Having lunched in Porth Amlwch after our morning walk from Dulas, we decide to drive to Cemaes and walk back to Porth Amlwch, mainly because we felt that walking towards the decommissioned Wylfa Nuclear Power station might detract from the mood of the moment, also we wanted to leave the car in Cemaes ready for next day’s trek.
This turned out to be one of my favourite walks, in addition to the natural beauty, this stretch has a wealth of easy to access heritage sites.
We set off across the harbour stopping to take in the Tide and Time St Patrick’s Bell, before heading for the headland.
Reaching Porth Padrig beach, the rock formation Y Ladi Wen – the White Lady stands out against the backdrop of the golden cliffs. No wonder Anglesey is a joy for geologist field trips. Hardly surprising that the island is part of the European Geoparks Network and the Global Geoparks Network.
We walked across the beach and scrambled up the other side. Our next stop was the enchanting Llanbadrig Church. Named after St Patrick who is said to have been shipwrecked on the island. There has been a church on the site since 440AD. This simple church is a tranquil stop off point.
Climbing over the stile in the churchyard, I try and make out the hazy outline of the Isle of Man.
From here, the walk gets more strenuous, with steep steps to Porth Llanlleiana. The clay works here were built over a nunnery, and created porcelain until it closed in the 1920s.
We made a choice here to stick to the more strenuous route rather than divert to an easier stretch, and continued to Hell’s Mouth – Porth Cynfor, another steep descent and ascent!
Moving swiftly on, we were fascinated by the completeness of the Borth Wen brickworks, from the ruined winding gear on the hill to the chimneys and kilns. It also features a natural arch that looks like an elephant’s trunk.
From here there is a nice, easy section to Bull’s Bay, the rocks here are over 600 million years old, which is how old I am beginning to feel. We watch a group of rowers in the bay, before pushing on to Amlwch, and are happy to see the bromide extraction plant come into view.
A brilliant day’s walking.