Amlwch

The large concrete complex looked like the headquarters for a James Bond villain. It was all fenced off and so the coastal path took me inland to go around it. There was a water tower on the site. I thought that maybe it was just a water treatment facility, although I couldn’t guess why one would require that large concrete structure on the cliff side.  I followed the security fence around to its eastern side. I crossed an old railway line that headed into the secured area. There were other buildings on the site, one or two of them looking derelict. I was still none the wiser when I reached the end of the security fence. I’d find out about the history of the place on my return later in the day. 

The path went past a derelict windmill and then the view opened up to a wonderful little harbour. Amlwch’s harbour turned out to be a lot larger than I initially thought since it cut itself quite a way inland. There was no footbridge over it and so the footpath took me all the way around. It was certainly a pretty place with the main village hidden away. I climbed out of the harbour and back on to the cliff tops again. I got the feeling that there definitely wouldn’t be any beach walking today. 

Point Lynas

To be honest, I wasn’t that bothered that I couldn’t walk on a beach since the elevated position from the top of the cliffs provided an excellent panorama. A large white building came into view further along the coast. I figured that this would be the lighthouse at Point Lynas. It really was an excellent path along the cliff tops. For much of the day the path avoided going past houses and so had quite a remote feeling to it. I dropped down to a few dwellings though at the twee little bay of Porth Eilan, before climbing to the top of the cliffs again. 

The lighthouse at Point Lynas was an out-and-back feature on the Anglesey Coast Path and it was well worth making the excursion to see it. I followed a footpath that went around the walled site. The massive light was on show in the south facing window. There were excellent views from the headland too; westwards towards Bull Bay and eastwards to the high peaks on the distant Welsh mainland. For the first time on the Anglesey Coast Path I had the sense that its completion wasn’t that far off. Just at the base of those hills would be the Menai Bridge, my finishing line for this Venture. I started heading towards the mainland. 

Heading South

I have to say that the next section from Point Lynas towards Dulas Bay provided some of the most enjoyable walking that I’ve experienced on the Anglesey Coast Path. The views were open and dramatic. The paths were good. There was a feeling of remoteness to the area. Plenty of birdlife was on view. Even the sun was out. It was wonderful walking. The small island of Ynys Dulas, maybe a mile or two offshore, was my constant companion along this stretch. It had a tall tower built at the centre of it. As I traversed the hillsides, the Snowdonia mountains got larger and larger. I was enjoying myself so much that I went beyond my planned turnaround point. Eventually the path turned away from the coast and headed uphill. Near to the top it joined a country lane. I reckoned that this would make a suitable turnaround point for the day. All I had to do now was to reverse my walk back to Bull Bay. 

Return

Not long after I started my return trip, I came across a young couple and an older man walking the other way. I’d passed them and greeted them on my outward trip, but I chatted with them for a bit longer this time. They were also doing all the Anglesey Coast Path as day walks and this was their second walk. I Tommy Topped them by saying I’d only six more walks to go. They were doing linear walks rather than out-and-backs which would make things a bit easier for them.   

Near Point Lynas I came across a Kestrel hunting for some dinner. It allowed me to get surprisingly close before it banked away like a Spitfire and soared away. The sun had brought out other walkers on to the path. Given the great weather and with it being a Saturday, I was surprised that I didn’t see more though. Even the harbour at Amlwch only had half a dozen potterers mooching about.  

‘Have you seen this?’ An elderly man walking his dog was standing on the path next to a brook. The brook flowed into that large mysterious industrial site that had triggered my curiosity earlier in the day. The brook looked a dirty, glutinous brown. ‘It shouldn’t be allowed’ he said. Given that I thought the site was a water treatment works, I wondered whether the brook was carrying sewerage. ‘There’s a children’s playground just upstream from here’ he informed me. He then stepped onto a soap box and had a bit of a rant about water companies, dividend payments, pollution and executive salaries. Whenever I speak to strangers in Wales, Yorkshire or the northeast of England, I find that you are always only one conversation away from the miner’s strike. And so it was in this case. He told me what he thought of the decline of the mining industry and his hatred of Thatcher. I couldn’t disagree with his points of view, but it was such a nice day, I didn’t want to spoil it by talking about stuff that I couldn’t change. Instead I deflected the conversation towards the mysterious industrial site with his large cliff top buildings. The chap told me that it had been built by Octel to produce chemicals for fuel, specifically bromine and dibromoethane. They ceased production in 2004. I asked him about the old railway line that I’d seen this morning. Apparently Amlwych had had its own station until ‘...the government got rid of it.’ I left him chuntering something about Beeching.    

There were only half a dozen cars in the carpark when I got back. Amazing. A wonderful spot like Bull Bay, I would have expected it to be full. Today’s walk was excellent. I don’t think I’ve used the word ‘excellent’ to describe many walks, but this one certainly deserved it.