RAF Valley

At the other side of the railway line, I reached a road and followed this southwards. The road terminated at an entry point into the airbase, or rather it was labelled as a Crash Exit. There were some cars parked in an area just outside the gate and it looked like that could have been a better car parking spot. The next part of the walk went along the north end of the base. A sign warned me '...not to loiter...' due to low flying aircraft. The track actually went through an array of landing approach lights and so they weren't kidding. I was rather hoping that some jets would take off while I was there so that I could get a good photo, but I wasn't in luck. There are some houses almost directly under the take-off/landing zone and so with it being a Sunday, maybe they were giving the residents a break. I was a bit surprised at the fence on the base, or rather the lack of it. It just seemed like a wire fence that you'd see in a field. I'm sure they've got CCTV and other security equipment in play. I wasn't up for testing it. The track brought me out at the mouth of the river that makes Holy Island an actual island. Across the river I could see the start of Traeth Llydan which had been my turnaround point on yesterday's walk (see Anglesey's Holy Island Completion) . Looking southwards I could see a long stretch of sand that was named Traeth Cymyran on the OS map. I could just make out buildings at the very end; I assumed that was Rhosneigr. It looked like the next hour or so would involve some beach walking. 

Beach Walking

The tide was in and this restricted me to the softer sand which made the walking a little harder. The building at the end of the beach never seemed to get closer and my mind drifted into that deep meditative state where your focus is simply on putting one foot in front of the other and listening to those crashing waves. Occasionally I'd have to drift inland a little bit to avoid an incoming wave, but that was the only peak mental effort I had to do. I heard some thumps behind me and then an elderly jogger dashed by me. He didn't even look in my direction. I guess he was in the 'zone' too. The buildings of Rhosneigr still seemed quite small when I spotted an Anglesey Coast Path fingerpost pointing up into the dunes. I was reluctant to leave the beach, but I could see from the OS map that I'd need to go inland to use a footbridge to cross a river. I dutifully followed the fingerpost and the path through the dunes and this brought me close to the southern end of the airbase. I could see a burnt out jet on the perimeter. I presumed this was used for fire rescue training rather than being the result of a recent failed landing. The track reached the top of a dune and suddenly Rhosneigr was before me. The river snaked through the dunes in front of me and I could see the wooden footbridge which would allow me to traverse it and reach the town. I noticed an Egret resting next to the river. Anglesey is an amazing place. 

Rhosneigr

Rhosneigr is well on its way to gentrification. I could see that it would eventually become another Trearddur. The place was a lot larger than I thought it would be. The Anglesey Coast Path left the beach and followed the main coastal road through the town. The centre of the town appeared to be a junction where there was a convenience store, a chippy and a few small cafes. Judging by the number of people pottering about and squeezed into the cafes, I deduced that it wouldn't be long before there would be quite a lot more premises around here. On the south side of the town I came across a statue to Sir Max Norton who was born in Rhosneigr. He served as Commander In Chief To Western Approaches, directing Britain's response to the Nazi submarines. His statue glares out to sea, no doubt looking for a periscope piercing the waves. 

A concrete ramp brought me down to the beach at the end of Rhosneigr. 'Great, some more beach walking' I thought. I walked about 50 yards along the sand and then noticed a fingerpost directing me into the dunes. It looked like I had been a bit presumptuous. 

Kingsmill Bench

On the other side of the dunes I came across a picnic area with some tables. There was a wooden bench next to the tables and it had a plaque on it. The plaque said that the bench had been voted the 'Kingsmill Best UK Top Ten Lunch Spots - 2013.' Well, well, well! The last one of those plaques I'd seen on a bench at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland. Would you believe it? I could so easily have walked by it. In acknowledgement of this serendipity, I've decided to create a Kingsmill 2013 UK Top Ten Lunch Spots Venture. I've now got 2 out of 10. Whereas the Bamburgh bench was perched on the top of a hill and had a commanding view of that dramatic castle, I'm afraid the Rhosneigr bench just had a view of a dune in front of it. Sure, if you walked over the dune, you had a nice view of the sea, but I'm afraid the Rhosneigr bench isn't in the same league as the Bamburgh one. Happy with an unexpected tick on my Kingsmill 2013 UK Top Ten Lunch Spots Venture, I set off southwards through the dunes towards Tywyn Fferam.

Dunes 2

I followed the Anglesey Coast Path through the dunes. To be honest, it wasn't that inspiring, I'd have preferred to have walked on the beach. I presume they positioned it inland because of the tides. There were quite a few pools of water on the route that required avoidance action, but they were easily avoided. Before I knew it, I dropped down into that large carpark at Tywyn Fferam. There was the familiar mobile sauna parked up with a stock of stacked against it. I've still never seen anyone actually go into it. I climbed over the dune and down on to the beach. Three people were bravely trying to go for a swim in a sea that didn't look that inviting. There seemed to be more noise than action. I looked up and down the coast. Apart from a short inland section of the Anglesey Coast Path, I'd now walked the western side of Anglesey, from Holyhead to Britannia Bridge. It felt like quite a distance and some achievement. I just had the northern and eastern side of Anglesey to do now. 

Return

It was even busier on my return to Rhosneigr. Near to the main junction, I heard some singing. I turned around and saw about 50 people approaching the junction. They were singing a hymn. Well, I suppose it was Sunday and I was on Wales. 

I thought the RAF chaps might have fired up some jets for me as I walked back along that long beach beside the airfield. They were obviously having a lay in since it was all quiet on the western front. How disappointing. 

Back in the RAF Valley nature reserve I found a few people wandering about. I wasn't sure if they were birders or whether they'd walked in by mistake and couldn't find their way out again. I climbed to the top of a crag and saw the outline of some Cormorants on a small island in one of the lakes. I'll have to come back here on another day with my big lens. 

It had been a memorable walk. My disappointment of not experiencing any low flying jets had been diminished somewhat by finding the Kingsmill 2013 Top 10 UK Lunch Spot at Rhosneigr. There was some lovely coastline scenery on the walk and lots of relaxing beach walking.