Iron Age Circles

Just before reaching South Stack a  sign alerted me to a historical site in the field next to the road. It turned out to be the remains of an Iron Age settlement. An information board said that the buildings were 2500 years old and that the area had been farmed 3000 years before that. I was surprised at how many building bases were still intact; there must have been a dozen or more. It puzzles me why they'd choose such a site as this. The land doesn't provide much protection from the strong winds coming off the sea. Surely they'd have been better off in the lowlands. The information board said that there was evidence of a fort being on the top of nearby Holyhead Mountain, and so I guess that was probably the reason. 

South Stack RSPB

I followed an RSPB trail down to the cliffs and was a little unsettled to see that the drop was almost vertical down to the sea far below. It was very impressive and a little unnerving. The path followed the cliff edge northwards and I made my way tentatively along dreading the idea that one of the strong gusts of wind would pick me up and send me over the edge. I was relieved to get to Ellin's Tower, a two storey RSPB building with large windows, allowing a good view of the cliffs and birds. It is only a small building and it was busy with people and so I didn't stay long. The lighthouse on South Stack is visible from here and I tried to brace myself against the strong wind to get a steady shot. I made my way back up to the road and to the RSPB Visitor's Centre where I refuelled with a coffee and a chocolate brownie. The café and shop was very busy with people. I gate-crashed a presentation about South Stacks given by a bearded RSPB volunteer. His audience was a group of Chinese visitors and judging by their faces I'm not sure how much they understood. I learned that the lighthouse is not owned by the RSPB and you have to pay extra to visit it. Even so, I could still go down the 400 steps to the bridge that takes you across to the lighthouse, for free. That sounded good enough to me and so I headed off along the road to the start of the staircase to the lighthouse. 

South Stack Lighthouse

The 400 steps down to the lighthouse are designed as a series of switchbacks. There was a large concrete barrier between me and any drops and so there was no real sense of exposure. The views were amazing though, along the cliffs and over to the lighthouse itself. There was a steeper staircase just before the bridge, but some handrails made it feel safe enough. They don't actually check your ticket (you buy them at a booth next to the RSPB Visitor Centre) until you cross the bridge and so I got my money's worth (metaphorically speaking) by walking out on to the bridge to get some photos. The sea gushed beneath me. It was all very dramatic. I waved goodbye to my Chinese friends who had followed me down the 400 steps and were now at the other end of the bridge giving their lighthouse tickets to the attendant. I climbed back up the short section of stairs. This made me breathe hard and I began to wonder whether it had been such a good idea to descend down all 400 of the steps. Maybe I should have compromised at 200. Ten minutes later I was back at the top of the cliffs. South Stack was stunning and should be on everybody's 'to do' list. 

Holyhead Mountain

The Anglesey/Wales Coast Path took me towards Holyhead Mountain and its summit was next on my itinerary. It is only 220 metres high and looks quite benign from afar. But looks can be deceiving. It has plenty of crags and cliffs around it. There are also numerous paths and I reckon it could be quite a confusing place in bad weather. I avoided the south face where a couple of climbers were making good progress up a cliff, and chose an easier path on its western side. When I got to the summit a young female runner was sat on the trig, taking selfies from every compass point. The process was taking so long that I thought it might be dark before I got my turn. Eventually she hopped off and I made my way up to the plinth to get my photos. It was certainly an exceptional view over to Holyhead. I could even see a hazy outline of Snowdonia, far to the south. On the descent I somehow managed to come down on a different path to my ascent, and this disorientated me a bit. I was wanting to head for North Stack, but I'd come down too far east. I found my way back on to the coast path and this led me down a rough track to the buildings at North Stack. There was a great view back along the cliffs to South Stack. I was surprised to see a Landrover parked on the premises. I couldn't believe somebody had driven down the steep, crumbling track that I'd just walked down. Rather them than me. 

Holyhead Breakwater

The coast path now contoured along the hillside towards Holyhead. This stretch was a real delight with good views down the coast. A ferry circled a few miles outside Holyhead, waiting for one in the harbour to leave. The path felt quite safe, but there are some large inland cliffs and crags here. The path brought me towards Holyhead through the Holyhead Breakwater Country Park. I'd seen the long breakwater, snaking its way into the sea, from the top of Holyhead Mountain, and I'd entertained the idea of doing an out-and-back walk along it. A perusal of an information board quashed that idea completely when I learned that at 1.5 miles long, it is the second longest breakwater in the world. This was a long walk and another 3 miles on top would be too much. The Anglesey/Wales Coast Path follows a lane into Holyhead past what looks like a castle and some large ornate houses. These were derelict and vandalised. Some kids had broken in through the security fence and it sounded as if they were causing yet more damage. Such a shame that they had gone to ruin. 

Anglesey Coast Path Start And Finish

A male and female copper strolled towards me near the marina. They looked so young that I almost asked why they weren't at school. I headed towards the ferry terminal and then swung to the right when I reached its boundary fence. A sign said that there was a Roman fort up to my right. I climbed some steps and found a pretty church, called St Cybi's.  Apparently the church had been built over the fort. The elevation made it a good viewing point to look over the ferry terminal and train station. I could see John McGregor Skinner's obelisk (see Holyhead Penrhos Alternative) on a crag at the other side of the terminal. Just as I was leaving the churchyard I noticed a small metal sign near the gate. The inscription said that it was the official start of the Anglesey Coast Path. Crikey, how lucky was that! It was only by chance that I'd found my way into this small churchyard. I'm glad I've visited the official start and finish point for my Anglesey Coast Path Venture. A rather glamourous pedestrian bridge took me over railway lines, roads, ferry terminals and water, to the railway station. There was a large information board in there that gave details about the Anglesey Coast Path. It says that walkers should allow 12 days to complete the 125 miles. Maybe I would be better completing the walk by linear, rather than circular and out-and-back walks. Or maybe a mixture of the two. Something to peruse. 

I made my way back to the Premier Inn using the same route I'd used yesterday (see Holyhead Penrhos Alternative). The suburbs felt so familiar that I considered myself a local now. Today's walk had been superb. It covered a remarkable section of the Anglesey coastline. The sun and blue skies helped too.