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

Bangor Cathedral.

We were given an interesting photographic job the other day by Gwynedd Council who were in need of some interior shots of Bangor Cathedral. Now these large interiors are never easy to shoot. For one thing they are far too large to set up lighting, and with so many nooks and crannies you’d need a truck full of lighting equipment to complete the job. And of course, as always, budgets are tight and they need the images tomorrow…
So this is where the joy of digital photography comes to the rescue. Set up the camera on a sturdy tripod and take a series of four to five shots at different exposures. This will capture all the details in both the highlight areas as well as in the shadow areas. Pop the mix into a piece of software called ‘Photomatix Pro’ and with a host of controls you can keep all the detail in the image but loose all the ugly stuff, like blocked up shadows and burnt out highlights.
The effect is quite amazing, and it saves on having to buy a truckload of lighting…

Clever stuff!

Another Day at the Office…

Now that I’ve invested in a brand new camera (A Nikon D3 for those of you interested) it was time for it to earn its keep. Having packed my new backpack with all my new gear I headed off to the cliff tops on Holyhead to make my way to Penhryn Mawr, a notorious formation of rocks at the end of a headland, where large standing waves and tidal races form as the sea rushes from South Stack to Porth Dafarch and back. This is a popular stretch of water where the more experience sea kayaker comes to play. To reach it by foot is a good 30 to 40 minute walk from the nearest car park with spectacular views across the Irish Sea.
However, when I reached to Penhryn Mawr there was absolutely nothing going on. It was as flat as a pancake and not a sea kayaker in sight. Still, it gave me an opportunity to get out and stretch my legs and to test my new gear.
This is often the way with photography; you can never guarantee that shot. Just like fishing, you cast your line and sit and wait. If you make a catch then all well and good. If not, then at least you’ve tried and hey, there’s always tomorrow!

Music by Mike Dowling.

A Weekend to Remember…

It’s been a long time coming, but it was well worth the wait.
We had glorious sunshine for the whole weekend and boy! did we make good use of it,
a camping weekend with all our kayaking friends and their families down at Rhoscoyln Beach.
A weekend of sun, sea and sand. A reminder of my childhood holidays when all was right with the world. Sand in your egg and crest sandwiches, ice lollies that melted and ran down your face and arms leaving a streak of orange stain that acted as some primitive form of sun block. The high-pitched scream of seagulls and over heated young children as the sun reached its zenith. The splashing waves and salty seawater that acted as a kind of nasal spray that would have a hundred children coughing like a smoker on forty a day.
The warm wrapping of the dry beach towel to conceal and soothed the goose bumps on a shivering overexcited child. Then with bucket and spade in hand, which contained a few precious pebbles along with a crab’s claw and some seaweed as souvenirs, we’d wander back along the beach to wash, to eat and to sleep the sleep of the dead. And when morning came, we’d do it all over again.
All praise to the great British summer.

Burial mound at Porth Trecastell...

"Of prime importance at Barclodiad y Gawres is the unexceptional decoration on the massive stones forming the burial chamber. Here can be seen zig zags, chevrons and spirals, similar to the decoration found in the tombs of the Boyne Valley in Ireland, emphasizing the close associations across the Irish Sea. There is only one other example of this Neolithic ( stone age ) art form known in Wales (Bryn Celli Ddu). Such decoration is equally rare in England and Scotland and Barclodiad y Gawres is unquestionably the finest example in Britian. Unfortunately, the decorated stones have become increasingly vulnerable to graffiti and vandalism so it is with regret that Cadw is currently unable to allow unsupervised access into the chamber. Contact: 0845 0103300"

Even though you can't get access to the inner chamber, this burial mound is still well worth a visit. The views from on top are fantastic and the beach and bay are beautiful. If you like a bit of surfing then, with a southerly wind blowing on shore, you can expect some great waves to play in with no hidden dangers lurking on the seabed. A great place to picnic and lots to explore. And if you like to do a little walking you can make your way along the seashore to Rhosneigr and grab a coffee and a bite to eat.( Allow a good hour each way) You can find Porth Trecastell ( better known as Cable Bay ) along the A4080 road between Rhosneigr and Abberfraw.

THE WRECKS AT TRAETH DULAS…

Very little is known about these wooden fishing boats stranded on the sands at Traeth Dulas. At low tide you can walk out across the estuary and get up close to these beautiful old wrecks. Every piece of flaking paint, rusty nail and wooden beam has a story to tell and a secret to keep. How they came to be here and about the men that sailed them no one seems to know, but there’s no denying their beauty and the craftsmanship that went into their making. Well worth a visit, just remember to keep an eye on the incoming tide; it would be a long swim back to the car.
Location.( 53º 22’ 26.50” N 4º 16’ 55.80” W )

“Dulas Bay (Welsh: Bae Dulas) is a small bay on the north east coast of Anglesey (Ynys Môn), north Wales. The bay is bordered by three beaches. The north-western beach is the sand, shingle, mud estuary Traeth Dulas (Dulas Beach); southeast of this is the tiny Traeth Bach (Small Beach) and the sandy Traeth Yr Ora (Beach of The Fortified Landing Place). The estuary running through Traeth Dulas is that of the Afon Goch (Red River). The Traeth Bach and Traeth Yr Ora at high tide are separated by a rock outcrop called Craig y Sais (The Saxon Rock). At low tide, however, it is possible to walk on the sand between the three beaches and also onto the larger but less tranquil beaches of Lligwy Bay to the south. All the beaches vary in size quite dramatically depending on the tide. Traeth Dulas is most affected by the tide, so much so that the most inland parts of the estuary are salt marshes.” Wikipedia

Criccieith by the Sea...

Being on such a beautiful island we can often forget that there are other places to visit and other sceneries to explore. This often comes about more by accident than intent. Finding a dentist in this part of the world isn’t quite as easy as it would be in a major city or town, so after a day on the phone we tracked one down in the lovely seaside town of Criccieith. It wasn’t our intention to stay any longer then it took to have our teeth checked out, but we ended up spending the rest of the day just wandering around this lovely town and exploring the castle that overlooks the bay. Being about a 35 minute drive from Anglesey we will be back to explore this area again; maybe treat ourselves to an overnight stay at the grand St Georges Hotel; just as long as it’s not because of a need for a visit to the dentist.