The books suggest a stage from Four Mile Bridge to Aberffraw, but that's quite complicated to do by public transport because it involves a change of buses with a long wait in between. So we had planned this one as a train trip. We took the train to Valley, which does connect well with a short bus journey to Four Mile Bridge, then returned by train from Rhosneigr, arriving there in good time, but not too long before the train arrived.
This walk takes in a number of tide mills which were once prevalent in this small area, but as the tide was high we didn't see so much. First we crossed the cob at Cleifiog, an eighteenth century construction which held back the sea from encroaching half a mile inland, and which is evidently still part of our flood defence. The first tide mill would have been inland from here, the other side of the A55.
Next we had to walk round the huge creek which was once dammed water for the tide mill at Felin Wen. With the tide in, the remains of the dam was perceptible only as a line of seaweed. (The creek is now named 'Church Creek' at a nearby campsite, but it must have an earlier name.)
Approaching RAF Valley, I have seen on an earlier trip remains of the mill wheel of Melin Carnau on the sands here, but again the tide was too high today. The sounds of the aircraft from RAF Valley dominated much of the walk; as we approached the airfield with its landing lights it became all too obvious. There were even plane-watchers here. Once we turned onto the long beach of Traeth Cymyran, although now alongside the airfield, it became a lot less obvious, and our view and soundscape was once more dominated by the sea. The strange bone (fish jaw?) was found here.
This leg involved a lot of twists and turns. We found it wasn't that well signposted, possibly because at this time of year vegetation had overgrown it. We really did rely much more on the guidebook to find our way, and even then we missed the turning onto the dunes from Traeth Cymyran.
Comments
Post a Comment