Lake Leech

Initially the Anglesey/Wales Coast Path didn't actually provide any good views of the sea. Between the trees I could see the salt marshes and sands of Malltraeth Bay, but very little water. Newborough Forest did have quite a few information boards to help pass the time. I came across a small pond that the information board said was a 'leech pond'. The reason for the name was that leeches used to be harvested here. A cup of pigs blood would be poured into the water to attract the leeches and then they would attach to the human collector's legs. They'd then pick them off and then sell them to doctors. They don't have human collectors nowadays, but they do coralle horses into the pond so that the leeches could have a feed. I'm not sure what the horses think about that. 

Llanddwyn Island

At Craig y Rhywd I was losing patience with the forest and ventured over the dunes to an enormous beach. I looked northwards and saw that I could have done a lot of the forest walking along the beach. I'd actually come out on the north side of Llanddwyn Island. It only becomes an island at some high tides. I could see that the tide was out and there were many people venturing across to it and so I joined them. There are a couple of signed trails on the island and so I picked up the blue one. There were superb views across the Menai Strait to the high mountains of Snowdonia. Most of the summits were in mist, but the cloud shifted constantly as I toured the island. A lot of the trails on the island had been made from shells, nearly all of them broken from the many feet that have plodded along them. I think this was the first time I'd walked on a surface like this. It gave a satisfying crunch on each step. There are the remains of a church towards the end of the island. This is dedicated to St Dwynwen, the Patron Saint Of Lovers. Reading her backstory it looks like she didn't have the best time with relationships. Henry the VIII's devilish deeds extended as far west as Llanddwyn Island and the lead and timber were removed from the building. 

There is an old 'lighthouse' close to the end and is called Twr Bach. It wasn't actually a lighthouse since it didn't have a light, but mariners navigating the Menai Strait used it as a navigational sight, although apparently it was really too small to be seen from sea. There is a much larger lighthouse nearby but this is now all boarded up and its walls could do with a lick of paint. There is also a row of small houses near to the lighthouses. These were used by the pilots that helped navigate the boats along the Menai Strait. An information board said that is the best place to view the mountains of Snowdonia, although...'Those mighty mountains quickly disappear when the weather turns for the worse.' It had certainly closed in during my time on the island and so I made my way back to the mainland. 

LLanddwyn Bay

I followed the beach westwards along Llanddwyn Bay. It was packed with families and dogs, probably due to the easy access of a carpark just off the beach. A couple of people were trying to fly a rather large kite although they seemed to spend most of the time untangling strings. My OS map showed the Anglesey/Wales Coat Path heading inland from the beach, along the edge of Newborough Forest. I didn't really fancy going back into the forest when the sun was out and so I decided to do an out-and-back eastwards along the beach. The map showed a huge blank area known as the Newborough Warren inland from the beach. I couldn't see what the area was like since the dunes were quite high lining the beach. There is a warning on the map that the eastern end of this area is dangerous because of the tides. The tide was coming in now and so after walking for a mile or so, I turned back along the beach towards Newborough Forest. The rain started just as I got back to the forest and it didn't stop for the rest of the day. 

Return Through Newborough Forest

I picked up the Wales Coast Path again and this brought me to the carpark at Pen-lon. I had a soggy lunch there sat at a picnic bench. Rather than return to my car using the same route I used this morning, I decided to take a more direct route through the forest. The map showed that I could link footpaths, bridleways and cycle routes to get back to the start. I'm not always successful at navigating through forests but I found Newborough Forest was pretty good in terms of signage, and I didn't have a problem in finding the right paths. When I got back to the carpark a man was giving exercise instructions to his wife and three kids. They'd just come back from a run and were warming down. They were soaked to the skin and the kids and wife didn't look that happy. They were stretching near their mountain bikes and so it looked like they'd got a bit more exercise still to come. The rain was hammering off my car windscreen as I watched them whilst eating a hot cross bun. 

Well, that was my first section of my Anglesey Coast Path Venture under my belt. The highlight was definitely Llanddwyn Island and that view across the Menai Strait to Snowdonia. Although I'm not a big fan of woodland walking I thought Newborough Forest was okay, with good trails and enough information boards dotted about to stop boredom creeping in.