Moel Hebog from Llyn Cwmstradllyn 30th June 2012

Llyn Cwmstradllyn from Gorseddau Quarry.

At the summit of Moel Hebog.

At the summit of Moel Hebog.

On the old railway track, the last stretch of the walk back to the car.

A Brown hare lying low.

Not the best photo of the bird of the day - a Whinchat.

Walk stats: Distance: 10.0 miles. Climb: 2360' - estimated as GPS gave 3800', wind assisted!

Time: 7 hours 4 minutes. On the move walking average: 1.7 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.4 m.p.h.

Group: Martyn and Dave J.

The weather forecast wasn't too good, showers, strong winds and even worse a cloud base below 1000'.

The walk started well with a Whinchat (female) sitting on a fence post near to the start. Visibilty was good at this point as we headed for Gorseddau Quarry, but that's where we left the views for quite some time as we contoured around the grassy slopes heading for the path that leads from Bedgelert to the summit of Moel Hebog.  We did get the occasional glimpse of the valley below, but that was all. In fact at one point we walked on a compass bearing to get us to Moel Hebog path.

We didn't linger at the summit trig point for long, as it was very windy and views were none exitant. We were thankful to have got there and were glad to be descending to Bwlch Meillionen.

The route from here was a little on the boggy side, and didn't let up even when we reached the old railway track that we encountered our first rain of the day, large drops that almost seemed like hail, but it didn't last long.

It was just off the old railway track that Dave spotted a Brown hare within about 20', it eventualy heard us and raced off as Hares do!

The walk ended, better than it started, with us getting superb views of a pair of Whinchats, just a few yards away from us.

Birds seen or heard today included: Whinchat, Stonechat, Pied wagtail, Raven, Winter wren, Ring ouzel, Common buzzard, Lesser black-backed gull, Meadow pipit, Wheatear and Skylark.

We arrived back at the car, knowing that we had quite a challenging walk in more ways than one. Once again the steps at the Britannia Inn were only overcome as we knew the effort would be rewarded with a good pint of Lees bitter.

Coed Pen y Garth and Nant y Pandy 28th June 2012

The Llangollen to Carrog train, from a point South west of Ty Newydd on the Coed Pen y garth Walk.

In nant Y pandy waiting for yours truly and looking at the information board while they wait!

Heading along the new section for this walk, following a vehicle track that has been nmade to reach several designated gun spots for Grouse shooting. 
Thankfully they don't seem to have been used recently!

Our favourite, Moel Ferna, but not our destination today, thankfully!

Walks stats: Distance : 9.6 miles. Climb: 1460'.

Time: 5 hours 21 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.2 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.8 m.p.h.

Group: Martyn, Roger Phil, David S., Celia, Sylvia and Dave J.

An uncertain weather forecast, and we were expecting showers, in fact we would have been better to have ignored that fact and to have left our waterproofs at home. Showers were mininimal and th better option would have been to carry on and leave waterproofs inour rucksak!

The first part of the walk around Coed y Penarth was new to all of us. This was a very pleasant gentle stroll and a good start to the walk. However when we strated on the path that went westward from Garth Isaf to Ty Newydd, we were challenged with hundreds of biting Horse flies and "head high" ( a slight exageration!) stinging Nettles! Thankfully the two Davids and Phil beat a way through them to the benefit of those still with bare legs!
The Nant y Pandy walk was one we have done many times before, but thsis new version went East across the moor instead of West. This proved to be a much better route than the original one that was described!
We arrived back at the car, quite tired as for much of the walk it had been very humid, and in the latter stages, the temperature must ahve been in the high twenties, not my most ideal temperature and this turned to be an 8 hankerchief walk, although I may ahve lost one on route!
Birds seen or heard today included: Greenfinch, Chiffchaff, Willow warbler, Blackcap, Common blackbird, Common buzzrard, House martin, Barn swallow, Common swift, Meadow pipit, Winter wren and Carrion crow.
After walk drinks were enjoyed at The Grouse Inn at Carrog, where the Lees bitter went down very well. I'm sure the other drinks consumed by those not able to appreciate this brew today, went down well too!

Walks and Dates June 2012

Updated 25th June 2012.

Saturday 2nd June 2012.

Around Holy Island.

Distance:12-13 miles. Climb:1326'.
Start: Roadside parking opposite PC by the Old Harbour in Holyhead. Just before the turning to South Stack. SH245831.
Leave Chester 8-00 a.m.
This is another walk that has become an annual favourite. Much of the walk is along the Coastal path, but we will probably make a detour to visit the summit of Holyhead Mountain. A good chance of seeing Choughs, Guillimots, Razorbills and even Puffins. Bring binoculars if you can.

Thursday 7th June 2012.

Gloddaeth Hall and Bryn Pydew.

Distance: 10 miles. Climb: 1500'.
Start: Marl Hall Wood Car Park on the outskirts of Llandudno. Grid ref: SH 799787.
Directions to get to the car park. Leave the A55 at Junction 19 and follow the A470 towards Llandudno. At a roundabout turn right signposted to Esgryn / Pydew. Go past Esgryn Road to find a small car park on the right.
Leave Chester at 09-00 a.m.
This walk combines two walks from Dave Berry's book "Walks Around Llandudno".  These walks explore the area around St. David's College that we normally visit on our Little Orme walks.  In addition, we will take a short there and back extension to visit the obelisk that we see clearly as we travel along the A55.

Saturday 9th June 2012.

Red Wharf Bay and Llanddona.

Distance: 11-12 miles. Climb: 1200'.
Start: Pay and display car park at Benllech. Grid ref: SH523824.
Leave Chester at 08-00 a.m.
This walk combines two walks from Carl Rogers' books on coastal walks in Anglesey. We may also include a detour to visit Arthur's Table. This is a n undulating walk including some little frequented sections of the coast. Another walk to bring binoculars.

Thursday 14th June 2012.

The Old Horseshoe Pass, Eglywseg Rocks and Glen.

Distance:10.3 miles; Climb:2205'.
Start:Car park opposite the Ponderosa Cafe on the Horseshoe Pass. Grid ref:SJ193481.
Leave Chester 9-00 a.m.
This walk combines two walks from Dave Berry's book "Walking Around Llangollen and the Dee Valley". These are two delightful walks, especially when the weather is good. An easy start heading down hill, a superb middle section with a challenging climb up the old Horseshoe Pass road at the end!

Saturday 16th June 2012.

Lathkill Dale and More.

Distance:11-12 miles; Climb:900'.

Start: Moor Lane car park just outside Youlegrave. Grid ref:SK192643.
Leave Chester:8-00 a.m.
This combines two walks from Mark Richard's book "White Peak Walks Northern Dales". This walk should be mid-season the flower "Jacob's Ladder", so we should be able to spot some in flower. Lathkill Dale is renown for its wild flowers, so this should be a good time visit the dale.

Thursday 21st June 2012.

Moel Maenefa and Coed Cwm.

Distance:11 miles; Climb: 1500+'.
Start: Off road parking just East of Tremeirchion. Grid ref:SJ095740.
Leave Chester 9-00 a.m.
This walk combines two walks from Dave Berry's book "Walks On the Clwydian Hills - New Edition". The Moel Maenefa walk is a new one for me and is described as being a walk of great variety, exploring the foothills of the Northern Clwydians and the Vale of Clwyd, offering expansive views. One of the walks also goes around Coed Cwm and explores the attractive countryside between Rhuallt and Cwm. Route finding through Coed Cwm could be intresting, if I remember correctly from our previous visits!

Saturday 23rd June 2012.
Walk cancelled.

Creigiau Gleison, Llyn Crafnant and Llyn Geirionydd

This walk will now be in July or August.

Distance: 10-11 miles. Climb:2000'.

Start: Pay and Display Car park near Llyn Crafnant. Grid ref: SH756618.

Leave Chester at 08-00 a.m

This walk combines two walks from Carl Rogers book "Walks in the Conwy Valley". One walk is

described as being quite strennuous and requires good route finding, particularly on the featureless approach to Creigiau Gleison. This little ridge is one that I have wanted to visit for some time, so let's hope for a good day weatherwise.

Thursday 28th June 2012.
Coed Pen-y- Garth and Nant-y-Pandy.

Distance: 9 miles. Climb: 1500'.
Start: Layby near Butterfly Man Craft Centre on the A5 East of Glyndyfrdwy. Grid ref: SJ158424.
This walk combines two walks from Dave Berry's book "Walks Around Llangollen and the Dee Valley". The walk around Coed Pen-y-Pant is a new addition to the routes, but Nant-y- Pandy we have completed many times. This is probably the first time that we have visited Nat-y-Pandy in the Summer, so it will be good to see how the valley's character changes when it's in it Summer clothes.

Saturday 30th June 2012.

Moel Hebog.

Distance:9 miles; Climb:2360'.
Start: Car park at Llyn Cwmystradlyn. Grid ref:SH557441
Leave Chester 8-00 a.m.
This is a walk that I have been interested in attempting for some time and approaches Moel Hebog from the opposite side to our normal approach. This walk is taken from Bryan Lynas's book "Snowdonia Rocky Rambles - Geology Beneath Your Feet". This book is written specifically to explore the geology of an area and should enable us to explore this area in a different light. Following the route description amidst the in depth geological notes could be quite a challenge, as much of the route does not follow good paths!  We've manged it once before, so it should be a little easier this time.  Hopefully we won't lose Celia this time!

The Saddle of Kerridge, Big Low and Berriststall Dale 25th June 2012

At White Nancy in its Jubilee Colours.

Looking towards Big Low from White Nancy.

"My ownwer should have gone to Specsavers!"

"The quintessential English setting of Mellow Brook".

Walk stats: Distance: 7.3 miles. Climb: 1140'.

Time: 4 hours 19 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.2 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.7 m.p.h.

Group: Martyn and Sue Powell.

Just about perfect conditions for walking, not too hot and not too cold. In fact I only used one handkerchief!

The appearance of White Nancy took me by surprise, instead of looking quite shabby with lots of graffiti, it had been painted as part of the Jubilee celebrations, and as yet had no unwanted graffiti to spoil it.  The best part of the walk was the next section along the Saddle of Kerridge, where we had good views in all directions.

The second walk towards Big Low and Berristall Dale was a pleasant walk in the countryside, but with nothing special to commend it.

Birds seen or heard today included: Common swift, Barn swallow, House martin, Jackdaw, Kestrel, Chiffchaff, Willow warbler, Winter wren, Eurasian jay, Green woodpecker, Wodpigeon, Common blackbird, Blackcap, Black-billed magpie, Grey wagtail, Greenfinch, House sparrow and Bullfinch.

We arrived back at the car having had a very enjoyable walk and ready for our Indian meal at the Chutney Lobster back in Sale. A really good meal and at a reasonable price too!

Talacre to Prestatyn 23rd June 2012

The lighthouse at Talacre.

The final stretch of the beach to Prestatyn.

Looking back towards Talacre.

Walk stats: Distance: 8.6 mile. Climb: 100' at a guess!

Time: 3 hours 58 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.7 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 2.1 m.p.h.

Group: Martyn and Roger.

The walk didn't start well, Roger found that he had left his walking boots at home and decided to walk in ordinary shoes and fifteen minutes into the walk as we approached the lighthouse, Martyn thought that he could feel spots of rain on the back of his legs, but found that it was his drink leaking from the bottom of his rucksack (the tubing on his platypus had pulled loose!).

It was a glorious day for walking on the beach and for most of the morning we had it to ourselves, except for the odd dog walker at the start.  However we did have to battle against a pretty strong wing that produced a sand storm. Thankfully the sand grains never got more than a foot off the ground, so it was only our legs that got battered.

Birds were difficult to hear as the noise of the wind drowned most of the sound. We did however hear quite a lot of Skylarks singing in the dune and above the marshy areas.  Undoubtedly the birds of the day were the Little terns at Gronant, where we must have seen over 100 flying above their protected nesting site.

Birds seen or heard today included: Skylark, Meadow pipit, Herring gull, Great black-backed gull, Lesser black-backed gull, Black-headed gull, Carrion crow, Little tern, Common tern, Mute swan, Mallard, Greenfinch, Sedge warbler, Common whitethroat, Sedge warbler, Reed bunting, House sparrow, House martin, Barn swallow, Common swift, Common starling, Kestrel, Oystercatcher and Black-billed magpie.

Lunch was taken in the shelter of the sand dunes near Presthaven holiday camp. As ate lunch we had good views of the incoming tide, pushing the gulls and the Common terns onto the beach in front of us.

After lunch we took the inland path that eventually goes through "The Warren" and the nature reserve back to Talacre.  Unfortunately it meant that we had to go through the middle of the holiday camp before we reached "The Warren".  Roger wasn't sure that he really wanted to going through the camp, but it allowed us to see how busy the whole site was and that lots of family were enjoying themselves. Not everyone has to go great distances to have a good holiday, this corner of Wales has lots to offer  too!

After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Britannia Inn at Halkyn, where the Lees bitter was still on form. Drinks over by 14-00 hours, Roger managed to get the OK to return early!

A good walk, mainly in sunshine, and the only rain was in the car park at the Brit!

Around Moel Maenefa and Coed Cwm 21st June 2012

Plas yr Cwn, near Rhuallt.

It's good to be walking across short grass!

A field of blooming Foxgloves as we descended to Rhuallt.

Coed Cwm from the slopes of Moel Maenefa.

Walk stats: Distance: 11.6 miles. Climb: 1487'.

Time: 6 hours 5 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.3 m.p.. Overall walk average: 1.9 m.p.h.

Group: Martyn, Roger, Annie H., Sue and Michel, Phil, Dave J and David S.

If we had listened to the weather forecasters or just looked out of the window at 08-00, we wouldn't have even started this walk!  However if you had looked at weather maps / charts as they showed the course of the rain clouds, then you could have optimistically expected litle or no rain between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.  In fact we didn't get any significant rain from the start of the walk at 10 a.m. and had a few spots as we walked the last half or mile or so along the road back to the cars.

However it wasn't perfect conditions for walking, as it was very humid, a day when you would have been grateful for a gentle breeze.

This walk included  paths through meadows as they should be, full of flowers, mainly Buttercups and Red and White clover, but still good to see.

We also had encounters with bullocks that rushed across the field to see us up close, closer than some of us really wanted!

Stiles too were not at their best and several were in a dangerous state, and other just difficult to climb, for those whose knees are reluctant to bend as they should!

Lunch spots were difficult to find, and we ended up sitting on the roadside below Coed Cwm, much to the amusement of those that passed by in cars!

View today weren't at their best, although you could see the Great Orme in the distant to the North west and Rhyl to the North east.

Birds seen or heard today included: Barn swallow, House martin, Carrion crow, Jackdaw, Common buzzard, Kestrel, Common pheasant, Woodpigeon, Blackcap, European robin, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Common blackbird, Song thrush, Winter wren and Yellowhammer.

Glad to be back at the car, just before 4 p.m, as just afterwards as we headed for the Brit, it started to rain quite heavily.

With tired limbs, the Lees bitter at the Britannia Inn  at Halkyn was just what some of need to revive us!

Lathkill Dale 16th June 2012

Bradford Dale.

A Common coot and chick at the nest in Lathkill Dale.

Upper Lathkill Dale.

Jacob's Ladder in flower in Lathkill Dale.

Located on the roadside opposite an aggregates quarry / mine on Long Rake.

Walk stats: Distance: 12.0 miles. Climb: 786'.

Time: 5 hours 22 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.6 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 2.32 m.p.h.

Group: Martyn, Dave J and Mike D.

This is always a good time of the year to walk in Lathkill Dale, even if we had plenty of the wet stuff. There were plenty of flowers in bloom all along Lathkill Dale and Jacob's Ladder seemed plentiful in its usual spot.

The river was much fuller than I have ever seen it before, in fact in places the real path was flooded to depths well above boot level. Thankfully there was always a way round these flooded areas, taking the ground slightly higher.

Lunch was taken opposite the footbridge leading into Cales Dale, catching just about enough time in the sunshine to finish our food.

We finished the walk by taking paths across the fields to Long Rake, and in so doing avoided the drop into Cales Dale and the steep climb out of it on the way to Calling Low.

Birds seen or heard today included: Barn swallow, House martin, Common swift, House sparrow, Skylark, Carrion crow, Common blackbird, Pied wagtail, Chiffchaff, Willow warbler, Garden warbler, Blackcap, Jackdaw, Redstart, Tufted duck, Mallard, Grey wagtail, Common coot, Blue tit, Mute swan, Common pheasant, Chaffinch, European robin, Greenfinch, Green woodpecker and Eurasian curlew.

We arrived back at the car with tired legs and looking forward to a pint of Hartington Bitter at the Wilkes Head in Leek. We weren't disappointed!

Eglwyseg Rocks and the Old Horseshoe Pass 14 th June 2012

The way ahead at the start.

(when it would have been better to go for a hot drink in the warm dry Ponderosa Cafe!)

At the best way marker of the day.

The Eglwyseg Rocks, just about clearly seen.

On Offa's Dyke Footpath below the Eglwyseg Rocks.

Walk stats: Distance: 8.4 miles. Climb: 1687'.

Time: 4 hours 49 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.3 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.7 m.p.h.

Group: Martyn, Annie H., David S., Phil, Sue and Dave P.

Just as we had finished putting our boots on it started to rain quite heavily and the temperature was just in double figures.  We set off, perhaps with some of the group regretting the decision not to go into the Ponderosa Cafe for a hot drink and wait until the rain went off!

Thankfully after a short while the rain did stop, but it still on the cool side, and remained so until we were in the Eglwyseg Valley. Views for the first hour were very limited, but cleared up as we joined the Offa's Dyke Footpath below the Eglwyseg Rocks. It was on this section that we had lunch, sitting in the warm sunshine.

On this occasion we took the path that leads to Rivendell, cutting the walk short by a couple of miles, and did the same when we reached Pentredwr whe we continued along the road taking the direct root up the old Horseshoe Pass road back to the car.

Birds seen or heard today included: Meadow pipit, Skylark, Carrion crow, Jackdaw, Goldfinch, Raven, Willow warbler, Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, Winter wren, Blackcap, Red grouse, Red-legged partridge, Common whitethroat and House sparrow.

After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Bridge Inn at Pontybodkin, where Cottage Brewery, Full Steam Ahead went down well.

Red Wharf Bay and The Wall 9th June 2012.

No photos on this walk - I forgot to charge the battery in my camera!

Walk stats: Distance: 11.6 miles. Climb: 888'.
Time: 5 hours 25 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.6 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 2.1 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn and Mike.
The weather today was not at its best to say the least. There was lots of dampness in the air, and the rain when it came was somewhat annoying for those of us that have have to have old fashion vision aids!
The walk started by going inland, a walk that we had done before, but this time the approach to Llanbedrgoch School was even more overgrown than ever and added to the scratches on anyone wearing shorts!
We gladly arrived back on the coast, anticipating a nice stroll to link up with the next part of the walk.  The link was longer than expected and what is more we hadn't anticipated "the wall". As we approached the link up road for the second walk, the path avoided the boggy marshy area by using the top of a substantial wall. Thankfully a wooden fence / hand rail accompanied this seemingly mile long section.
The views across the bay weren't that good either, very misty and only a few crows and Shelduck to distract us.  However we did hear the occasional Skylark singing to cheer us up.
We arrived at the link point with the next walk and decided to re-think what route to take. We had lunch at the picnic site /car park at the Eastern end of Red Wharf Bay and then decided that the delights of Llandonna would have to wait for another day!  We decided that we would return to Benllech along the coast.
Initially we were hoping to walk along the beach all the way, but the incoming tide forced us to use the coastal path. This turned out to be a bonus as this path was delightful in places and much easier than walking on the beach.
The most unusual sighting was on the roof of a bungalow in Red Wharf Bay where a pair of Herring gulls had made a nest of twigs and other vegetation between the roof and the chimney stack, and the parent birds were supervising two large chicks trying to climb up and down the roof!
Birds seen or heard today included: Chiffchaff, Chaffinch, House sparrow, Herring gull, Pied wagtail, Greenfinch, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion crow, Common pheasant, Common blackbird, Common whitethroat, European robin, Common tern, Shelduck, Mallard, Barn swallow, Oystercatcher, Woodpigeon, Collared dove, House martin, Goldfinch, Willow warbler, Black-billed magpie and Skylark.
After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Britannia Inn at Halkyn.

Bryn Pydew, Coed Brongarth and Gloddaeth Hall 7th June 2012

Conwy Castle from Marl Hall Wood.

Conwy Castle from the Bryn Pydew Obelisk.

At the Bryn Pydew Obelsisk.
Apparently the obelisk was built by a local hotel owner in 1992, but the reasons why weren't given in the
web site that David S found.

Would this be our final view of the obelisk?

Walk stats: Distance: 9.6 miles. Climb: 1682'.

Time: 5 hours 37 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.2 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.7 m.p.h.

Group: Martyn, Annie H., Phil, Dave J and David S.

This was a day that if you looked at the weather forecast, then you would have stayed at home and in my case finished off the dusting and hoovering that I should have done earlier in the week!

All morning we were fortunate to experience very little rain, and could have got a way without waterproofs for most of the time, especially as we were protected somewhat as we walked along woodland paths. The walk up to lunch was quite varied and gave us unexpected views towards the Carneddau and towards the coast at Penryn Bay.

Lunch was taken on the Northern edge of Bryn Pydew Nature Reserve, with good views towards the coast.

Shortly after lunch the gentle rain started and we all had to don waterproofs for the rest of the walk.

Birds seen or heard today included: Chiffchaff (they seemed to be singing all the way round the walk today), Willow warbler, Barn swallow, Common swift, House martin, Common buzzard, Common pheasant, Common whitethroat, European robin, House sparrow, Dunnock, Blackcap, Blue tit, Chaffinch, Carrion crow, Jackdaw, Rook Common blackbird, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Woodpigeon, Collared dove, Lesser black-backed gull, Song thrush and Herring gull.

After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Britannia Inn, where the best drinks on offer were the tea and coffee. Alas building works had denied us all of an enjoyable pint of Lees bitter!

Birds Seen or Heard on Walks in May 2012

Birds Seen or Heard on Walks in  may 2012

Barn swallow,

Black-billed magpie,

Blackcap,

Black-headed gull,

Blue tit,

Canada goose,

Carrion crow,

Chaffinch,

Chiffchaff,

Coal tit,

Collared dove,

Common blackbird

Common buzzard,

Common coot,

Common crow,

Common pheasant,

Common starling,

Common swift,

Common tern,

Cuckoo,

Curlew,

Dunlin,

Dunnock,

Eurasian curlew,

Eurasian Jay,

European robin,

Ferral pigeon, 

Gadwall,

Golden plover,

Goldfinch,

Great cormorant,

Great crested grebe,

Great spotted woodpecker,

Great tit,

Greater black-backed gull,

Greenfinch,

Greenland Wheatear

Grey heron,

Grey partridge,

Grey wagtail,

Greylag goose,

Guillemot,

Herring gull,

House martin,

House sparrow,

Jackdaw

Jackdaw,

Kestrel,

Lapwing,

Lesser black-backed gull,

Linnet,

Little grebe,

Long-tailed tit,

Mallard

Meadow pipit,

Mistle thrush,

Moorhen,

Mute swan,

Nuthatch,

Osprey,

Oystercatcher,

Pied wagtail,

Raven,

Red grouse,

Red kite,

Red-breasted merganser,

Red-legged partridge,

Redstart,

Reed bunting,

Ring ouzel,

Ringed plover,

Rook,

Sand martin,

Sandwich tern,

Sedge warbler,

Shag,

Shelduck,

Skylark,

Song thrush,

Sparrowhawk,

Swift,

Treecreeper,

Tufted duck,

Wheatear,

White wagtail,

Whitethroat,

Willow warbler,

Winter wren,

Woodpigeon,

Yellowhammer,

Total 90

Around Holy Island 2nd June 2012

A singing Song thrush.

Guilimots and Razorbills at South Stack.

One of the few Puffins on view.

Looking North towards South Stack.

Looking North towards South Stack.

This photo, taken on this walk last year, shows buildings that have intrigued us for several years.
According to the Holyhead Breakwater Country Park web site it is a "blast shelter" for nearby quarries.

Walk stats: Distance: 11.8 miles. Climb: 1380'.

Time: 6 hours 37 Minutes. On the move walking average: 2.3 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.8 m.p.h.

Group: Martyn, Mike and Celia.
This turned out to be a day where distant views were always somewhat hazy or shrouded in mist, but at least it never rained and was pleasantly warm, and any breeze we experienced was a bonus!
as always the first part of the walk is the best as we contour around the coast to South Stack, and the new coastal path makes it even better. Not many birds on this first section of coast, but from South Stack onwards things got better.
Lunch was taken at South Stack and we even stopped for afternoon tea at Porth Dafarch.
Birds seen or heard today included: House sparrow, Jackdaw, Herring gull, Lesser black-backed gull. Barn swallow, House martin, Carrion crow, Common blackbird, Dunnock, Greylag goose, Common starling, Winter wren, Common buzzard, Meadow pipit, Skylark, Red-billed chough, Pied wagtail, Black-billed magpie, Feral pigeon, Oystercatcher, Great cormorant, Shag, Greenfinch, Chiffchaff, Willow warbler, Stonechat, Rook and Yellowhammer.
The last part of the walk through the centre of Holyhead isn't the most inspirational part of the walk, but it does mean that the last couple of miles back to the car were covered quicker than the rest of the walk!
A good walk, ending with tired legs and ready to appreciate a good pint of Lees bitter at the Britannia Inn at Halkyn in an hour or so. we weren't disappointed!