Walking the Lleyn Coast Path

Spring Squill on the cliff edge

May and June are great months to walk along the Lleyn coast. In May, slopes and streamsides the sheep can’t reach are carpeted with primroses, thrift and spring squill. Scrubby patches and gorse along the cliff edges are good for breeding whitethroats and stonechats, while the short well-grazed turf attracts migrant wheatears and feeding choughs. Other migrant birds along the coast include whimbrel on their way to Iceland or NW Russia (we saw 115 between Porth Ysgaden and Porth Dinllaen on May 8^th) and noisy Sandwich terns fishing close in. And when the sun comes out so do the butterflies – wall browns, small heaths and common blues.

Ynys Enlli from the tip of Lleyn

Our longest stretch so far this year was 10 miles from Porth Oer (Whistling Sands) to Aberdaron, right round the headland facing Ynys Enlli (Bardsey). We sat and ate lunch looking across to Bardsey, a sort of funny reverse experience for us!

Llyn Coastal Bus

One problem facing the coastal walker is how to get back to where you started – unless you are carrying a tent, of course. Walking the Lleyn Coastal Path in stages is much easier this year because of a special Minibus service for walkers. On four days each week until the end of October, a minibus runs every two hours from Abersoch to Aberdaron and  on to Nefyn, with a second vehicle doing the opposite. The fare is £1, and the driver will pick up or drop off passengers at any point on the coast the minibus can reach.

So if you enjoy walking on the coast of Wales, make sure you get to Lleyn this year, as who knows if the minibuses will continue in 2017. And as you walk along the path, remember to thank the National Trust and the Welsh Government for making the coast so accessible.

Glory be to the Wales Coast Path!

Common Blue!?

After cappuccino at the Whistling Sands beach café we didn’t see a soul for the next 3 hours. Along the way so many wild flowers, birdsongs and sounds of the sea, snails galore and stunning blue butterflies in one section; how could they possibly be called Common Blue? A pair of peregrines swooped along the cliffs and as we approached Mynydd Mawr we were into the land of the Choughs, with their bright red beaks and legs and cat-like calls.

As we skirted the almost sheer cliffsides the term ‘views to die for’ came to mind.

At eye level, in a windswept sloe tree, was a nest with vibrant looking caterpillars of the Lackey Moth.

Lackey Moth

About 7 hours later, singing the praises of the Wales Coast Path, we walked the final stretch along the beach to the Tŷ Newydd hotel. My first delight was a pint of Brenin Enlli, sitting on the terrace, looking back on where we had walked. For supper the crab salad, with a shared portion of chips and mayo, was perfection, topped only by the room. With its mini balcony looking onto the beach beneath, the sea so close, we could have skimmed stones from the bedroom. Falling asleep with the door wide open was noisy but great.

The following day we walked the section including Penarfynydd where we saw a hare run across the top of the ridge above the farm. That made 3 of the Llŷn’s ‘Big 5’ – chough, peregrine and hare but alas we failed to see porpoise and grey seal.

Glory be to the Wales Coast Path!

Hell's Mouth Porth Neigwl

Bangor to Porthmadog - a 9 day coastal walk of Llŷn

We’ve got this incredible 870 mile long coast path and now the second of 7 walking guides; Bangor to Porthmadog, the Llŷn. This 110 mile section is chunked into 9 suggested days of walking. The other 760 miles of the path are chunked into 68 days making an epic 11 week ramble from Chester to Chepstow.

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It looks good, both the path and the book, with a solid feel to it. Stiff covers with folds to tuck you into the relevant pages. There is nothing superficial and glossy about the book which is well researched and written without superfluous adjectives. Photos are stunning and taken at idyllic times just in case you don’t get to experience them in the finest of weather!

The content is well laid out with enough but not too much detail. Lots of pointers to where you can get further information about a story or on practical matters such as where to stay or how to book a boat to Bardsey.  The maps are enhanced Ordnance Survey and there should be no excuses for getting lost.

The book is the creation of Carl Rogers and Tony Bowerman and is published by Northeren Eye Books. The presence of a Natural Resources Wales logo suggests some degree of sponsorship from the government body that created the Wales Coast Path.

If you would like to know more about the creation of the Wales Coast Path there was a brilliant article in edition 45 of Natur Cymru written by Jane Davidson, the minister who conceived and delivered the project. You can read this online here. 

Pirouetting on the path - the joyous approach to the Wales Coast Path

North Cardigan Bay is the second in a series of ten booklets each describing ten circular walks on the 870 miles of the Wales Coast Path. It’s highly practical, pocket-sized and has a sturdy cover with a handy fold to bookmark your page.

A great selection of walks makes it into the top ten. Portmeirion combines fantasy and escapism with a walk across the Cob, perfect for steam trains and what must be the ultimate view of Snowdon. A mile south at Ynys is the start of the next walk, down the estuary and back through the churchyard, with the grave of Richard Hughes of High Wind in Jamaica fame. (If you want a bit more background on this area there is an article titled Aberdwyryd.)

In between those two walks is of course Maentwrog-on-Sea which for the time being is an honorary coast path resort; being the lowest point at which you can officially cross the Dwyryd until the new Pont Briwet is built.

The tenth walk is down my memory lane from Borth halfway to Aberystwyth. In 1960 I think ours was one of only two caravans in the village and the sun shone all through the summer. In subsequent student days the walk along the coast was a popular Saturday evening prelude to sampling Borth’s pubs before catching the last bus back to Aberystwyth.

At £4.99 it’s excellent value .... that’s less than 50p a walk!

The other booklet currently available covers Llŷn

Natur Cymru winter edition

Artwork based on a papier mâché model
of Llŷn by Annie Horsley 

Coast Path – the idea of all-Wales coastal access becomes reality. Jane Davidson

Life after conifers – practicalities and rewards of removing a plantation. Celia Thomas

Ceredigion Coast Path – the making of a path, its wildlife and scenery. Nigel Kelly

Castlemartin Corse – restoring a great wetland and duneland system. Richard Ellis

Art Competition – the 2013 Inspired by Nature competition.

Wet, wet, wet: natural water treatment at Denmark Farm. Angie Polkey

Gwylio adar ar lwybr arfordir Cymru. Kelvin Jones

Snow on a Raven’s Wing – Writing competition winner. Liz Fleming Williams

Just do the walk – and write about it: the challenges of writing footpath guides. David Perrott

50 Years Ago – some Welsh Marsh-orchids. James Robertson

Woods and Forests – afforested deep peats in Wales, the 100,000 ha challenge.

Nature at large – taking a closer look at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

Green Bookshelf – Andrew Lucas, David Saunders, Huw Jenkins, Gwenllian Rowlinson, James Robertson

Discoveries in Science – type fossils online.

Marine Matters – a legacy and a muddle.

Wales at Water’s Edge

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The book opens at the south eastern corner of the Wales Coast Path and finishes 870 miles later in the mouth of the Dee. But of course you can start wherever you like in any of the ten segments.

Photograph seems such a mechanical word for the fantastic images captured or created by Jeremy Moore; a diverse range of subjects sometimes from an unusual angle. Lots of natural beauty as you’d expect and ugly things portrayed with panache.

The words by Jon Gower are personal, such as his timely good deed of alerting British Rail to a breached sea wall, thereby averting a disaster, and in reward for which he received The Collins Guide to British Birds.  Some words are not obvious  ....‘this wondrous coast is a place to walk, prog or beachcomb....’? According to the freedictionary.com, to prog is to prowl about for food or plunder. Or did he mean to say jog?

Alliteration abounds with the coast described as ‘crinkled, crimped, crenellated and corrugated’ – I suspect he wanted to go on to say ‘caravanned’ but instead continued with ‘.... holidaymakered and lighthoused, dolphin-blessed, wind-sculpted and always wave-surrounded.’  

There’s humour, interesting titbits and pictures to inspire – it’s a catalyst to get you out walking or as close as you can get to being an acceptable armchair alternative to the real thing.  I’ll be putting it on my Christmas list.

Wales Coast Path – Llŷn Peninsula

870 miles of Wales Coast Path stretching into the horizon is something to be proud of yet can be a bit daunting, but this pocket sized book serves up an exciting 10% of it in ten circular walks of between two to four hours. I can manage that - no problem.

The book is handy in every way: robust covers on front and back with folds to tuck into the page you’re going to refer back to; sections of ordnance survey maps that avoid the need for carrying a full sheet (unless you want to); enough background information to whet the appetite and clear directions provided you can remember your right from your left.

I can’t fault the choice of walks that make it into the ‘top ten’. Aberdaron, with screaming choughs and views to Bardsey, had to be there. Porth Dinllaen with the pub on the beach where I once spent a wonderful New Year’s Eve. Whispering Sands, Nant Gwrtheryn and Borth y Gest – they are all spectacular.

It’s one in a series of ten books planned to cover the entirety of the coast path. I’m sure the rest will be just as good. It looks useful, not a glossy gimmick, and at £4.99 it’s a bargain.

A Welsh Mass Trespass

Saturday 5^th May 2012. Across the country groups were out walking to enjoy the first day of the 870 mile Wales Coast Path.  I joined in with the Caernarfon and Dwyfor Ramblers for the six miles from Cricieth to Porthmadog. It was brilliant: good company, fine weather, blooming flowers and a great sense of occasion.  We all waved at the TV helicopter as it hovered then flew onwards up the coast.

Despite fine weather and being a bank holiday weekend, there was plenty of space, with no feeling of being crowded – the long coastline a vast expanse at low tide. You could almost feel lonely!

It doesn’t sound right but, half way up the Vale of Ffestiniog, my local village of Maentwrog is on the Wales Coast Path! Further downstream is Pont (bridge) Briwet, but that doesn’t (yet) take walkers. It’s about to be rebuilt and maybe, in a few years time, there will be a footbridge. Another alternative is to wade across to Portmeirion at low tide but make sure you don’t step in the wrong part of the sands.

So, if you’ve made it half way up the Vale of Ffestiniog, why not go the whole hog? We’ve created this little eighteen mile diversion for your delight and delectation. The route takes you up to the ancient village of Llan Ffestiniog, with its community pub, then high up to the quarry which housed the National Gallery in WWII and down the other side of the valley where the last wolf in Wales was slain.

Here's a description of where to go and what you might see on The Vale of Ffestiniog Way. 

Easter week

Migrating tourists started to arrive and the weather put on a spectacularly varied performance. On the first wet day I was taken for an explore 600 metres or so into Rhosydd Quarry overlooking Cwm Croesor – it took the Victorian miners eight years to build the main adit on level 9, working in both directions and meeting at exactly the right spot without the aid of laser gadgets. Not much sign of wildlife inside except a few cavers emerging out of the inky darkness.

The following day we had blizzard conditions in the mountains giving a perfect excuse to catch up on office work and participate in my Natur Cymru meeting by audio conference. Sunshine broke through the following day and although the list of chores was long there was nothing for it but to go up the mountain and enjoy the snow drifts. I can’t describe in words how much fun that was but here’s the film: 

Dry and occasionally sunny conditions continued making for good progress in the vegetable patch. A passing bird watcher said she thought she’d heard a redstart but I’ve still not seen it. She pointed out a vigourous patch of opposite leaved golden saxifrage growing in the boggy bits outside our barn. Now I know its name it’s more special to me. 

opposite leaved golden saxifrage

One of the highlights was the weasel which hopped onto the kitchen window sill at breakfast time and brought a vole or mouse out of a drainage pipe. Subsequent slow motion analysis of the video footage revealed a bit of black on the tail so the majority think it was a stoat.

Monday was a wash out, the only redeeming feature a chance to catch up with Country Focus on the BBC iPlayer. This week was the second of an excellent five part series on the Wales Coast Path which is presented by Jane Davidson. The path opens on the 5^th May and there is a great article about it in the current edition of Natur Cymru.  

Brecon Beacons – Natur Cymru special edition spring 2012

Artwork by Denise di Battistta

• Llangorse Lake - the essence of an entirely natural lake. Gareth Ellis
• Fires and remote sensing technology to monitor restoration.  Judith Harvey & Shaun Lewis
• Waun Fignen Felen - recovery of degraded moorland. Arwel Michael  
• Y Gyrn - Blue Greys crossed with a Blonde. Joe Daggett            
• Pipeline - gas from Milford Haven to England via the Brecon Beacons. Graham Cowden
• Challenges of conservation management in the National Park. Paul Sinnadurai
• Cynrig and captive rearing of crayfish. Catrin Grimstead & Oliver Brown                
• Capel Horeb quarry’s ancient plant evidence. Christopher Cleal
• Counting and measuring limpets in Pembrokeshire. John Archer-Thomson                                          
• Challenges and joys of opening 870 miles of Wales Coast Path. Sue Rice & Denis McAteer     
• Living Wales - a layman’s view of the ecosystems approach. Huw Jenkins
• National Nature Reserves - 74 hidden treasures revealed. Sue Parker
• Phytophthora in Wales. Owen Thurgate
• Methane derived bubbling reefs. Ivor Rees
• Role of NATUR and training in times of change. Celia Thomas
• Fancy a chat? New BTO Cymru survey. Kelvin Jones

Publication date 15^th March. Cover price £4.00 or quarterly by subscription at £16 p.a. or £15 by direct debit. ISSN 1742-37400103 Format: 170 x 220mm, 50 pages, full colour

For further information visit www.naturcymru.org.uk or call 01248 387 373

If you would like to download an A4 poster for this edition please click here. 

Brecon Beacons Special

Coming soon ..... the spring edition of Natur Cymru with a Brecon Beacons theme. Many articles written by local experts working in the front lines of conservation. Artwork for the cover kindly provided by Denise di Battistta.

Explore the finer points of Llangorse Lake or learn how to lay a 1200mm gas pipe through 36kms of national park in the 'most benign way'. The devastation of last year’s wildfires and the use of remote sensing technology to help restoration. What’s happening at Waun Fignen Felen? Farming Y Gyrn with Blue Greys. Rearing the right sort of crayfish at Cynrig. Containing the spread of phytophthora. Challenges of managing the Brecon Beacons National Park. Capel Horeb quarry boasts remnants of vascular plant tissue – the oldest evidence in the world.

Plus articles from further afield including the Wales Coast Path, monitoring limpets with the Field Studies Council at Dale Fort, new information on our 74 National Nature Reserves, BTO Cymru’s chat survey and an easy to understand introduction to the government’s Natural Environment Framework.

Retail price £4 distributed by Welsh Books Council. Available 15th March 2012. Annual subscription £16 or £15 by direct debit.