Tuesday June 12th 2018 - Going home....eventually

Another gloriously warm and sunny morning arrived and with it came the unwanted prospect of ending my all-too-short holiday and going home. After a leisurely breakfast I did a very leisurely pack-up and was ready for leaving the site just before 1pm, though as is my usual custom I drove down to the promenade, found a vacant parking space and took the dogs for a final walk along the beach. It was so nice down there that I decided to stay for a while longer so I made a couple of sandwiches from some chicken I had in the cool box, got a takeaway coffee from the nearby kiosk then sat in the van and enjoyed a leisurely late lunch with a great view of the beach.

It was getting on for 3pm before I finally managed to tear myself away from this lovely place, though in an effort to prolong the holiday as much as I could I decided to make a couple of stops on my way along the coast. The first was at Llanfairfechan, a place I hadn't been to for several years; with its coloured houses, sailing boat area and attractive park and promenade it was a lovely little area. Walking past the park I came across an old weather-beaten notice set in a wall so I stopped to read it; three lines in particular made me smile so I just had to get a photo.

My second stop was at Penmaenmawr, smaller than Llanfairfechan and not as pretty but nice enough in its own way. Walking along the pleasant promenade it was hard to believe that the very busy A55 was just behind it, separated from it by just a high concrete wall and the only give-away being the constant noise of traffic. And travelling along that section of road you wouldn't know of the promenade's existence down below unless you were sitting high up in the cab of a big wagon, as it can't be seen from the road. One unusual thing I did see as I walked along was a row of what I assume were 'beach huts' built into the underside of the road - they all had coloured doors and were numbered 1 to 36 but had a 'closed up' look to them so maybe they haven't been used for some time.

My third and final stop further up the coast was an impromptu visit to my blogging friend Eileen and we spent a very nice couple of hours having a good chat over a mug of coffee. It was nearly 7.30pm when I finally set off from there on the last leg of my journey and after a very quick stop at Chester services, where I briefly saw a squirrel close to the van, I arrived back home at 9.15pm.

Admittedly the holiday hadn't been near enough as long as I'd originally intended but I'd made the most of the few days I did have and packed as much as I could into each one. Also stopping off a few times on the way home had made it seem to be a bit longer so by the time I did get home in the late evening sunshine I didn't really feel as though my time had come to an abrupt end. Also with great weather all the way through I'd got a near-enough Mediterranean tan just by walking about and exploring so I can't complain too much. Now all I have to think about is where I'm going for my next break!

Monday June 11th 2018 - Part 2 - Llanlleiana, Porth Wen, and a long walk

After following the lane from Cemaes as previously instructed I eventually came to a farm gate on my right with a pull-in and a wide grass verge where I could safely park the van. There was no footpath opposite though and no sign for one as I'd been informed but maybe it was down the lane a little way, so with both dogs on the lead I set off to find it. Not many yards from the van my eye was caught by a movement in the field on my left and looking over the hedge I saw a mare with its beautiful little foal - taking a photo through the hedge wasn't easy but I managed it and got a reasonable shot of the young one.

From there the lane went quite steeply downhill, round a bend and up through a hamlet of half a dozen cottages before levelling out, and still there was no sign of a footpath so I kept on walking - there had to be one somewhere. Eventually I came to a sign and a path which led me through a gap in a stone wall and diagonally across a field to another path which crossed a well-mown field bordering the wall and extensive gardens of a big white house set back up a long driveway - I could neither see nor hear the sea from there but I knew I was going in the right direction so on I went. 

As I reached the bottom end of the field I could see a chimney built halfway up the steep hillside to my left - I'd finally reached my goal, or so I thought, but when I got there the ruined stone building at the bottom of the hill bore no resemblance to the photos I'd seen of the brick works I was looking for. The building was in a small valley with a cove at the end and steps built into the steep hill on each side - presumably part of the Anglesey Coastal Path. It was an intriguing place though and as I wandered round I realised what it was - the old Llanlleiana Porcelain Works.

The works, when in operation, produced porcelain from deposits of china clay found on Llanlleiana Head but closed in 1920 after being badly damaged by fire. In the fields behind the ruins are the remains of St. Ana's church and on the headland above are the remains of an Iron age settlement, though for once I didn't bother to look for either although I did go part of the way up the steep steps on the left to take a couple of shots looking down at the ruins.

Just off the coast, and visible to the right of the cove, was Middle Mouse Island, uninhabited except for various sea birds but an attraction for visiting scuba divers. The Mouse Islands are a series of three rocky islets off Anglesey's north coast - East Mouse is situated 1 mile north of Amlwch, Middle Mouse is 3 miles west of East Mouse and West Mouse is 5 miles further west near Carmel Head. During the 19th century Middle Mouse was used as a navigational aid for ships sailing into Liverpool and any vessel passing the island without signalling was liable to incur a fine.

Thinking back to when I'd checked Google Maps the week before, I remembered that Llanlleiana was some distance along the coast to the left of Porth Wen so I'd decided to try to find both places on the same day if I could, though Porth Wen was the more important. However, it seemed like I'd found Llanlleiana first by accident and I still had quite a walk to get to Porth Wen and the brick works so I'd better get on with it.

The steep hillside with the chimney was part of a small headland and I didn't think there was any point going all the way up the steps as I would probably only end up going down the other side so I found a path which took me diagonally across and up the right hand side of the hill, joining the main coastal path at the top of a flight of steep steps leading down to a dip, where the next hillside and set of steps rose steeply up in front of me. In the dip the path took me past the end of a deep and narrow cove called Hell's Mouth and the only thing between me and the steep drop down onto the shingle was a flimsy bit of shrubbery - when I got safely to the other side and part way up the next set of steps I took a quick photo looking back at it.

Going up the steps wasn't easy as they were very uneven and some of them were higher than others, which wasn't good for my relatively short legs, but I got to the top eventually only to be met a few yards further on by the next obstacle. High above a narrow inlet on my left the cliff had eroded away and the path was within inches of the very steep and unprotected drop down into the sea, with some rough and rocky terrain on my right. Difficult enough to negotiate on my own but with two dogs it definitely wasn't easy, however a bit of scrambling got all three of us across safely and the next bit of the walk along the grassy cliff top was quite pleasant.

Eventually I came to another rocky area but the path across it was quite reasonable, and as I got to the far side I came across a couple sitting in the grass and studying an OS map. I got chatting to them, and glad of a few minutes rest I joined them for a while. I told them where I was heading and it seemed I hadn't far to go from there, so as they were going in that direction themselves they walked with me to where there was a path down to Porth Wen itself. The cliff top there was wide and grassy and at one side were the remains of the old brick works winding house with its three large wheels on a square drive shaft, where three or four sheep were being sensible and getting out of the sun's heat by sheltering in the shade of one of the walls. The brick works itself couldn't be seen from there as it was down by the edge of the sea so I walked on a bit further and looked back, getting a great view of the curve of Porth Wen beach and the brick works set down below the cliff.

The first part of the path down to the brickworks was fine, it was wide and grassy, but then I came to a gate and from there onwards things got really rough. I'd been told by more than one person, and I'd also read on the internet, that the brick works itself was private land and out of bounds to the general public but other than a 'please close the gate' notice on the gate post there was nothing to tell me to keep out and no furious landowner with a shotgun - anyway, I wouldn't be the first person to go down there nor would I be the last, and I'd walked too far not to go down so I went. The rest of the path, if you can call it that, was little more than a steep, narrow and rocky gulley overgrown with tall grass and brambles, and the last bit had to be negotiated in almost a sitting position but my efforts were rewarded by finding myself in one of the strangest and most unique places I've ever been to.

The brick works was established in the mid 19th century, producing fire bricks made from quartzite and used to line steel-making kilns. Production ceased sometime during the first half of the 20th century, the brickworks closed and has been left to the mercy of the elements ever since. There's far too much detailed history about the place to put on here but the ruins include two chimneys, the engine house, brick kilns, the crushing house on several levels, the main building and the loading quay. There's also a beautiful natural stone sea arch, made from a huge lump of rock presumably battered by the tides and bad weather. Being completely alone and without knowing how safe it was I didn't venture into any of the buildings, but I spent a good while wandering about round the outside and sitting in the sun on a large flat rock before deciding I'd had enough and it was time to go.

Scrambling back onto the first bit of the path was no mean feat but having the dogs helped - they went up first and pulled me up after them, then after fighting my way through the overgrown brambles I went back through the gate and emerged onto the grassy path across the cliff. From there it was a case of retracing my route back to the van although I didn't feel too keen on negotiating the bit where the path was right on the edge of the steep drop, but the three of us did it without losing life, limb or paw then we tackled the uneven steps down the steep hill and up the other side. Eventually we passed the path down to Llanlleiana and came to the driveway of the big white house, and a big sign which I hadn't noticed before told me that the place was actually a self-catering country house.

From there we were back on the lane though it seemed to take ages to get back to the van, in fact I was beginning to think someone had come along and somehow moved it further away, but we got there eventually - and timed from the cliff path immediately above Porth Wen it had taken us an hour and fifteen minutes although it seemed much longer. It's hard to convey on here just how long and strenuous the walk there and back was but I was certainly glad to see the van again. After a good drink the dogs settled down in the back and I headed back to the main road - I hadn't planned on going anywhere else but even if I had I wouldn't have done as the three of us had gone far enough, so we were heading 'home' to the camp site.

Driving back along the A5025 I did stop briefly in a lay-by at Bull Bay to take a couple of photos, something I've meant to do every time I've driven past there but never have. While I was there a colourful little bird landed on a twig sticking up in the hedge a distance in front of me; it was a cute little thing and I didn't want to get too close and frighten it away so I took a couple of zoom shots. Not the best but if anyone can identify it then please let me know as my knowledge of birds, apart from the obvious ones, is zilch - although information since originally writing this tells me it was a stonechat.

Those were to be my last shots of the day and I completed the journey back to the camp site with no further stops. The evening was spent in total relaxation and the bedtime dog walk later on was just a short one - after such a challenging and long walk during the day I don't think any of us wanted to go very far that night!


**Since getting back home I've found out four things (a) that section of the Anglesey Coastal Path is one of the toughest stretches on it, (b) having studied Google Maps at length I could have driven much further along the lane from where I left the van and I wouldn't have had to walk so far, so maybe that explains why I couldn't find the footpath I'd been told about (c) the place where I left the van is close to a basic camp site open during the long school holidays in July and August, and (d) there's a little church on the coast to the left of Llanlleiana, so a new place to explore next time.

**I'm now including this post in Jo's Monday Walk where she is visiting Poland and taking a boat trip down a lovely river - certainly not as strenuous an experience as mine here!

Monday June 11th 2018 - Part 1 - A visit to the doctor's & Cemaes Bay

Weather-wise another glorious day arrived and with it my quest to find and photograph the old Porth Wen brick works on the coast between Cemaes Bay and Bull Bay. I'd seen and read about the brick works on Ruth's blog the year before last but since then I'd been told by more than one person that it was very difficult to find and get to, so difficult in fact that some of the locals didn't even know how to get there. Internet research and my map book had given me a rough idea of its location and it seemed that the best way of finding it was via part of the Anglesey Coastal Path, so I set out that morning with the intention of driving to Cemaes Bay, parking the van and walking along the coastal path until I found what I was looking for.

Before that happened however, I ended up at the doctor's surgery in the village! The day before I'd been bitten just above my right elbow by a horse fly, and though I thought no more about it just then by the time I was going to bed that night the top half of my arm had swollen up to twice its normal size and felt really heavy, sore and itchy. So before I set out on my day's travels I went to the pharmacy in the village to get something for it, whereupon the assistant took one look and advised me to go to the doctor's as it was so swollen. 

The health centre was only just along the road so I went straight there, registered as a temporary patient, and was seen half an hour later. The lady doctor was very nice and gave me a prescription for some antihistamines, saying that I would find a marked difference in my arm after taking the first one, so after collecting the tablets from the pharmacy I took one straight away and by the time I'd driven up to Cemaes Bay my arm was already feeling much better.

Parking in a lay-by just above the bay I thought that even though the tide was out I may as well have a quick wander round and take a couple of photos while I was there, and it was while I was over on the harbour wall that I got talking to a lovely old gentleman who told me how to get to Porth Wen without walking all the way from Cemaes, although much of the route was very up-and-down. To walk from Cemaes would be at least four miles one way so to be able to drive some of the way sounded much easier, however I didn't know then exactly what I was letting myself in for....

Driving out of Cemaes Bay and heading back the way I'd gone I took a left turn off the main road - I'd been told to follow the lane all the way down and round to the right and eventually I would find a farmer's gate where I could safely pull in off the road, and opposite I'd find a footpath which would take me across the fields to Porth Wen - except things didn't quite work out like that....

Sunday June 10th 2018 - Rhosneigr & Holyhead

After a leisurely few hours in yet more good weather the first place on my agenda late morning was the big car boot sale on the show ground over at Mona, although in spite of all the stalls there was nothing which attracted me enough to buy it. From there I went across to Rhosneigr and on my approach to the village from the south I was lucky enough to see a vacant space in the small free roadside car park so I left the van there and set off for the main beach. My quest that day was to find and photograph Sausage Castle and a short walk along the sand from the bottom of Beach Road soon found it. 

Not actually a castle but a large private house with castellated walls it's real name was Surf Point Villa. It was built next to the beach in the early 1900s by Charles Palethorpe, a member of the famous pork butchery family specialising in sausages, and hence the house became know as Sausage Castle. With a couple of shots taken I continued along to where the Afon Crigyll flowed out across the beach; I hadn't been so far up that end of the beach before and the riverside looked intriguing so I decided to take a proper look.

Following the river inwards through the dunes I eventually came to where it swept round to the right in a large curve then almost doubled back on itself before turning again and heading off inland. Ahead and to my right was a static caravan park with a footbridge over the river and a small group of kayakers were in the water; another path took me from the riverside across the grass to a small cul-de-sac of houses next to the caravan park and another few minutes walking had me back on the main road through the village. Although I couldn't get close to Sausage Castle from there I managed to get a zoom shot of the back of it from over the wall in front of me then I made my way back to the van.

From Rhosneigr I headed up to Holyhead with the intention of getting some fuel in the van at the Tesco supermarket before it closed then going back to Penrhos coastal park for a cheeseburger from Pete's Burger Bar. As I got to the embankment crossing from Valley towards Holyhead I was met by the strangest thing I've ever seen on Anglesey - a sea mist so thick that it obscured the whole bay from view but the road running alongside it was completely clear and the sun was still blazing down from a blue sky. I just had to get a photo of that but with traffic behind me and nowhere to pull in I continued the couple of minutes up the road to Tesco. 

It didn't take long to get the fuel and drive back to where I could park near the burger bar but in that short time the mist had completely disappeared and the bay was in full sunshine. Talking to Blue as he cooked my burger it seemed that the mist had been coming and going all day and it would probably come back yet again, but though I could see a few wisps lingering out to sea it hadn't returned by the time I'd had my burger and coffee and was ready for leaving.

My next port of call was Breakwater Country Park at the far side of Holyhead; it had been a few years since I was last there so it would be nice to have another look round the place. The car park was a pay-and-display and as I didn't intend being there too long I thought an hour was enough so with my ticket duly stuck in the van window I set off round the nearby lake. It wasn't a big lake so it didn't take long to walk round it, then I went through a gate in the wall and took a walk along the nearby cliff top. In the distance I could hear the faint throb of an engine and it wasn't too long before the Dublin Swift ferry came into view on its way across to Ireland; it was well-named Swift as it certainly seemed to be making fairly rapid progress for the size of it, and as my son hasn't so far had the experience of travelling on that one I took a photo of it for him even though he has actually seen it in both Holyhead and Dublin ports.

From the cliff top I decided to tackle the nearby steep path up Holyhead Mountain but only went up far enough to get a good view over the country park and the rest of Holyhead. I was just lining up a shot when coming towards me up the hill, on a rough track no wider than my van and where you wouldn't expect to see any vehicles, was a Land Rover! Now why on earth anyone would want to drive up there I have no idea (unless maybe the guy had some sheep up there) but I had to tuck the dogs in behind me and squash myself into the hedge to let him pass, then once he'd gone I took the shots I wanted and made my way back down the hill to the van.

Driving back through Holyhead I made an impromptu call to see my friends Louise and Derek but they weren't in so I dropped a note through their letterbox and set off back to the camp site, taking the A55 Expressway back to Llangefni as the quickest route. It was early evening when I finally got back to the tent and with a meal made I spent the rest of the time relaxing with my book and a bit of tv before taking the dogs for their bedtime walk round the site. The few families who had come to their seasonal caravans for the weekend had all gone by the time I'd got back from my day out and I had the place to myself again so my last two nights on site were guaranteed to be lovely and quiet.