looking down at the tunnels under the mountain....
And so we headed into Penmaenmawr along its High Street...not a very endearing sort of place although it does have its park...
...and it must have been a lovely seaside in its day as we passed a bust to Gladstone, donated by public funds in 1899, statesman, scholar, orator! He enjoyed holidays here it seems.
We were quite relieved to get back to the car and head for the hills. We met with Joanna in the pub in the village, the Ty Gwyn in Rowen - and very nice it is too. We enjoyed 3 meals here this week - better than cooking!
Lots of yarrow, silver weed, coltsfoot large and small, going to seed, thistles, some samphire on the marsh,
We were quite relieved to get back to the car and head for the hills. We met with Joanna in the pub in the village, the Ty Gwyn in Rowen - and very nice it is too. We enjoyed 3 meals here this week - better than cooking!
Lots of yarrow, silver weed, coltsfoot large and small, going to seed, thistles, some samphire on the marsh,
some fritillaries again as we wandered at the coast near Aber Ogwen.
Plenty of blackberries, sloes and leaves crunching underfoot more and more...beech, birch,
sycamores, chestnuts mostly so far...
Plenty of blackberries, sloes and leaves crunching underfoot more and more...beech, birch,
sycamores, chestnuts mostly so far...
13 and a half miles
Awoke to a real Autumn morning..warm with the promise of sun to come...and it did! Chris and I
left the carat Penmaenmawr once more and headed under the road and train track onto the
lovely beach...We decided that the A55 and train track should be moved under the hills so that
people can regain the coast...it's such a waste.
left the carat Penmaenmawr once more and headed under the road and train track onto the
lovely beach...We decided that the A55 and train track should be moved under the hills so that
people can regain the coast...it's such a waste.
Anyway off we set along the beach. We could really ignore the sound of vehicles. We could
just see Angelsey and Puffin Island...
and ahead onto the Great Orme at Llandudno....
The tide was well out and we knew it wouldn't be full tide until tea time so my dreams were answered and we could walk all the way to Conway on the beach! Such a bonus when we had expected to be tramping along the A55 for at least the first 2 miles.
As we turned at the headland where the tunnel began under Penmaenbach, the beach here was so
lovely and private, a real secret beach.
lovely and private, a real secret beach.
Another couple riding their bike to Penmaenmawr stopped to admire the view and told us they never see anyone else here ever. There is a tunnel here too so should the tide come in there is a quick escape!
Across the sands and the Conwy estuary stands the impressive hill above Deganwy, about which a little more later....
We approached the dunes at Conwy Morfa and passed some stanchions and cement blocks which we thought must have been someting to do with the Mulberry harbours that were built along here. The harbour had been invented by a Welshman as a means of getting all the soldiers and equipment safely into France at D-Day.
It may have been that they were also built further round where new housing and a pub called the Mulberry now stand...
And overhead went a Hercules!
We followed the riverside and soon had our first view of the magnificent castle!
It was quite busy at the quayside where we passed a boat being renovated, the Helen II, a mussel boat...
We passed alongside the castle over the bridge, built in 1958 ....
So we continued along the riverside heading now for Deganwy where we were to meet Joanna. Still with lovely views back to the castle...
and its walls.....the red house you should be able to see is the smallest house in Britain apparently....
We had lunch overlooking the sea where we had expected a diversion but in fact the storm damage wasn't that bad so we could pass once more just beside the sea...first we did car placing to have one at the end which involved driving up the Great Orme to the summit where it was really busy. We passed also the Ancient Bronze Mine, 4,000 years old which we visited on our final day, Friday before we headed home. So here is a picture of inside it....an amazing story....
This was our lunch view. Couldn't believe we had walked around the point at Penmaenbach over there - the tide was now in!
We enjoyed more beach walking alongside the ancient castle site of Deganwy or Gannock above us. ....(we did visit here on Friday ..so here is a view from it from our tour on Friday.)
And here was some of the beach walking...
The sun was twinkling beautifully on the sea and the hills beyond, Pemaenmawr, Penmaenbach and Conwy mountain, were silhouettes once more...
We walked along the prom at the West Front of Llandudno overlooking the sea all the while. It was uphill so a slow walk and we could see below us some very impressive homes and back the way to Deganwy and the Conwy valley, now disappearing a little in the mist...
We even saw the Hercules heading back....
Soon we rounded the end of the Orme to reach the Rest and be Thankful cafe for a deserved coffee!
What a lovely day! As we drove back down Marine Drive , there was Paddy McGinty's goat!
It was still 22 degrees as we drove off to pick up other car and headed home...
Gulls, oystercatchers, curlews......saw heron over Conwy estuary as we lunched..Some kind of samphire along the river? Sea aster, lots of sand!! Saw 2 fishermen off the rocks at Deganwy..
11.75 miles...
Wednesday 17th September
Wow...another sunny day. Sky was blue even as we set off at 9.30. Left car at Rest and be Thankful cafe but this time we got there through Llandudno centre and so paid the toll man at the start of Marine Drive...
We parked the car and set off along the path...
As we looked down at the sea below the cliffs, a little boat was sailing and as I looked I thought I saw one of our floating rocks...but wait, No! It was indeed a group of dolphins!
It was a marvellous walk down the side of the Great Orme, completing the circuit, with good views of the carboniferous limestone cliffs - and rocks below...The limestone outcrop appears from Anglesey down to Llangollen. Crazy to think this was all the seabed.....
And soon we looked out over to the Little Orme....
The pier looked pretty in the twinkling sun ...and not a sign of the wind farm out at sea here. We soon dropped down to walk around the pier ....
...the longest in Wales and the fifth longest in Britain...
...it was very busy in Llandudno which was good as the cockle seller was there - yummy!
The railway gave the opportunity for the Mostyn family and others to build a seaside resort. And long has it lasted! We passed the St George's Hotel where many important dignitaries have stayed....and then the Imperial where we as a family celebrated Chris's parents' Golden wedding in 1999!
Around the town are wooden sculptures of characters from Alice in Wonderland as the Alice on whom the story is based, stayed here for a year. We passed the Mad Hatter!
We walked along the prom which had its reminders to cyclists to be kind to pedestrians.....
We soon came to the Little Orme which we then had to go over....
This had also been the site of a quarry....the workings left behind...
And we could see pour destination ahead again. The hill in the middle of the picture is the site of a hill fort - some conjecture whether it is iron age or Romano-British..., Bryn Euryn.
We enjoyed a drink up here before setting off once more heading now along Penrhyn Bay with views back to the quarried Little Orme...
Along the seafront there had been storm damage once more and as a result many huge rocks have now been "planted". All the entrances to the shingly beaches were boarded up with flood gates as they were right along to Llandulas at least. The houses on the seafront here appeared lower than the sea, obviously built on reclaimed land. Penrhyn just runs into Rhos-on-Sea. A lovely walk on the prom here and the town has lots of history. It has the smallest church in Britain, St Trillo's which must have begun life as a hermit cell we decided.
We enjoyed lunch here, watching the terns diving again and peerin at the wind turbines...can you see them if you screw up your eyes?
To be honest we were quite glad we couldn't see them through the autumn mist...and they weren't' going round anyway. These are the turbines of Rhyl Flats I think - 25 of them. A further 30 stand at North Hoyle, nearer to Prestatyn and the Wirral and Gwyn y Mor is still being built with another 160 turbines a little further out in Liverpool Bay.
Rhos also boasts a medieval fishing weir but we couldn't see it today as the tide was now in.
We soon came round to Colwyn Bay, really it's hard to know where one town stops and another starts along here. It was still quite busy and a pleasant walk along the front...
Everything around it is having a face lift along with more sea defences, but it seems no-one can make a decision what to do about the pier....guess they may wait til it falls down...
We enjoyed a further wlak along the front even though the trainline and the A55 came up alongside. To begin with an embankment protected the seaside from its view.
Again the busy transport links seem to split places apart - couldn't the scars of the countryside go behind the hills here?
We left Colwyn Bay following a cycle track here and soon saw some different sea birds on the rocks - what are they? I still haven't had time to investigate!.....UPDATE........I think they are Turnstones!!!!
We soon came around a headland and could see both a jetty transferring rock by sea from a quarry across the other side of the A55....
..and just beyond that, the car park we were headed to! The sea defences here are huge tap shaped concrete units which will interlock when the sea is high - they looked like huge sea anemones!
Passing by a viaduct for the A55, another busy road we've been beneath....
We looked out again at the turbines...
...this is more or less what they should look like....
and soon the car park was there..
...with many cormorants hanging out their wings. We picked the car up at the Rest and be Thankful cafe again - very thankful for the coffees! 2 Eurofighters flew over today as we sat in the sun. Still 21 degrees! People were swimming at Deganwy as we passed. Now only about 40 miles to Chester - unbelievable!
The north coast has proven to be much more enjoyable than we feared. So far no walking on busy roads which was our big fear and many more interesting things to have seen.
Wondering if we will need passports to get to Scotland
Saw fishermen at Colwyn Bay, 1 with 3 rods though he said he hadn't caught anything yey and this year had not been a good one!
Final path had lots of hemp agrimony, buddleia, honeysuckle, valerian, all going to seed!
The leaves have been changing colour more each day and crackling underfoot and there are
lots of haws this year......
The obelisk overlooking the Conwy,Deganwy junction at Bryn Pydew is a folly
built in 1992 by a local hotel.....
12.6 miles...
Saw fishermen at Colwyn Bay, 1 with 3 rods though he said he hadn't caught anything yey and this year had not been a good one!
Final path had lots of hemp agrimony, buddleia, honeysuckle, valerian, all going to seed!
The leaves have been changing colour more each day and crackling underfoot and there are
lots of haws this year......
The obelisk overlooking the Conwy,Deganwy junction at Bryn Pydew is a folly
built in 1992 by a local hotel.....
12.6 miles...
Thursday 18th September
Not quite so bright a start but still warm, just a bit hazier today. Back to Llandulas to start and nearly got muddled with the local rambling group going into the hills.......think we were glad to be sticking to the FLAT coast today!
Very pleasant walking right by the sea, stony beach so stuck to the path. We passed our first caravan park of the day
Good views of the birds..lots of cormorants again today, oyster catchers, lots of gulls, and curlews! And we even caught sight of a seal - small in the distance but it was there!
It seems the bridge is "advertised" as a cyclists' bridge, completing cycle track number 5 no doubt...and cyclists are warned to watch out for pedestrians who may get in their way over the bridge! The cheek of it! At the other side of the bridge is a metal sculpture with 3 men - one seems to be John Lennon, another Richard Nixon, president of the USA and the other a footballer, I don't know who and neither can I discover its significance...
Once across the bridge, Rhyl reveals itself.. a sad sign reports it will be Ocean Plaza...one day...it looks an old sign...
We went to the beach again but the sand is quite estuarial to begin with so it was heavy going and there were lots of breakwaters so we went back up to the prom. The buildings are quite dilapidated....the fun park didn't look at all inviting...and we couldn't identify what the tall tower did....
and it had strange sculptures on its walls of ........bread buns?
Even the new buildings seem to have just been dropped anywhere with not a lot of planning for what they might want as a finished article...
Nevertheless the beach is huge and we enjoyed watching a kite flyer as we had lunch....
The beach here is its outstanding interest, even with the tide out....
We enjoyed the walk to the end of the prom...
.............and then as we left Rhyl behind we rounded the next headland to see an area of drowned forest which was a pleasant surprise. This was Coedwig Dan y More where we could see the peat floor of the old forest and apparently there are a few tree stumps still left..
Soon we approached a very straight section of a kind of prom. Quite new with a sloping wall like a velodrome to suit the cyclists I'm sure. We had seen a lot of them on this flat north Wales stretch by now!
We saw fishermen along here as we passed the Prestatyn sign - hooray!
No sign of the wind farm again with the haze, it may as well not exist! The sun was beating down once more as we approached buildings and we felt sure this was the car park we were looking for where Joanna was to meet us. Chris's injured foot causing some concern now. But here we were, Prestatyn, the Lido car park as it turned out.
And this is just alongside Offa's cafe where a coffeee was enjoyed - and where Offa's Dyke path begins - or ends! Mmmmm - maybe next year! Met a lovely couple from Baildon who donated to us - thank you so much and take care!
I recited the Philip Larkin poem especially for my niece beneath a Prestatyn sign. Joanna had been paddling on the beach.
 |
| The Offa's Dyke path start/finish! |
10 and a half miles
Still 24 degrees as we arrived back at Rowen - what a week!
So there we are - the North Wales section complete. It just remains to get down the side of the Dee to reach Chester. A mere formality at 29 miles after this week's 81 miles!!
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