Porth Dinllaen...

If you ever travel to North Wales, Porth Dinllaen is a 'must go see' location on the Lleyn Peninsula.
One of the most stunning settings I've had the pleasure to witness. And if you happen to play golf then don't forget your clubs because this location has one of the most breathtaking courses in the country.
Here comes some facts: Porthdinllaen (English Porth Dinllaen), is a small coastal village in the Dwyfor locality on the Llŷn Peninsula within Gwynedd, North Wales, previously in Caernarfonshire. It is near the larger village of Morfa Nefyn. It has been owned by the National Trust since 1994. With views across to Yr Eifl and Snowdonia, Porthdinllaen, with Nefyn and Morfa Nefyn, form a magnificent two miles (3 km) of sweeping bay. There are only about two dozen buildings at Porthdinllaen, with the Ty Coch pub the centre of the village. Vehicular access to the village is restricted to residents with a car permit; visitors must walk across the beach from Morfa Nefyn or across the golf course on top of the headland, past the Iron Age hillfort. Porthdinllaen was originally a fishing port, based around a natural harbour at the west end of a bay over a mile and a quarter (2 km) across, and with over one hundred acres (40 ha) of safe anchorage. The harbour is sheltered by a headland jutting out to the north from all but a north-easterly wind, and as the only such haven on the Llŷn Peninsula, it has been used for many centuries of trading, and as a place to run to for shelter in a storm. In May 1806, a parliamentary bill approved new buildings when it seemed that Porthdinllaen would be chosen over Holyhead, Anglesey, as the route to Ireland. The location was almost as far west as, but less accessible than Holyhead with Thomas Telford's road developments. Porthdinllaen Harbour Company was formed in 1808 in preparation by the Jones Parry family of the Madryn estate (the company's assets included the village and the harbour), but the bill before Parliament to constitute Porthdinllaen as a harbour for Irish trade was rejected in 1810.

Aberlleiniog Castle...

Now owned and maintained by Mentor Mon, this wonderful little castle, which is not the easiest of places to find, is well worth a visit. 2009 saw much restoration being carried out with new pathways and easy access to the top of the mound. It's located in the Penmon area of Anglesey but not that well signposted: OS Landranger map 114: SH616793

Castell Aberlleiniog is the site of a Motte and Bailey, built in the 11th century on behalf of Hugh d'Avranches, the 1st Earl of Chester. Originally it would have been a wooden structure, now long since disappeared, and replaced during the Civil War by a stone structure consisting of a surrounding wall, and archers towers. Even later, during the World War it was used by the Home Guard.

The site is named after the local river, the Lleiniog. Aber means River. Castell of course being the Welsh for Castle. Hence, Castell Aberlleiniog roughly translates into the Castle of the River Lleiniog.

The Copper Mines of Anglesey...

What a fantastic place Parys Mountain is. Although I've been here many times it was with great pleasure to be commissioned by Visit Wales to get some more shots of this spectacular location.
There is so much to say about it I'll let Wikipedia do all the talking.

"The mountain was mined for copper ore in the early Bronze Age, as shown by sub-surface debris nearly 4,000 years old revealed during excavations in 2002. Since then access has been regained to the sealed underground workings of the Parys mine revealing further evidence for this ancient mining. Parys Mountain is thus one of the few sites in Britain where there is evidence for the prehistoric beginnings of the British metal mining industry.
The 18th century miners recognised that they were following in the steps of much earlier workers, an observation that was then linked to the discovery locally of copper ingots bearing Roman inscriptions.
In 1764 Charles Roe of Macclesfield was granted a 21-year lease by the Bayly family to work the mountain for copper. Rowland Pugh, a local miner, discovered the "Great Lode" on 2 March 1768 and was rewarded with a bottle of whisky and a rent-free house for his lifetime.
Although the ore here was of low quality, this was more than compensated for by the fact that it occurred in two large masses close to the surface.[1] Initially ore was worked on the surface from shallow shafts, next by open-pit mining and finally underground from adits or from shafts. The ore was broken into small lumps by hand, the best ore being shipped to Lancashire or to the Lower Swansea valley in South Wales through the port of Swansea for smelting. Copper was concentrated and extracted from the remainder using kilns and furnaces on site. It was also discovered that purer metal could be obtained efficiently, although in small amounts, by its precipitation from drainage water with scrap iron in purpose-built ponds. Associated with the mines, important chemical industries were established on the Mountain based on by-products such as ochre pigments, sulphur, vitriol and alum. The processes were described by the German writer and translator, Augustin Gottfried Ludwig Lentin (1764–1823) who visited Parys Mountain in the 1790s and published his findings in Briefe über die Insel Anglesea : vorzüglich über das dasige Kupfer-Bergwerk und die dazu gehörigen Schmelzwerke und Fabriken (Leipzig : Crusius, 1800)
Parys Mountain dominated the world's copper market during the 1780s, when the mine was the largest in Europe.[2] Its rise severely damaged the mining industry in Cornwall.[1] The copper from the mine was used to sheath the admiralty's wooden ships of war in order to prevent the growth of seaweed and barnacles and to prevent boring by worms. This increased the speed and manoeuvrability of the vessels, although it is said that Parys Mountain copper was also sold to the French for use by their fleet."

Snow, Snow, Snow..

I was looking forward to a relaxing start to the New Year... then it snowed and all hell broke loose! Calls from Visit Wales and Cadw came hot on each others heels requesting a long list of location to be shot in the snow. There followed 3 days of early starts and late finishes with overnight stays, zig-zagging our way across North Wales. Getting caught in snowdrifts on the Llanberis Pass and slipping and sliding to out of the way places looking for decent shots of Castles and Abbeys covered in the white stuff. It was a struggle just to cope with the constant change in temperature as we jumped in and out of the car, trudging through heavy snow and freezing winds hoping that the light wouldn't let us down. By the time we got home we were completely exhausted only to discover that the mains water in the house had frozen. Thank goodness for our wood burning stove, at lest we had warmth. Within 24 hours the water came through and we got back to some sort of normality.
Quite an adventure and some pretty pictures to boot!

Happy New Year...

Just a quick hello to anyone that may have come across my blog site. I hope you all have a wonderful New Year and that life is as kind to you as it has been to me. Busy working for the Welsh Tourist board photographing snowy scenes on Anglesey and around North Wales. I'll post some more images as and when I get them. Here's to a happy and contented 2010.

Paul.
Check it out: www.thepondbythewillow.co.uk

The Dingle...

Now the leaves have all gone here's a little reminder of the summer that never was...

"The Dingle / Nant y Pandy Local Nature reserve is a 10 hectare (25 acre) wooded valley, rich in wildlife and history. It has recently been enhanced through community involvement, working in partnership, and by grant aid.

These enhancements include a wooden boardwalk that winds its way along the Cefni, which allows access to all to many parts of the reserve, three new bridges, sculptures, sculpted benches and picnic tables.

The sculptures include a huge dragonfly, giant seed pods and split oak timbers revealing the poem Nant y Pandy, by local poet Rolant o Fôn.

Parts of the woodland are dominated by sessile oak, ash and wild cherry, with a spectacular show of blue bells in spring. Other parts are mostly sycamore and the occasional ash tree with an abundance of ferns and mosses and woodland flowers, such as wood anemones. Coed Plas (behind Saint Cyngar's Church) was planted with sweet chestnut, beech and Scots pine, and has a carpet of wild daffodils in spring.

Frogs and newts live in the wetter areas, and adders and lizards in the drier woodland. There are many butterfly species, such as gatekeeper and the speckled wood, as well as moths. There are also dragonflies and damselflies, hoverflies, bees and wasps, beetles, slugs and snails, spiders, woodlice, and many other small creatures.

Birds are easy to see throughout the year; blue tits and great tits nest in the woods and moorhen in the water; wrens and grey wagtails are common small birds seen along the boardwalk; and larger birds, ravens, buzzards and herons fly overhead. A glimpse of a kingfisher may be seen as a flash of electric blue, or a dipper may be bobbing along the river. The tawny owl can be heard, and often seen, in the woodland at night.

Fish like the trout, roach and perch may be seen in Llyn Pwmp, and sea trout are occasional visitors, as are eels.

Mammals are much more elusive. The only sign of the fox may be the drift of its scent across a path. Bank vole and wood mice leave nibbled hazel nuts to show their presence. Eight of the sixteen species of bat found in Britain can be seen here at dusk."

Views from the Summit...

Yr Eifl was mentioned as a hill located on the Lleyn Peninsula in North Wales but after an uphill walk of more than an hour and a half this hill now felt and looked more like a mountain. With aching calves and bursting lungs we eventually reach the summit of Yr Eifl where there stands an iron age fort dating back over 2000 years. These Iron Age guys must have been a very fit race indeed.

Yr Eifl is the tallest of The Rivals, an overlooked yet exciting range of hills that make up the backbone of the Lleyn Peninsula. The trek shows the walker two different industrial and colonial ages of the local area, from the abandoned quarrying village of Porth-y-Nant to the most fascinating feature of the trek, the iron age fort of Tre'r Ceiri that is still evident and now preserved on the southern most Yr Eifl peak. This trek is ideal for those afternoons when the surrounding higher peaks of Snowdonia are unable to escape the murky clouds. Tre'r Ceiri is a hill fort dating back to the British Iron Age, being built around 100 B.C. It is one of the most spectacular of Wales' ancient monuments, located on a summit of Yr Eifl.

Was it worth it? Well take a look and decide for yourself. Views like this can only be achieved with some physical effort and determination. Would I do it again? Yes I would, but like running a marathon, it makes sense to train a little before heading out on such a challenge.

Paul Mattock