April 2019 – Walkies Cleo and Bonnie

The North Wales section walk by walk

It took 3 separate trips up here between 7th October 2016 and 21st March 2019 but we have finally completed the 8 legs which make up the 93 miles of the North Wales element of the coastal path. Sadly Cleo never got to do any of this section but Bonnie has seen some of it.

This page details the walks we have made on this section of the coastal path in the order that they flow around the coast, and not necessarily the order that we walked them in.

9th October 2016 Flint to Chester – 12.5 miles walked mainly along the Dee Estuary, and the end point was both rather dark and an anti-climax with a very small plague to mark the end/start of the coastal path. But it was a flat day if rather quiet with not much to see.

8th October 2016 Prestatyn to Flint – 18.5 miles of coastal path today, starting with a teddy bear’s breakfast. We saw sand dunes, a haunted lighthouse, were held up by escaped sheep, a dragon and Flint Castle made for a very good day of walking.

10th October 2016 Rhyl to Prestatyn and back again – 5 miles of coastal path on a 16.2 mile walk. Glorious autumn sunshine, a beautiful beach and lots of cake. Even saw some colourful seaside huts.

7th October 2016 Colwyn Bay to Rhyl – a 10 mile walk today in quite chilly weather but it was very flat. We had time for pooh sticks with flowers, a little “wee” dance, some crabs and then our caravan had a view from the bedroom window of the coastal path.

5th May 2017 Colwyn Bay to Llandudno – 12.2 miles of coastal path and again the weather was glorious. Little Orme, an incident with Sharon on/off the bike, the smallest church in the UK, Llandudno pier, and then around Great Orme.

6th May 2017 Llandudno to Llanfairfechan – 12.1 miles where we chose the “flat” route. We had sand dunes, Conwy Castle, the smallest house in Britain, a scary route besides the motorway (with lorries 1 metre away from us) and our arrival in Llanfairfechan.

7th May 2017 Bangor to Llanfairfechan – 10 miles from the Pier in Bangor, on a glorious day through woodland and beach, and a wild bird reserve. Then Bonnie took a dip in a lake and had to be fished out before we finished with ice cream and a snooze in the sun.

21st March 2019 Caernarfon to Bangor – 10.9 miles along the Menai Strait with a lot of bike path and roads, as well as some woodland and a finish on the beach to get to the pier before it got dark.

We hope you enjoy reading about the North Wales section of the coastal path and are inspired to follow in our footsteps. There are moments of pure beauty on this part of the path, but also a lot of roads and flat parts which break up the day. 8 days seems about right and we did it in 91.2 miles all in which is a lot less than the Isle of Anglesey.

Caernarfon to Clynnog Fawr (Part 1)

26th March 2019

After a long walking weekend we decided on a helpful short walk before our long journey home – helpful because by doing a few miles of this 13.5 mile total walk today we can then, the next time we come up, complete this walk and 4 or 5 miles of the next walk to Trefor. Why is that important? Because that then means on the following walk we can add the optional detour of climbing Yr Eifl which is a 564m peak with fabulous views and a mile beyond that we can see an Iron age hill-fort at Tre’r Ceiri. This is getting like snooker – always thinking two walks shots/walks ahead!!

Anyway, back to today and back to Morrisons in Caernarfon again but this time we turned left not right. Almost immediately we walked around a new housing development, and found a small blue pier.

The walk then took in the harbour with all it’s sail boats.

Caernarfon Harbour
And then the outside of the castle walls.

And those were really the most interesting bits of the walk today. After that it was all flat and mostly just along the coast on quite a grey day.

Ahead of us was the Caenarfon airfield and Aviation museum on the penisular, across the other side of the Y Foryd.

But in order to get over the river Afon Gwyrfai we had to head in land for a mile to get over a bridge.

Here is where we have to leave the coast

And by the time we get inland a mile this is all that the river looks like

We had planned to try to get to Dinan Dinlle and then get the bus back to Caernarfon, but with the buses only every 90 minutes we decided to stop at the Saron bus stop and head back. Well it was either another 2 miles of walking and a 50 minute wait or head back now and get coffee and cake. And coffee and cake always wins. So we stopped at Saron for today and will pick up from there another day.

And what a view to look at while eating lunch

Only 5 miles today, but that makes 54 miles over the whole weekend. And we have got below 400 miles to go now – 475.8 miles completed and 399.4 miles to go. Time to hang up the shoes until our next walking weekend in May.

Amlwch Port to Moelfre

25th March 2019

After Saturday’s long walk we decided to have a rest day on Sunday (well my feet decided it really) so instead we ……went for a walk in a forest hunting red squirrels (and found only one). Well it wasn’t a coastal path walk at least, although that didn’t make much difference to the feet.

But Monday was a new day and the feet felt up to doing a walk again, so after planning various options and changing our minds we decided on around 12 miles of walking from Amlwch to Moelfre which had the advantage of being the next walk in the book and kept the flow going nicely around Anglesey in an anti-clockwise direction. So we drove to Moelfre, parked up and got the bus to Amlwch. At the bus stop we met the same people we had seen on 2 previous days – they were getting off the bus at Moelfre and walking back to Amlwch, so we knew we would see them again at some point in the day provided we didn’t get lost.

The bus at Amlwch left us with a short walk to the port, our starting point, and the first task of the walk was to undertake the obstacle course.

The path then took us around the edge of the port…

After the port the walk soon changed to one of rugged coast line with outcrops ahead of us to aim for.

The first landmark in site was the Trwyn Eilian Lighthouse, which actually looked like a regular house from the back. But first there were more hills and streams to cross.

Just before Porth Eilian is an ancient well called Ffynnon Eilian.

The plague is more noticeable than the well itself

And then up the other side of the hill via some steps.

But the climb was worth it when you get this sort of a view.

We didn’t detour off the path to go up to the lighthouse as we weren’t sure if it was even open.

The next landmark to aim for was Ynys Dulas, which is a very small island just off the coast. Legend has it that the Lady of Llysdulas Hall used to row out to the island and leave food, so that when sailors got shipwrecked on the island they could eat. Unfortunately the current owners of Llysdulas Hall aren’t quite so obliging and the coastal path had to take a detour inland across some fields at this point to avoid going across their land.

This bridge was being built as we crossed it

Across the field with lots of lambs – these were the cutest ones

This house had a lovely garden with a pond and stream through it – Sharon was getting ideas!!

After crossing the fields we met the walkers from the bus this morning – they had got further than us, but they did have a head start. With hindsight the rest of the walk proved to be flatter than the part we had completed as well. We shared a few stories of our parts of the walk and said our farewells – they had already completed the whole of the mainland Wales coastal path and just had Anglesey to go during a 2 week holiday.

A road took us down to Dulas Bay – and although the other side of the Bay was tantalisingly close we knew we had to go inland across the marshland again to get around the bay.

The Bay narrowed enough for a bridge to get us over the river which feeds it “Afon Goch”, and by now we had eaten all our rations and were looking for food.

We found a pub on the hill (the Pilot Boat Inn), but unfortunately it was closed, so we used their picnic bench as a chance to change our socks and drink the last of our coffees.

Then up the hill past the sheep and we came to Traeth yr Ora, not sure if is related to Rita Ora?

Up we go with some sheep leading the way

After some smaller hills the path took us down onto the beach, Traeth Lligwy, and hope of some food at the cafe.

But unfortunately the cafe was closed and being painted.

The lifeboat station came into view, and then the lifeboat cafe, but at 4.28pm it had shut 2 minutes early.

The coastline around here had large steps in places, which are man made due to extensive quarrying of the limestone directly from the cliffs. This area is also famous for the Royal Charter passenger clipper which was shipwrecked here on its way back from Australia in 1859. 459 people lost their lives, only 40 survived and large amounts of gold were recovered on the beach from passengers returning with personal hoards from the gold mines.

We rounded the corner and there was the end point to our walk in the Porth Moelfre.

And there was a pub in the Port, no food being served for an hour but at least we got a very nice coffee, and they were dog friendly for Bonnie as well. So well done to the Kinmel Arms for being so friendly and welcoming.

And that was our walk. 12.9 miles completed today and 1308 feet of height, at a very slow 6 hours and 21 minutes, but that was always going to be the case with my blisters. This takes our total up to 470.8 miles completed and 404.4 miles to go. A short walk tomorrow before we head for home.

Menai Bridge to Llanddona

23rd March 2019

Day 3 of our walking long weekend, and today was the longest day of the weekend. Our walking bible put the walk at 14.5 miles, so we allowed all day for it at a gradual pace. Unfortunately, having parked at Llanddona, we again had the walk up the steep hill to the bus stop before we could even get going.

The tide is out now, so this shows that we could have cut a lot off yesterday’s walk if we had timed it right

Bonnie seemed to enjoy the bus ride today:

We got off the bus on the mainland side of the bridge, so that we could walk back across the Menai Suspension Bridge as part of the day. Built by Thomas Telford and completed in 1826, the bridge was designed for horse and cart, and was used to bring cattle across to the mainland for sale – before the bridge they had to be swum across the Menai Strait.

The arches on the bridge just fit a bus through, but I wouldn’t fancy that route day in and day out.

The coastal path then dropped down the hill leaving the bridge behind us.

There are 4 small islands in the Menai Strait but from this side you could see that one was connected to Anglesey by a bridge.

After a mile or so the path turned left up a steep road, and away from the coast. For the next few miles there was no path by the waters edge and no pavement on the coastal road, so the coastal path took a ‘high ground’ route, giving great views of Snowdonia.

Snowdonia across the other side of the Menai Strait

After some “debate” about whether to walk through a swampy field as per the coastal path sign or to take a slightly longer route along the road (the road won) we started the descent into Beaumaris and it’s colourful houses.

The tide was high at this point, and up against the sea wall.

Views across to Bangor and beyond it Great Orme

We stopped in Beaumaris for a nice coffee and cake at Jolly’s coffee House and Patisserie. Highly recommended for lovely fresh cakes, and an amazing bank vault in the basement. We will be returning to Anglesey just to spend time looking around the castle and enjoying the lovely shops and eateries of Beaumaris. But for today, suitably refreshed, we headed past Beaumaris Castle (the castle was never finished as it was built too late during the conquest of Wales) and along the road for a short section as the path was closed for drainage works.

And then back along the shoreline around Friars Bay till we came to a sign….

The sign said that at high tide we should head inland, but if we were more than an hour either side of high tide we could go along the beach. We were definitely more than an hour past high tide and the tide was going out so we decided to chance it. The first part was a lot of rock climbing.

We had to climb over, and under, a few fallen trees, and then we came to a point where there was a rocky outcrop and no way over it, so off came the shoes and socks (and in Andrew’s case the trousers as well as he couldn’t roll the legs up) and we waded around the first rock, only to find a second one, so the wading continued after our freezing toes had braved the stony beach …….ouch ouch ouch ouch.

We dried off our feet and got dressed, only to see that in those 10 minutes the tide had gone out far enough that we could have walked around the rocks without getting wet – you have to laugh – or cry!!

The coastal path was then a mixture of road and coast up to Porth Penmon.

Suddenly in front of us was a series of buildings which make up Pemmon Priory Church. There is a pigeon loft of the grandest design, Abbey ruins, a church and a well. All founded by St Seiriol.

If you wanted to drive to the lighthouse the next part was a toll road, but we were walking so it was free.

Beyond Trwyn Du Lighthouse was the island of Priestholm, also known as Puffin Island, where St Seiriol set up a monastry in the 6th century which was accessible at low tide. Apparently the puffins were wiped out by rats in the 19th Century and today it is protected for the cormorant colony.

After a refreshing coffee at the lighthouse cafe we continued around the coast. According to our book the end was almost in sight now, and the coastal path should have headed inland to cut off quite a bit of the corner. But unknown to us they had decided to move the path right up against the coast, adding an extra mile or more to an already very long wall.

The yellow line should be the coastal path, but the blue dot shows us, on the new coastal path

We had various paths, fields and then marshland to navigate across and by now it was gone 5pm and starting to get cold.

Here are various pictures of us walking across fields, and by now Bonnie was very tired and refusing to walk any further so we took turns carrying her.

A steep descent followed to get to the beach and at around 6.30pm we made it to LLanddona beach.

Finally we hobbled to the bridge and the end point – with the car just a few more steps away.

So today was a massive walk. 16.6 miles and over 1,470 feet of elevation.

The running total is now 457.9 miles completed and 417.3 miles to go. A rest day tomorrow to let the feet recover, and then hopefully two more days of walking if we are up to it.

Moelfre to Llandona

22nd March 2019

Day two of our walking weekend, and our first adventures onto Anglesey. Llandona is going to become a familiar sight to us as it will be the start and end point for two of our walks. With free parking by the beach it is very convenient….slightly less convenient is the walk of almost 1 mile up a very steep lane to get back to the bus stop. It is a 30% gradient in places and this picture doesn’t do it justice!!

You can’t quite get the feel for how steep this hill is!!

But up we went and on the bus back to the Menai Bridge and then on a connecting bus to Moelfre to start our walk. We deliberately picked a shorter walk today as there was heavy rain forecast for around 2pm, and with a 9.15am bus, and arrival in Moelfre at 10am, anything more than around 9 miles will mean we get very wet.

Moelfre is a quaint village on the coast, with quite a history, but more of that on Monday’s walk. For today we had to set off straight-away, leaving the small stony beach behind.

The walk started by heading up from the village and along the cliff top across some fields.

This house is on the coastal path and you have to walk through their garden – it would make a great site for a tea-room

The path then cut across more fields below a caravan site (and I suspect the field will be a touring field for tents and caravans in summer), and you can just make out a rogue static van which has been positioned right on the cliff-top.

The first shingle beach then came into view at Traeth Bychan.

The path then followed the coast line precisely, right down to Benllech, which is a sandy beach area (when the tide is out; when the tide is in it is just water) with a small beach hut cafe.

On Anglesey the familiar coastal path sign is often replaced by the Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path sign.

After a hot chocolate and freshly fried donuts….

we continued the walk, slightly inland, through a car park and up a hill. When the path continued down a road and seemed to hit a dead-end with just the sea ahead of us we started to get a bit worried. Just then a post van pulled up so we asked the postman where we were supposed to go, and he pointed through the water and around the corner. So our rock climbing skills were well tested – fall in and it would be wet feet for the rest of the walk.

Once we rounded the corner we were faced with a couple of pubs and restaurants at Red Wharf Bay, followed by a lot of soggy marshland and the need to walk right around the edge to our end point. Although it looked like the usual estuary that we have to walk around, it was actually just the sea reaching an inland area and, if we had waited long enough, the tide would have gone out and we could have cut 2 or 3 miles off the journey. But time was not on our side, so we braved the marshland and a few more rock climbs to get around.

Then we hit upon the beach, and the option of heading inland through woodland or walking along the beach – as the tide was receding faster than Andrew’s hair we went for the beach option, which would be fine most of the time unless it was a very high tide.

Suddenly the beach ended and we had to go up 5 or 6 steps onto a narrow wall, and the coastal path then led across the top of the wall for about a mile. This needed a good sense of balance (something Andrew isn’t known for) and concentration.

With the storm clouds overhead, and the clock on 2pm we made it to the road leading past the car park and toilets at Llandona beach.

And to the end point for today at a bridge leading back up the other side and off the beach.

9.1 miles completed today in 3 3/4 hours. Only 469 feet of height so quite a flat day really. our total is now 450.9 miles completed, and 424.3 miles to go. Tomorrow sees the killer walk of the weekend, but already the blisters are growing.

	Nerys Woodall on Caernarfon to Bangor
	12th July Amlwch Por… on Amlwch Port to Moelfre
	10th-11th July 2021… on Holyhead to Trearddur Bay
	1st June 2021… on Caernarfon to Clynnog Fawr (Pa…
	Anonymous on 30th/31st May Menai Bridge to…

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