On the right as you walk is the location of the Llanbedr Aviation Centre, previously RAF Llanbedr. Opened in 1941 as part of the war effort providing, among other services a base for fighter aircraft, target drone and towed target training. It was also home to one of the RAF's gunnery schools. Operationally, over thirty-two different squadrons were based here, flying a variety of aircraft including Spitfire, Mustang, Typhoon, Anson, Lysander and Martinet. For my purposes, it currently houses a cafe that provides a range of meals during the day. You need to go in to the base, walking up the long driveway and the cafe is on your left at about 11 o' clock. It was a good call where I enjoyed a very nice lunch.
Last night, after the sun had set, I lingered by the picnic table, too tired to walk the five yards to the tent. Finally, it was the wee flying beasties of the night that drove me in. There was no-one else on the pitch where I had camped and it remained deathly quiet for the rest of the night. The tiredness was still on me when I wakened but the sun shining through the canvas gave a filip and enough energy to leave the sleeping bag behind. A quick shower, breakfast of instant porridge and energy biscuits and I was ready for the day. The profile of the walk today is pretty friendly, mainly meandering with only one short climb of about fifty metres on a short cliff section above Llanfair. The early part of the walk, once I return to the beach, is along the sands until I have to turn inland at the area known as Shell Island or Mochras, to go round the Llandanwg harbour entrance. From Mochras to below Llanfair the walking is on a series of tracks or minor roads, followed by another beach section that passes Harlech Castle, before a last section of open countryside and track to Tanforhesgan where I am to be camping. The weather forecast for the day is good and I hope to be walking in sunshine for most of the day. Just a few hundred yards to the west of my camping location the River Ysgethin crosses the beach before discharging in to the sea. Hence the reason the Wales Coast Path came through the middle of the campsite. From the campsite the path makes it way to cross over a bridge on the River Ysgethin, after which it heads in a westerly direction across 'open' countryside. Despite the sunshine, there was still heavy dew on the thick grass and in no time at all my boots were quite wet. When it opened up, it was beautiful farming countryside, with the hills at the back of the town, which are part of the Rhinogydd Range, marching on the horizon, east to west. The path meets up with a minor road coming down from Llanddwywe. You are no sooner on it than you hit the beach and move on to the Morfa Dyffryn Nature Reserve. Tal-y-bont to Morfa Dyffryn It was lovely to be walking by the water's edge in fairly warm sunshine. The colours of the sea and landscape were quite dramatic in the morning light, all blues, greys and silvers. I was walking now on the Morfa Dyffryn Nature Reserve which has one of the few remaining open sand dune systems in Wales. The dunes are a changing landscape, with the wind constantly changing the shape of the dunes. On the dunes themselves and in the 'slacks' in between, there is a wealth of bird, insect and plant life. As well as the dunes habitat, the reserve also boasts seashore, saltmarsh and grassland areas. With the tide in as I walked along the shore, there was no sign of the extensive sands that front the band of pebble in the photographs. Apart from the small break in the land form at Llandanwg, the Morfa Dyffryn forms an almost constant reserve habitat with the Morfa Harlech National Nature Reserve further round the coast. One of the highlights of the walk along the beach for me were the flocks of Cormorants, standing by the water's edge. Quite fearless, they just shared a look of utter disdain on me and went back to counting the waves. As you come to the headland at Shell Island the path leaves the beach to head inland, going round the Llandanwg harbour area. Walking on a hard path for most of this section, nonetheless, it was a very pretty walk with good views out and across the harbour area. There are lovely reed beds here that reminded of our walk through Lincolnshire and Norfolk. As well as the landscape, the soundscape of this section was very pretty with lots of songbirds giving voice to the day. There were Peewits flying over the fields and Skylarks rising up from the rougher ground, ascending to great heights, singing and trilling. On the right as you walk is the location of the Llanbedr Aviation Centre, previously RAF Llanbedr. Opened in 1941 as part of the war effort providing, among other services a base for fighter aircraft, target drone and towed target training. It was also home to one of the RAF's gunnery schools. Operationally, over thirty-two different squadrons were based here, flying a variety of aircraft including Spitfire, Mustang, Typhoon, Anson, Lysander and Martinet. For my purposes, it currently houses a cafe that provides a range of meals during the day. You need to go in to the base, walking up the long driveway and the cafe is on your left at about 11 o' clock. It was a good call where I enjoyed a very nice lunch. Morfa Dyffryn Nature Reserve From the airport the route continues on a minor road heading for a railway crossing just by Talwryn-bach. Shortly after the railway crossing the route cuts left off the road for a nice, short walk on the River Artro. The path follows the river down to a nice footbridge that you cross before going up on the main A496 for a short section, cutting off to your left just before Pensarn Railway Station. The path continues down the river until it take a sharp turn left, at which point you carry straight on to drop on to the beach at Y Maes. Just after you come on to the beach, on the right, hidden in the sand dunes is the lovely little Church of St Tanwg. The church is of medieval origin and contains a number of fifth and sixth century grave stones, a couple built in to the structure of the church itself. Most of the original grounds of the church have disappeared under the surrounding sand dunes. St Tanwg is said to be a Saint who lived in the early part of the 6th C and is thought to have come to Britain from Armorica (the area between the Seine and the Loire) with another missionary, St Cadfan, thought to be the founder of the monasteries of Bardsey and Tywyn. Church of St Tanwg From St Tanwg's, there is a road section that takes you through to the beach at Harlech, criss-crossing with the railway line at both Llandanwg and Llanfair. You come on to the beach at Harech by entering the National Trust Allt-Y-Mor estate from which there are stunningly beautiful views of the southern Snowdonia mountains at the top of the Lleyn Peninsula. The beach itself is a lovely sweep of a bay and from the sand dunes you can see the famous Harlech Castle on its hilltop position and you have further views of it as you leave the beach. It is possible to walk further up the beach to explore the Morfa Harlech National Nature Reserve but I had to divert from the beach at this point. Tremadoc Bay As I was following the Wales Coast path I left the beach, the path cutting up to the right just after the line of the castle, for a short road section, going up a minor road in to the town. At the top of the minor road, you intersect with the main A496 on to which you turn left to walk a little way along it. You take the road as far as the last house on the left, where the path turns left to go over field systems to a track through a forest. Walking on a forestry track the route heads straight as an arrow for the campsite at Tanforhesgan, the hill behind the campsite, the hill of Ty Cerrig, standing tall behind it. As you walk both the fields and forestry track, there are wonderful views of the Rhinog Mountains. The name comes from two of the better known peaks in this chain Rhinog Fawr (720 metres) and Rhinog Fach (712 metres), which lie roughly north-east of this position. Harlech to Tanforhesgan The campsite when I arrived was very quiet with only one other unit on the site. Later in the evening two caravans showed up, but the occupants of all three made it clear they were there for the peace and quiet and did not want to be disturbed. Apart from that it was a fine little campsite witth all the facilities you require and spectacular views thrown in. Later on in the gloaming, I took a wee walk round the hill just to orientate myself for the route tomorrow. After showering and making dinner I was not long awake, falling alseep to the last of the birdsong.
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