Fire on the Llŷn!

While driving around the end of the peninsula the other day, we noticed that there were quite a few plumes of thick smoke rising from the upper areas of Mynydd Rhiw and its surrounding hills.

Alarming as these may seem, they are actually a normal occurrence around this time of year and are actually a deliberate tool of land management.  These slopes are covered in a distinctive mix of heather, bracken and gorse, which supports a unique mix of wildlife. Without a regular programme of burning the heather would first become woody and over grown, and then eventually be replaced by more and more shrubs and trees until the land reverted to forest which is the default state or "climax vegetation" for the British Isles. While woodland is, of course, attractive and desirable in itself with its own different mix of wildlife, maintaining the heather heathland in this way brings a rich variety to the landscape and enables it to support more and different wild species than it otherwise would. The fires generally move quickly and burn out fast, which prevents the soil and roots of the heather being damaged so it can quickly send up new green shoots. Traditionally these shoots were encouraged to provide food for shooting birds such as grouse, although I don't know if much shooting for sport goes on around here these days.

Usually only small sections are burnt at a time, giving rise to the stripes and patches of growth often seen on upland slopes. This allows wildlife to escape from a burning area.

Another 15 minutes of fame for Porthor

You may remember seeing Porthor, or Whistling Sands beach featured on the BBC programme Coast a few years ago. This kind of thing is always good for the area as it raises public awareness of it as a possible holiday destination. So, when Peter and I were asked for some advice on what to film by a TV production company doing a feature on walking the Wales Coast Path we were more than happy to help out. The programme will be coming out next spring on Channel 4 and this will be one of several segments in the programme including walks in Dorset and Pembrokeshire, each visited by a different celebrity. In the Llŷn's case this was Ben Fogle, who brought his very friendly one year old labrador Storm along for the walk.

Ben and Storm

The crew and their mountains of heavy equipment.

Ben doing an establishing shot.

Approaching Whistling Sands with the cafe visible in the distance.

The weather was a bit temperamental, but fortunately stayed dry enough for them to film. The first stop was the eastern end of Porthor beach.

Luckily the sand was dry enough to make its famous "squeak" when walked on.

The crew planned to carry on to Mynydd Mawr to take shots of the classic view of Bardsey before walking north to Porth Meudwy to interview Colin Evans, the Bardsey Boatman and then to Aberdaron itself. We're very much looking forward to seeing some of the peninsula's spectacular scenery on screen next year.

Cardiff woman beats off global competition to be named Bardsey Island Manager | News

Cardiff woman beats off global competition to be named Bardsey Island Manager | News

 Those of you who know Aberdaron are aware of how important Bardsey Island is to the area. As an important site for pilgrimage in North Wales, visiting it forms a natural climax for many of our walkers' holidays. The strenuous (but hopefully very enjoyable) journey along the coast path is completed, and their reward is a boat journey to this beautiful and peaceful island, where the nearest thing to noise pollution is the sound of seals barking their greetings to one another.

Consequently, we're very glad to see that management of the island will continue to be in the hands of people who love it as much as everyone here. Sian Stacey, from Cardiff, first visited the island at age 10, and years later met her partner Mark there who now works at the Bird Observatory. Sian beat off competition from 300 other applicants to earn the post.

“Bardsey has always played a big part in my life and I’m honoured and excited to be a part of Bardsey’s life now." said Sian during an interview in the Daily Post.
“It’s such a beautiful, rugged, rich in wildlife, tiny island which is steeped in history, being able to experience these things every day will be a huge privilege.
“I’m looking forward to living on Bardsey and being part of the island community, meeting the people who visit and stay on the island and working hard to make sure that everybody enjoys all that Bardsey has to offer.”

Sian will begin her stewardship of the island this autumn. Croeso i Enlli Sian!

Walking Opportunities in Conwy

Our customers spend most of their time on the Llŷn Coast Path and enjoy the delightful coastal scenery that it provides. However, visitors, especially overseas guests, are increasingly spending a few days in Snowdonia on their way home for a change of scenery and a chance to climb the iconic mount Snowdon. They also look for opportunities to meet local people as well as to follow local walking routes. I am glad to see that Conwy Council have again teamed up with the Conwy volunteers to provide an autumn walking programme that will enable our guests to fulfil all these requirements.

You can find a full programme of the upcoming walks here.

The walks are free, but a voluntary donation of £2 per person is much appreciated to help cover costs.

A Tale of Two Gardens

I took the opportunity at the weekend to visit two gardens just north of Aberdaron. They were both excellent examples of different types of garden. The first was at Felin Uchaf, an organic garden with a heavy concentration of vegetables, but also some interesting garden designs and decorative structures.

Helen in the vegetable garden.

An insect hotel. This helps to encourage beneficial insects such as bumblebees in this organic garden.

Summer-house, Gazeebo or Folly? You decide.

A classic example of a cleft oak gate which they manufacture here.

The second garden was at Bodrydd right next door. This features a magnificent new-built farmhouse set in a garden given over largely to lakes, lawn and heather. It has a modern feel to it, partly due to the two dominating wind turbines which are part of this farm / caravan / fishing lake complex.

Some people object to these turbines, but in this setting they look quite sculptural.

A first class heather garden that looks particularly good in late summer.

The trout lake. Bring your fishing rod.

Escape from Hell's Mouth!

Porth Neigwl, or Hell's Mouth is a highlight of the Llyn Coast Path, and indeed the entire Wales Coast Path. A sandy beach stretching for almost 4 miles from Mynydd Rhiw to the Cilan Headland, it can be stunningly beautiful walk on a good day with a low tide. Unfortunately Mother Nature doesn't always make things easy, and access down to beach can be difficult from its western end. The cliffs at the northern side of the beach are made from glacial clay and are constantly eroded by the strong tides and waves that make the beach so attractive to surfers. The path that lead down from the western car park has now suffered severe slippage and getting up and down it can be a muddy scramble, as the campers we met the other day discovered.

These campers were trying to get back up to the site above. I would imagine that it would be even more unpleasant going downhill in wet weather.

Although there is an inland route for the Coast Path that can be used at high tide, its a shame not to include this magnificent beach in a walk around the coast if conditions allow. As it is such a highlight for our walkers, Peter and I set out to find a more permanent route down to its western extremity.

After parking at the new car park below Plas yn Rhiw we headed up towards the entrance. Opposite the entrance to the manor house there is a bridleway from the main road that runs past the stone out-buildings in the centre of the picture below, and then snakes its way down the hillside to a boat launching area at the western end of the beach.

The bridleway in front of the stone building with the black doors is not signposted but is still marked as a right of way on OS maps.

The path is steep but has a good surface.

After a hairpin bend, the path heads north to the beach.

The boathouse at the bottom of the track. Gorgeous location.

This is the slipway down to the beach.

As we continued east it became apparent why few walkers choose this route. The beach is covered with large, loose boulders here which makes picking your way through quite difficult. It's very easy to turn your ankle as the stones shift under your weight.

Watch your step!

As you continue east some sandy stretches appear. It was nice to finally be able to look up from our feet to enjoy the view!

Finally we were on firm sand. Because the tide covers most of the beach the sand stays wet and firm, making it easier to walk on than the very dry, soft sand found on some beaches.

Neither of us fancied scrambling up the muddy cliffs, so we went back the way we had come. Despite the danger and difficulty of walking over the large boulders at the western end, we think this could potentially make a good access route to the beach. Perhaps Gwynedd Council could send a bulldozer to clear a path through if they feel there is enough demand for it? We certainly hope so, as Porth Neigwl really is one of the most magnificent beaches you could ever hope to see, and it would be great if more people could enjoy it.

Upgrades to the Wales Coast Path

Gwynedd Council has recently improved the section of the path that runs through Rhiw at the western end of Hell's Mouth. The path now takes a more direct route from the Penarfynydd Headland to Plas yn Rhiw and cuts out some steep sections that were particularly tiring.

The new route is highlighted in red above, and the old route in green. Going from south west to north east, the steep climb from Pen yr ogof to the main road in the centre of Rhiw has been replaced with a downhill section that then flattens out into a walk through a very pleasant wooded area. It then crosses the main road at a much lower elevation at the entrance to Plas yn Rhiw, enabling walkers to visit the house, gardens and tea room before moving on to Hell's Mouth. Peter and I walked this route the other day in the opposite direction from the new car park below Plas yn Rhiw.

New path furniture has been installed along with plenty of signage. This is the kissing gate opposite the entrance to Plas yn Rhiw.

The path then heads downhill across an open field to the corner of the woods beyond.

Views of Hell's Mouth and the Cilan headland are everywhere along this path.

A new and well-built wooden bridge crosses the gully at the edge of the wood.

This is a very pleasant deciduous woodland that provides some welcome shade on a hot day. This is a bluebell wood so it should be magnificent in the springtime.

Another new gate leading out of the woods. Gwynedd Council have clearly invested a lot of time and effort into improving the path here.

The path then climbs quite steeply up through the bracken to the Penarfynydd Headland.

This is looking back the way we came from the point at which the new path rejoins the old one. 

All in all, we were both very impressed with the changes made, as it made the walk from west to east much less strenuous, and provided a nice change of scenery with the woodland. It's well worth taking a stroll here if you are in the area.