Thursday July 13th 2017 - Part 2 - Ambling round Amlwch

The next bit of exploration that day was totally unplanned and done on the spur of the moment. From Dulas Bay I drove up the A5025 towards Parys mountain, with the intention of exploring some of the parts of it I didn't see on my visit there a couple of years ago, however as I got near to it I could see there was a huge patch of white cloud sitting right over it, and though the sun was still shining any photos I took would have a washed-out look. So I changed direction and drove over to Amlwch harbour instead; I've been there several times over the last few years and nothing ever changes but it's an attractive little place and always worth a few more photos.

Leaving the van in the car park beyond the fishing dock I walked back down the hill to the Sail Loft cafe with the intention of getting something to eat and drink, only to find that the place was closed. The sign on the door which displayed the opening times told me it should have been open but the door was firmly locked so obviously it wasn't, though I wasn't too disappointed. With a photo taken overlooking the dock I went down the hill to the harbour side and treated myself to a white Magnum from the gift shop at the entrance to the Copper Kingdom Centre, then set out on my next quest. 

Situated somewhere on the cliff top across the other side of the harbour was an old windmill - it could be seen from the road above the quayside and I'd noticed it on previous occasions though I'd never thought to try and find it before. This time though I decided to go and look for it but with no idea of its exact whereabouts or how close I could get it was a case of following my nose until I found it. 

From the harbour side I went up onto the main road which ran through the village, turned right then a hundred yards or so along turned right again. A very pleasant minor road with houses and gardens on one side and hedges on the other soon narrowed into a lane with views over the harbour; this in turn narrowed into a track no wider than a normal car, and with dense trees and shrubbery to my right I lost sight of the harbour so I could only hope that the satnav part of my brain was taking me in the right direction.

A bit further on the track went uphill and joined a tarmac lane which skirted round a large fenced off area of private land - and there on the right, set back just a few yards from the lane, was the windmill. Research has since told me that this was Melin y Borth, a corn mill built in 1816, and with seven floors and a height of over 60ft it was the tallest windmill on Anglesey. It closed for business sometime in the early 20th century, the buildings surrounding it disappeared and by 1929 it was an empty shell. The land on which it stands is now owned by Anglesey Council and steps have been taken to halt the mill's decline. I would have loved to have a look inside but sadly it wasn't possible so I had to be happy with a photo taken from the outside.

Making my way back towards the harbour I passed a house with a garden which was a riot of colour. A packed border ran the length of the path and the gravelled area was filled with several wooden planters and pots; it looked lovely, and was certainly worth a quick photo. Across the road a small open grassy area with a recently painted bench overlooked the harbour, and steps down the cliff side took me from there back to the end of the quay.

I crossed from one side of the quay to the other at the top end of the slipway, though I did walk down it far enough to get another photo, then I made my way back towards the car park, stopping every so often to get shots of the various boats moored alongside the harbour wall. I've probably taken the same shots of the same boats several times over the last few years but it's such a lovely little place that I can't resist taking more.

As I walked back past the entrance to the Copper Kingdom Centre I was very tempted to get myself another Magnum but I resisted - one treat in the day was enough and the afternoon was getting on anyway so I decided to head back to the camp site and make myself a proper meal, though I did make a slight detour on the way.

The little sailing cove of Traeth Bychan (Small Beach) lay at the bottom of a lane off the A5025, about a mile and a half from the camp site; it's an attractive little place with a cottage which has an unusual and jumbled up mish-mash of a garden so I decided to pay a return visit. Unfortunately by then I'd left the blue sky behind and much of this part of the island was covered in thick white cloud but I still managed to get a handful of photos, although the garden ones would have looked much better with a blue sky.

Back at the camp site I prepared a meal for myself and settled in for the rest of the day. The cloud eventually cleared and the sun came out in force again but other than the bedtime dog walk later on I had no desire to go anywhere else - I'd had enough adventure for one day so it was time to relax for a while.