Author Topic: Walking  (Read 821074 times)

0 Members and 5 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline Hugo

  • Management board member
  • *
  • Posts: 13883
Re: Walking
« Reply #735 on: June 04, 2012, 02:34:40 pm »
Mynydd Garthmyn Walk

Offline Hugo

  • Management board member
  • *
  • Posts: 13883
Re: Walking
« Reply #736 on: June 04, 2012, 02:48:07 pm »
Mares Tail Twin Waterfall

My friends and I were fascinated by reading Pendragons article on the waterfall so after walking above Capel Garmon we drove to the Gwydyr Forest and found the waterfall.  It's a real gem and well worth the effort of going down the steps to see it. A little lower down the stream is a man made waterfall and I'm not sure why it was built although it could have been for a mill as a sign on the Trefriw Road says Coed Y Felin so that second waterfall could have been for  the Wood Mill at one time.
After that we ended up at Ty Hwnt Y Bont where we enjoyed an ice cream. A nice end to a very good day and thanks again Pendragon for finding that waterfall, I've been past it dozens of times without knowing it was there.       $good$


Offline Jack

  • Member
  • Posts: 745
Re: Walking
« Reply #737 on: June 04, 2012, 06:17:51 pm »
Hugo, your Saturday walk looks a cracker so that is one I will have to do sometime soon.

There are often Kingfishers seen at Aber Ogwen especially during the Winter and are best seen from one of the two bird hides that are open from dawn to dusk on the bird reserve.

As an aside it is possible to visit the Grey Mares Tail waterfall and avoid all those steps!  There is a car park through a gate with a Snowdonia National Park sign on just off the B5106 near the Gwydyr Castle junction very close to a detatched 'Victorian' looking double fronted house.  This is especially nice in late Spring as the beech woodlands are full of bluebells, celandines and stitchwort. 

Offline Pendragon

  • Ad Free Member.
  • *
  • Posts: 2927
Re: Walking
« Reply #738 on: June 05, 2012, 10:27:34 am »
Hugo I'm chuffed you went to see the Mares Tail.  I didn't walk down stream though but I want to visit again.  Your walks are great too and all in the local area which is even better.  We'll have to meet up for a walk sometime in the future  ;D
Only hindsight has 20/20 vision
Angiegram - A romantic notion derived from the more mundane truth.

Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." -Bob Marley

Offline Hugo

  • Management board member
  • *
  • Posts: 13883
Re: Walking
« Reply #739 on: June 07, 2012, 07:58:29 pm »
Yesterday, we went to Amlwch and did a couple of short walks in the area.  The first one was walking around the Copper Mines at Parrys Mountain and going into the deep basin there.  You have to see it to believe it because the photos don't do it justice.  Pendragon did the walk in May so I can't add anything to her comments but later in the year we are going on a guided tour down into the bowels of the mountain which should be interesting to say the least. 
The next walk started from Amlwch Port so we drove there, passing my Nain's old house on the way. By the time we got to the Port it was suggested that we had our refreshments there and as it was a nice sunny afternoon we could leave our rucksacs in the cars to save carrying them.  We started the next walk along the coastal path to Point Lynas and within about 15 minutes we saw our first Dolphin of the season. It was on it's own going along the shoreline looking for food. We had to drag ourselves away and carry on and went past St Eilian's well which apparently is a cursing well unlike the normal ones but we didn't stop there and just carried on until we came to the furthest point of our walk at Porth Eilian. It was here where we realised that we may have made a wrong decision at the start as the Heavens opened and it was bucketing down.  We sought sanctuary or should I say shelter in the Church of St Eilian and it was well worth the visit. It's a very old Church and there were loads of leaflets around describing the history of the Church and we spent some time inside before deciding to go out and brave the elements.
The rain was even worse and we all got drenched but by the time we got back to Amlwch Port the Sun had come out and we were baking hot and steam was coming from our clothes!     A quick visit to the Copper Mine Heritage Centre and a cup of coffee in a nearby cafe and it was time to go home. Another great walk for us despite the soaking.

Offline Hugo

  • Management board member
  • *
  • Posts: 13883
Re: Walking
« Reply #740 on: June 07, 2012, 08:01:13 pm »
Amlwch Port to Point Lynas walk

Offline Tellytubby

  • Member
  • Posts: 14
Re: Walking
« Reply #741 on: June 10, 2012, 09:10:06 pm »
 Another brilliant walk Hugo - fabulous photo's D)

Offline Pendragon

  • Ad Free Member.
  • *
  • Posts: 2927
Re: Walking
« Reply #742 on: June 11, 2012, 12:29:11 pm »
Love the pics looks like you had a wail of a time, go by shep are you on the pics pen/D?
Yes I'm second from the right in the caravan pic.  I'm disappointed with the photos to be honest as I'd bought a new Nikon coolpix and like a plank had it set on all the wrong settings......but it's sorted now  ;D
Only hindsight has 20/20 vision
Angiegram - A romantic notion derived from the more mundane truth.

Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." -Bob Marley

Offline Pendragon

  • Ad Free Member.
  • *
  • Posts: 2927
Re: Walking
« Reply #743 on: June 11, 2012, 01:19:24 pm »
A few weeks ago my Dad, Mike and I set off from Bull Bay and followed the Coastal path to Porth Wen brick works.  The walk is roughly 5 miles and is relatively easy with lots to see on the way.   We saw countless birds from Chuffs to Peregrine Falcons all pointed out to me by Dad of course  :roll:  We watched in awe as a very miffed Peregrine dive bombed a large Rook just off the shore.  The difference in size didn't seem to bother the Peregrine who was determined to knock the Rook out of the sky, it was an amazing spectacle.  Apparently the Peregrine Falcon is one of the fastest animals in the world and judging from what we witnessed a ferocious predator.
The Brick works were built in the early 20th century and took advantage of the bay as boats were used to transport the bricks out and the coal used to power the furnaces in.  It's funny as you don't expect to see such a large construction in a beautiful bay such as Porth Wen but it looks amazing as you round the cliffs.  There's three large brick beehive kilns, furnaces and 2 huge chimneys on the site all still in tact.  You can even see in places where they dried the bricks.  I learnt a new word too "Sagger makers bottom knocker" isn't that a good word...
"Saggars are used to hold and protect pottery during kiln-firing, and by placing various substances in a saggar it is possible to produce dramatic visual effects on the finished pottery.
Producing saggars to the correct specifications required was a skilled job and needs a craftsman - the saggar maker. However, making the bases of the saggars is a less skilled job which can be left to a lesser craftsman, namely the saggar maker's bottom knocker, who makes the bottom of the saggar by placing clay in a metal hoop and literally knocking it into shape."

On the way back we saw an injured Rook which looked like it had a broken wing I wonder if it was the same Rook we saw desperately trying to out wing the Peregrine.

More photos here  http://my.opera.com/pendragonnw/albums/show.dml?id=11765522
Only hindsight has 20/20 vision
Angiegram - A romantic notion derived from the more mundane truth.

Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." -Bob Marley

Offline Jack

  • Member
  • Posts: 745
Re: Walking
« Reply #744 on: June 21, 2012, 08:24:04 pm »
Thanks Pendragon for the great photos and narrative about Porth Wen brickworks, it inspired me to take a trip over there last Sunday and walked from Bull Bay to Cemaes Bay and back.  What a stunning piece of coastline, can't wait to go back over to Anglesey and complete more of the coastal path that runs around the island!

Offline Pendragon

  • Ad Free Member.
  • *
  • Posts: 2927
Re: Walking
« Reply #745 on: June 22, 2012, 12:35:57 pm »
Hia Jack pleased you liked the walk it is a stunning place isn't it.  I've just moved house and so haven't had time to venture out much lately but like yourself I intend to do the whole Coastal path over the next few months (I don't get much time off work).  I had no idea there was so much to see on Anglesey.  I love the photo taken from behind the windows  ;D
Only hindsight has 20/20 vision
Angiegram - A romantic notion derived from the more mundane truth.

Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." -Bob Marley

Offline Jack

  • Member
  • Posts: 745
Re: Walking
« Reply #746 on: June 22, 2012, 01:12:49 pm »
Hi Pendragon, I bought the official guide to walking the Anglesey Coastal Path by Carl Rogers the other day from Smiths, it breaks the path up into 12 sections all about 10 to 12 miles.  It's worth noting that not all the sections are open all year round and one section from Cemaes to Church Bay around Ynys y Fydlyn closes from 14th September through to 1st February.  Its a good book and gives lots of history too! Jack

Offline Pendragon

  • Ad Free Member.
  • *
  • Posts: 2927
Re: Walking
« Reply #747 on: June 22, 2012, 01:49:05 pm »
Cheers Jacj I'll get myself a copy  $walesflag$
Only hindsight has 20/20 vision
Angiegram - A romantic notion derived from the more mundane truth.

Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." -Bob Marley

Offline Hugo

  • Management board member
  • *
  • Posts: 13883
Re: Walking
« Reply #748 on: June 22, 2012, 03:42:14 pm »
I've got that book and took it with me when I walked around the coastline all 125 miles of it.  My favourite part of the walk is The Amlwch Port to Cemaes Bay which is only seven and a half miles long but has a total ascent of 534 metres because it is so undulating and has some of the most stunning scenery the island has to offer. We saw Seals, Dolphins, Ravens and loads of other wildlife on the way.
We did the walk by having cars at the end and start of the walk and it enabled us to complete the walk quicker than if we did the circular walk.  The only trouble was that my walking companion who was 20 years younger than me insisted on doubling up on the walks and sometimes we would do about 24 miles in a day!
Another favourite part of the walk for me is the Holyhead to Trearddur Bay section and again it is for the stunning scenery.  If you do it around the 1st week in October make a point of stopping at North Stack and looking at the cave below it and you may see the seals having their pups. You'll certainly hear them long before you get sight of them.

Offline Jack

  • Member
  • Posts: 745
Re: Walking
« Reply #749 on: July 01, 2012, 08:59:26 pm »
Decided to do another 20 plus miles of the Anglesey Coastal Footpath today.  It was wet and windy as I left the car at Penrhos and took the path through the Nature Reserve behind the old Aluminium Works and into the port of Holyhead.  Unfortunately many of the the signs have already been broken off in the town itself so if in anyone is thinking of doing this section then you will need a map.  Passing the maritime museum, the lifeboat station and Soldier's Point the walk takes you through the Breakwater Country Park and up Holyhead Mountain.  Had lovely views of Choughs at North Stack and by the time I got over to South Stack the sun had come out!  Crossed through a field of goats and one of them decided to headbutt me - not happy!  The path then winds its way over RSPB land at the Range; an area of coastal heathland.  From the Range to Treaddur Bay the path follows the cliff tops with inlets and bays full of seabirds and small beaches.  Absolutely stunning.  Treaddur Bay is very different from how I remember it (granted I haven't been there for twenty years) full of posh new builds with huge windows and balconies taking advantage of the views across the sea to the mainland and the Lleyn Peninsula.  At Treaddur I took the road back to Four Mile Bridge and the Stanley Embankment to Penrhos to pick the car back up.
Then got stuck in roadworks on the A55 first at Bangor and then at Penmaenbach!!