One of the features of the walking yesterday was stony paths and we expect that to continue today given the local geology. Much of the rock here is of volcanic and metamorphic origin, which explains why there was a slate quarry at our first settlement of the day, Abereiddy. Still struggling with my ankle injury, foot placement for me will be important as I could do without aggravating the injury.
There are three or four little settlements on the route, some of which offer facilities of various kinds, so we will not go short of food or drink. There is also the trusty Jetboil should we come across one of those little spots on the hillside where you just know you have to stop, brew up and sit back against the grass.
Approaching the clifftop, the view out to sea was nothing short of phenomonal, akin to a study in blue by someone like Gauguin. The blue of sea and sky was only broken by a tiny white sail on the mid-horizon.
Looking back to the east, we could see across all the bays and headlands of the last couple of days, including St David's Head, with the hilltops of Penberry, Carn Ffald and Carn Llidi standing out against the sky.
On the clifftop on the way to Traeth Llfyn bay, there is another of the many, local disused slate quarries with the remains of some industrial buildings still standing on the clifftop. The excellent weather and walking conditions continued as moved round from Porth Egr on to the approaches to the bay at Porth-gain.
It is a lovely little harbour, solidly built in grey granite stone. It is wedged in between the green slopes of the cliff on the western side and dominated on the east by the remains of an industrial site that crushed and stored stone before shipment. The buildings were mainly built of the red bricks that were produced locally at Ty Mawr. The hard volcanic rock crushed at the factory was mainly used for road building.
As well as the factory, and brick building, there were lime kilns in the village. Running down on to the harbour there used to be a three-foot, narrow gauge, industrial railway, used to bring slate to the harbour from the local Pen Clegyr and St. Bride's quarries (1880s - 1931). The railway terminated at the end of the pier on which the white van sits in the photograph. The harbour today is still used for crab and lobster fishing and for sea-based leisure activities. We lingered on in the village and had a second breakfast at the Sloop Inn where we enjoyed crushed avocado on toast with a poached egg. Lubbly jubbly!
This is a beautifully crennelated coastline with numerous coves and bays, the path weaving in and out as it goes round them. The walking path is good, if a trifle stoney in places, but the views and the general 'zeitgeist' of the walk is wonderous, particularly on a fine day like today. On the clifftop, we were walking on fairly flat, extensive grasslands which were at that time a wonderfully bright emerald green. The near view west, from a standpoint on the headland of Trwyn Elen, was a nice vista over the top of the Ynys Fach Rock across Pwll Crochan Bay. Pwll Crochan beach is accessible, but apparently only with care. Over the farmland in front of us we could see on a hilltop, just slightly inland, the village of Trefin which grew up around the industries of the bay.
Looking at it today, it is hard to imagine the bay as a busy port but that apparently is its history with fishing, slate quarrying and work at a lime kiln nearby, all part of the industrial mix. The corn mill is thought to have operated here for about five hundred years, with the mill closing in 1918. It would have been an important attraction to the farmers roundabout inland with corn coming to the mill and much of it leaving by sea.
Once back on the clifftop, the path again weaves in and out as it goes round three little coves leading to the Pen Castell-coch headland and from there we could see over the top of Ynys Deullyn to the bay off of Abercastle. From Castell-coch the route moves on to the neck of the Ynys Deullin headland before turning right to head for Abercastle. At Cwm Badau there is a path goes off to the right that leads to the Neolithic burial chamber known as Carreg Samson. Local legend has it that Samson lay the capstone of 4.5 metres long by over 2.7 wide using his little finger which he then cut off and it is said to be buried on Ynys-y-Castell, just off the beach at Aber Castle.
On the way down the hill we spent some time talking a couple who lived in Elgin and were visiting the area. The lady had spent her childhood in the area, but her parents were originally farm labourers from Italy who had settled here. Despite many years in Scotland, she still loved to come home and to walk the hills that hold so many of her childhood memories.
Because we had a second breakfast at Porthgain, we had no need for further food but we did stop down by the harbour to brew up on the Jetboil, enjoy a rest and a cup of coffee and afterwards use the local toilets before moving on.
From the beach it was fairly short uphill stroll to the field where were supposed to be camping. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a distance from the shower and toilet facilities, which are at the main farm house. Over tea and jaffa cakes in the front garden of Teresa's house, we ended up opting for B&B in the main house, rather than face the long walk in the middle of the night. Bit of comfort in your old age is to be encouraged!