Ep 5 - All about Anglesey
A collection of wildlife photos and golden hour adventures.
We had only ever visited Anglesey once before (and that was a flying visit just to see a really long railway station sign). We’ve heard so many great things about this island beyond the famous town. Having read some inspirational material by others who have travelled this surprisingly large island by bike (over 100 miles round the coastal roads), we had high hopes of doing the same. Unfortunately, as Zoe was still testing positive for Covid, a strenuous two-day ride was not a feasible plan. So we took many of the same roads, but by car instead.
Just before we crossed the bridge to the island, we’d heard there were red squirrels nesting in woodland on the English side of the border at Treborth Botanic Garden. We later found out that this is an effort to create a grey squirrel exclusion zone to protect the island, and we were really keen to see some reds if we could. We enjoyed watching the butterflies in the wildflower meadows, but sadly no red squirrels.
Our first stop on the island was at RSPB South Stack, near Holyhead, hoping we might catch sight of some lingering puffins, yet to head out to sea. Although plenty of seabirds were seen, the puffins eluded us once more.
Cemlyn Nature Reserve
Working our way clockwise around the island, we were keen to visit the beach at Cemlyn North Wales Wildlife Trust. This was the perfect time of year to see nesting Arctic and Sandwich Terns flying out to sea and returning with fish in their beaks. Zoe and I took turns for at least an hour trying to capture these rapid birds on camera. It required both of us co-ordinating to take any decent photos at all - the birds were flying in over our heads before we could even get them in the frame, so we agreed the co-pilot needed to give a clock position bearing (e.g. 1 o’clock low) where the next birds were coming from, and it worked quite effectively!
Nant-y-Pandy Nature Reserve
Our evening visit to this nature reserve was one of the best experiences we have had on the road! We knew about the parkrun starting in Llangefni and running along the Afon Cefni, and we had marked this area as a potential red squirrel hot spot. Arriving late in the day, both of us needed a bit of convincing to go walking (since we had already walked quite a distance that day). As we headed in to the forest, a couple walking the other way said they saw one but he was too quick to get a picture, so we didn’t have high hopes. The sun was getting low in the sky, and lighting in the woodland was less than ideal - but it turned out to be the perfect time for feeding! A total of 11 red squirrels were spotted - some mere meters away from us tucking in to their dinner. It turned out the last 5 km walked that day were the most rewarding.
Sunrise on Newborough Beach
During the heatwave we experienced in July, Zoe and I agreed to shelter from the extreme heat during the day and utilise the cooler (if you can call it that) mornings and evenings. We decided to try and capture sunrise and sunset on the same day.
The alarm was going off at 04:30 for our morning expedition - Newborough Forest and beach. We walked for at least 15 minutes through the woodland before we arrived at the sand dunes and across to the beach itself. It was really peaceful as this time of morning - barely anyone around and the sun was yet to peek above the trees.
We walked out from the dunes towards the water line and when we reached it, we turned around to watch the sun illuminate the hazy clouds all around us.
As we continued around the bay, the clouds cleared and the whole beach was bathed in the orange glow. We sat on the rocks for a few minutes to take it all in. As it was low tide, we were able to access the whole length of the Ynys Llanddwyn peninsula.
The island has the ruins of a church, other monuments and a beautiful lighthouse, which we explored for some time. The rocky, rugged terrain makes this island so beautiful and the early morning was so still, it was a tranquil scene.
By the time we returned to the car at 10:30, it was already 35°C - despite the haze, it was a stifling heat for the time of day, so we stayed inside as much as possible until the cooler evening before venturing out for sunset.
Sunset on the LlÅ·n Peninsula
We wanted to find a sunset stroll that would round off the day nicely in an area we hadn’t yet explored. It was a little further away than Newborough, but Morfa Nefyn beach was worth the drive. We ambled along the beach to the town of Porthdinllaen, an almost inaccessible town by road, and climbed to the coastal path to find a good spot to watch to sun go down.
One Last Stop
Having left Anglesey and working our way back to England, we stopped for a walk near Beddgelert along the river Glaslyn. It was a gem we had never intended to stop off at, but we absolutely loved! The walk from the car park was very rocky and uneven, but led down to beautifully clear water cascading through rocks and pools.
We followed the winding path upstream, admiring the rapids until we reached an old railway bridge before heading back.
We truly enjoyed everything Wales had to offer, and hope to be able to return for some cycling holidays soon!
We took so many photos during our few weeks here - far too many to include in the newsletters. Please see the full album on my website - Wales 2022
I would love to know which are your favourites!
Thanks for travelling with us - more adventures coming soon…
Harry and Zoe x
Thank you so much for these wonderful newsletters and the beautiful photographs - once I finally retire from Wise & Co, I would love to follow the same path!
Wow those tern photos are amazing! Well done the co pilot :)