On Thursday we visited Newborough Warren National Nature Reserve. This was something I had really been looking forward to and it surpassed even my expectations. The whole place (beach, forest and Llandwyn Island) was just magical.
E's satnav on her phone tried to send her to a car park near Newborough village and I had to point out it would be a very long walk across dunes even to get to the beach let along Llandwyn island. But there was a lovely display of poppies nearby.
We eventually made it to the large car park near the beach having driven through Newborough Forest first. Newborough Warren NNR is a mix of dunes, mudflats, a tidal island and saltmarsh which support a wide range of plants and insects. To be honest I would have liked to go for a walk through the dunes as well as I know they support quite a few wild orchid species but there just wasn't time to do everything.
The forest
As soon as we got out of the car I noticed how many wild flowers there were.
Scarlet Pimpernel
Viper's Bugloss
B, D and E had an icecream and later I regretted not having one too as we didn't get back to the car for lunch until 4.00 p.m. by which time I was ravenous!
Just inside the forest were Pyramidal Orchids
D got a better photo of a rabbit than I managed
Bloody Crane's Bill
There were just flowers everywhere you looked.
It was a long walk along the beach to Llandwyn Island but the beach was lovely with views towards Snowdonia and the Lleyn Peninsula.
In the distance on the horizon you can just make out the island.
The shingle here has pebbles of pillow lava, jasper and green schist from Llandwyn Island.
The island is slowly getting closer!
Finally, we arrive.
On the beach by the island and along the cliffs as you walk the island path you can see Pillow Lavas which date back to the Pre-Cambrian. Around 580 million years ago molten lava from the earth's mantle rose up through cracks in the sea floor. When the lava came into contact with the cold water it cooled very quickly and hardened creating the rock "pillow" shapes that we can still see today. Sand and mud caught between the pillows were altered in the heat. Melted iron rich sand was transformed into jasper - a red semi precious stone sometimes used to make jewellery. Mud was turned into epidote a powdery green mineral.
Looking back on the route we had walked.
Part 2 will include exploring Llandwyn island with its associations with Saint Dwynwen.
*D Photos taken by D with the Canon SX50HS bridge camera
Rest of photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera
11 comments:
Glorious! Oh, those poppies in the first photo, and the big, wide open skies! The colours on those pebbles too. What a lovely day. I just love the Dutch tilt shot, makes it spectacular to see the action!
Obviously a very enjoyable visit. The range of wildflowers is stunning. Nature, left to its own devices, never fails to please. We always carry a little trail mix with us, or a handful of nuts, something like that, so that we have a snack on a long walk.
Rustic Pumpkin - Thanks so much. The beach really was rather wonderful and the pebbles beautiful. I will tell my son re the tilt shot - he will be pleased you liked it :)
David M Gascoigne - Thank you - the wildflowers there were spectacular. I should have taken some food (and drink) with us! To be honest I didn't realise quite how far the island was or how big it was!
What fabulous wild flowers. Thank you for the info about the geology - I think it's a similar mixture that we have down on our coastal beaches in Carmarthenshire. Was the island the one they filmed The 1900 Island on?
Bovey Belle - Thanks so much. The geology on Anglesey was amazing. I bought a little book on the Rocks that had a lot of useful information :) Yes that is the island (I mention the programme in the next post - sadly we didn't see it and I am hoping it is on i-player)
It's so lovely here, another beautiful day. So nice to see the wildflowers and you have done really well at finding the names of everything. I like to pack a flask of coffee wherever I go, even on a short walk..can't do without my a coffee. I could do a book on coffee shops while out on your bike for the whole area I live :)
Beautiful photos and loving seeing were you went.
Amanda xx
Amanda Peters - Thank you - luckily I already knew the names of the plants seen on this day! The flask and sandwiches were in the car - really should have taken picnic bag with us! My daughter normally takes a flask of coffee with her even in the car on the way to work she takes a beaker/flask thing!
What a super day out. The beaches look wonderful and the wildflowers lovely. It was a long day with sustenance, we are always wandering off and wishing we'd taken a bottle of water with us. The name Llandwyn Island rings a bell somehow. I'm wondering it it was where a television programe we watched recently was set - the photography was magical along the beaches and out at sea:)
Rosie - Thank you. It was a really special day out. I am hopeless remembering to take drinks etc. with me. Got caught out recently when I had a migraine when walking on a lnr - I had liquid ibuprofen in the bag but no water :(
Yes you are right the island did feature in a recent tv programme (I missed it and need to find it if possible on i-player).
Such magnificent coastal scenes! I wonder how many species of wildflower you saw in total...
Caroline Gill - Thanks so much. We saw quite a few but many remained unidentified or I failed to take photos :)
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