Date Walked: 12th April 2015

Distance: 16 miles

Map used: OS Explorer 263: Anglesey East

I had with me The Wales Coast Path by Chris Goddard and Katherine Evans

A bag was being transferred between accommodations by Anglesey Walking Holidays. They charged me £16 a day to transfer one bag (their minimum charge)

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I had stayed last night with my cousin Sally in Benllech, sleeping heavily Under The Influence on a bed suspended in mid-air and reached by a bunk bed type ladder. It was small miracle that I did not injure myself peeing in the middle of the night. Sally provided us all with  the perfect breakfast – a bacon butty and I was on the road by 10am with a pack of hand-made sandwiches. The forecast was not good.

Benllech beach photographed from the Wales Coast Path in Anglesey by Charles Hawes

“…not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse….”

The beach was deserted on this grey morning. The rain kept off for the first mile or so of narrow cliff-top path, which was liberally dotted with benches to enjoy the views.

Bench on the Wales Coast Path in Anglesey, photographed by Charles Hawes

Too early for a sit

By the time I had rounded Penrhyn point and was overlooking Traeth Bychan (caravan park alert) it had began to spit.

Traeth Bychan, photographed from the Wales Coast Path in Anglesey by Charles Hawes

By the far side of the brief beach walk the heavy clouds were depositing rain with greater commitment.

Traeth Bychan, photographed from the Wales Coast Path in Anglesey by Charles Hawes

I must apologise here for the poor quality of some of the images that follow. Whether I had altered a setting in my fumbling the camera in and out of my jacket, or whether it was water on the lens I don’t know but some are rubbish. Which is a shame as the house at the far side of the beach had an extraordinary garden.

Beach house on Traeth Bychan, photographed from the wales Coast Path in Anglesey by Charles Hawes

Maybe this more impressionistic view is just as good?

A damp  plod along more cliff-top path gave me sight of Moelfre and its off-the-peg designed Lifeboat station.

Porth Moelfre ,Anglesey, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

Those skies are heavy!

Moelfre seemed like a pleasant village but in the rain I didn’t give its facilities much attention. I took a snap of a boat out to sea and commiserated with a fellow photographer about the poor light.

Boat in Moelfre Bay, photographed from the Wales Coast Path on Anglesy by Charles Hawes

Having said that, this is by far my favourite picture of the day

Off the headland, Ynys Moelfre looked like the kind of island you can’t imagine ever wanting to visit.

Ynys Moelfre, Anglesey, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

Though I suppose you would get peace and quiet

For some a visit to the area has resulted in death. The steam clipper Royal Charter was wrecked off the coast in October 1859 with the loss of  454 lives – the highest death toll of any wreck on the Welsh Coast. A memorial to those who lost their lives sits above the path. Not far from here another monument celebrates a heroic rescue by lifeboatmen of  a crew of 8 of a small steamer (the Hindlea) shipwrecked in 1959.

The Hindlea seat near moelfre, Anglesey, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

It’s called the Hindlea seat but it doesn’t look very comfortable

It seemed rather fitting in this sombre mood to pass a static caravan site as I approached the beach of Traeth Lligwy.

Caravan site near Treath Lligwy, phootgraphed from The Wales Coast Path in Anglesey by Charles Hawes

This was a titchy one

This beach (also, sensibly, deserted) has an old breakwater arching across it, no doubt to the irritation of beach karters.

Traeth Lligwy, Anglesey, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

The map names this as Gored

Above the beach, a large painting of it on (apparently) a very stormy day has been erected. I thought it rather wonderful, though feared that in a gale it might just get blown away.

Painting above Traeth Lligwy, Anglesey, photographed from The wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

Sorry, I don’t know the artist’s name

Up until now the rain had come and gone but it suddenly set in and I retreated to the toilets by the car park to get the waterproof trousers on.

Urinals are something that I hadn’t given much thought to up to this time. With my huge intellect they had never reached the top of my mental tree. However, seeing a poem cheerily winding its way around the ceramic lining it occurred to me that this could be a great photographic project (of limited interest admittedly but it would be ART). More anon.

Urinals at Traeth Lligwy car park, Anglesey,  photographed from the wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

No, I am not joking

Half way  along the beach the very short Nant-y-Perfedd discharges into the Lligwy Bay, which I thought worthy of wetting the camera for.

Nant y Perfedd running into lligwy Bay, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Chgarles Hawes

Ok the sky wasn’t quite as dark as this

Trudging along in the rain, the finer points of the path eluded me, but the sight of Traeth yr Ora brought the camera out from my increasingly damp jacket.

Traeth yr Ora, anglesey, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

A Hiden Gem – it’s official

 There followed a soggy mile or so inland from the inlet of Dulas Bay to reach the A5025 at The Pilot Boat inn.

The Pilot Boat Inn, dulas, phtographed from the Wales Coast Path in Anglesey by Charles Hawes

I know, I’m just no fun

My reasons for not stopping at lunchtime are many and varied but today I couldn’t face the thought of getting wet things off and then back on, so I forewent the pleasures of the playbus for more splashing about outside.

The path takes a route across quite marshy land at the side of the bay, my boots were beginning to fail to withstand the saturated terrain.

Marsh by Traeth Dulas, Anglesey, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

Half way along the north side of the bay the path heads inland for a bit; from looking at the map it would appear that the occupants of the estate of Llysdulas do not favour sightseers. A short trek along a quiet road towards Dulas took me past St Gwenllwyfro’s Church

St Gwenllwyfro's Church, Dulas, photographed from The Wales Coast Path in Anglesey by Charles Hawes

I’ve never been gladder to find a church en route

…..its porch (sadly the door was locked) offering temporary respite from the rain and a break to eat my sarnies.

porch of St Gwenllwyfro's Church, Dulas, photographed from The Wales Coast Path in Anglesey by Charles Hawes

you can see how wet is was outside

I have to admit that the next 5 miles or so is a bit of a blur. I was getting a bit water preoccupied. I don’t like getting my feet wet and getting wet boots dry overnight is usually impossible. And somehow the rain seemed to me seeping in through all the openings in my waterproofs. I wasn’t what you might call miserable, but I did begin to feel like this was hard work.

I whipped the camera out for a view of Ynys Dulas

Ynys Dulas, Anglesey, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

I like this pic a lot, too.

….and then again a couple of miles later as I approached Point Lynas….

View to point lynas, Anglesey, photographed from The wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

Bracken and gorse are quite cheery

…. but mostly I was just intent on getting to Amlwch and looking forward to a change of clothes, so the last couple of miles were wasted on me.

I was very glad when Amlwch harbour came into view; I was tired now, as well as wet.

Amlwch harbour, Anglesey, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

It was a nice little harbour, too….

mlwch harbour, Anglesey, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

…..with fishing boats of various sizes moored quietly to its sides, their owners probably in the pub.

Fishing boat in amlwch Harbour, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

Pretty eh? As you can see it’s still raining.

 The hills behind Amlwch were once an important source of copper and I passed the Copper Kingdom Centre which looks very good but I wasn’t in the mood.

I was staying in the Dinorben Arms in the centre of the village. A large place, it seemed deserted and a little dated, but the chap behind the desk was welcoming and best of all my bag was sitting there waiting for me. 

I felt so much better for a shower and to be in dry clothes. It took a while to work out how and where to hang up my walking gear to dry. My host kindly suggested that I put my boots over a radiator in the corridor which would remain on all night. Drying boots in this way could damage the waterproof lining but  I decided to risk this, wishing that I had packed my waterproof socks.

Clean and dry I went out for a wander and was greeted by clear blue skies.

St Eleths Church, Amlwch, Anglesey, photographed by Charles Hawes

St Eleths, since you asked

This seemed a little cruel but it did, at least, give me hope for a better day tomorrow. Well, you can only hope.

Amlwch’s main street did not have much to recommend it and having quickly exhausted the sights I returned to my pub for an excellent and generous scampi and chips, a couple of good pints and a bit of telly before bedtime.  The forecast wasn’t great.

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