A chilly night. The tent was pitched on a slope so I kept sliding down. To make matters worse, my leg cramped up in the middle of the night. Try dealing with that in the confines of a sleeping bag.
I’ve barely started along the coast when I’m distracted by the attractive St Beuno’s Church. There’s a note at the entrance:
“Please bolt the door to keep the goats out.”
The floor is traditionally covered with rushes and herbs — straw at the moment.
The path winds through several quarries, culminating in an amazing view along the sea to the stark peaks of Yr Eifl, Nant Gwrtheyrn quarry nestled at the base. Flakes of snow drift down from the hills and swirl between the ruined buildings. Goats are dotted on the slopes, and a white-striped kid runs for the safety of her mother. A lone crow calls down the scree slope. A buzzard circles overhead. I could be back in the 19th century.
A steep road leads out of the valley, twisting round several hairpin bends and climbing high above the creaking pines. Phew! I’m out of shape after a winter without carrying a full pack. It’s always the third day that gets you.
A sculpture to commemorate the miners who worked in the quarries marks the point at which the path branches off from the road and heads up through an exposed pass in the hills. I can’t turn on my iPhone as the touch screen no longer responds in the freezing cold. A stark reminder not to rely on a phone app for navigation. I always take a backup paper map for mountain hikes, such as my recent climb up Cadair Idris, but never bother for coastal walking. That will change for Northwest Scotland.
There are several mine buildings to explore at the top of the pass. I resist the temptation to break the ice.
The views across to Bwlch Mawr are gorgeous, although the wind threatens to snatch my iPhone out of my hands and carry it down the hillside.
Losing the path on the descent, I end up among more mine buildings, before climbing over a locked gate and reaching Trefor village. A couple of locals explain that the goats are driven down from the hills in bad weather and, right on cue, a goat crosses the road next to the church.
A wonderful morning’s walk. The afternoon is rather less inspiring, trudging alongside the road, in the rain, to Caernarfon. At least I can dry out in the Travelodge and have the dubious pleasure of watching France thrash England in the Six Nations.
Next day
My alarm goes off at 5am and stumbling across the floor in the dark to turn it off, with my gear strewn everywhere to dry off, I feel the soft squish of a sandwich under my foot. That’s a fine start then.
Gusts up to 60mph are forecast this evening and I’ve another long hike today, albeit very flat, so I leave before dawn to ensure I get pitched early tonight.
The walk along the Menai Strait ends with a sunny welcome to Anglesey, crossing over the beautiful suspension bridge.
An impressive statue of Lord Nelson, created in 1873, acts as a navigation aid for mariners.
The path diverts inland to the fascinating Neolithic burial mound of Bryn Celli Ddu — the Mound in the Dark Grove. At dawn on midsummer solstice, shafts of light from the rising sun penetrate down the passageway to light the inner burial chamber.
The sun makes a timely appearance, warm enough for me to sit and enjoy lunch.
Navigating another stile, I thought my head felt chilly.
There’s a lot of zig-zagging through fields and marshes, with a few obstacles to navigate.
The reasonably deep Afon Braint must be crossed via slippy stepping stones, which adds a little fun at the end of the day.
The tent is battened down in a sheltered spot at White Lodge campsite, well before the rain and wind arrive.
The White Lion pub is the only place for a little warmth in Newborough village. The landlady is friendly, although the options at the tiny corner bar are limited:
“No one drinks bitter round here.”
There are two regulars, one with a baby in a pram. She wakes up and the landlady turns on twinkling Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling, which is a little surreal, the rest of the walls adorned with heavy metal memorabilia, being my cue for a conversation about seeing Van Halen supporting Black Sabbath in my Sixth Form days. Good times.
Walk distance: 49 miles.
Total distance: 2,875 miles.
Glad to see you are including Anglesey too. Definitely need to get paper maps in Scotland! Some more lovely photos despite the weather challenges. I stayed at the same Travelodge for this part of the coast.
My accommodation staples are camping, hostels, and Travelodge. You know what you are getting with the latter.