walkhighlands

The Anglesey Coastal Path

Date walked: 08/04/2014

Time taken: 9 days

Distance: 300km

Not sure if I should be posting a LDP from outside of Scotland but here is one I did earlier this year. Flat but enjoyable nonethe less.

I was lucky again as I had nine rain free days :D

The island itself is fairly flat, having been neatly mown down by the Irish sea ice during the last glaciation. The Menai Straits that seperate the island from the mainland were formed after the last ice age had finished. The highest point on the island (reached on day one) is Holyhead Mountain (a bit of a misnomer that one) at a majestic 230m or around 750ft in old money – hardly a mountain, but bright and shiny in it’s quartzitic glory.

Anglesey itself aside from the coast consists predominantly of farmland, some big, some small but most of it used for pasture and fattening up cows and surprisingly a large amount of chickens – obsviously they don’t eat the pasture. Which neatly brings the point of interest to the coast which is where the path runs. Nearly all of it has been designated AONB and there are very diverse habitats to be seen right along the coastline.

There’s going to be Salt Marsh, where sometimes it’s a joy to walk along the springy grasses if they’re not too wet, a bit like walking on a firm matress. But if the tides in I won’t be seeing too much.

The dunes of Aberffraw and Newborough Warren, where hopefully I can take the boots off and wander barefoot along the sand, maybe sit and saviour the moments in the spring sunshine (I’m going to look a mug if it rains for 9 days). I quite like walking between the dunes in the ‘slacks’ with the different vegetation easy to walk on and the chance of spotting some different birdlife.

There’s plenty of sea cliffs abounding around the north side of the island, hopefully rich in birdlife at the time of the walk. I always enjoy the view down to crashing waves, seeing the coastal features of sea arches.

Plenty of heathland walking through heather, grass and gorse which is always the smell of summer to me after all the years spent holidaying on Holy Island, walking around the headlands from Silver Bay to Rhoscolyn and back.

There’s also a bit of wetland, estuarine muddy parts if the tide is out always interesting where freshwater meets saltwater, and a limited amount of forest which doesn’t impinge much on the coastal path

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Comments: 12



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A boat trip, Sgurr na Stri to Elgol on Skye

Attachment(s) Sub 2000s: Sgùrr na Strì
Date walked: 02/10/2011
Distance: 12km
Ascent: 580m
Comments: 16
Views: 13748

ramblingpete


Location: Manchester
Activity: Mountaineer
Mountain: Sgurr na Stri
Place: Skye
Gear: Satmap GPS

Munros: 9
Corbetts: 4
Donalds: 1
Wainwrights: 214
Hewitts: 173
Sub 2000: 5
Long Distance routes: West Highland Way    St Cuthbert's Way    Skye Trail    Rob Roy Way   



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Statistics

2014

Trips: 1
Distance: 300 km

2013

Trips: 1
Distance: 128 km

2012

Trips: 2
Distance: 150 km

2011

Trips: 1
Distance: 12 km
Ascent: 580m
Sub2000s: 1


Joined: Nov 29, 2011
Last visited: Apr 19, 2016
Total posts: 61 | Search posts