ron-t kayaking blog
09 June 2017 .............. Cemaes to Porth Wen
After quite a windy period of weather this was forecast to be the one good day before another spell of wet and windy weather arrived - it certainly was a good day, with super weather.
As it was an ebb tide all afternoon, it seemed to be a good idea to go and visit the north coast along from Cemaes - I wasn`t sure if I would get out to Middle Mouse or not - there are strong tidal currents around Middle Mouse during Springs, so I was open to see what would happen.
Heading along the coast, and even round Llanbadrig Head the sea was quite chunky - further on and looking across to one of the two un-named headlands - trouble is I can`t remember whether this is the first one or the second one, they are both prominent headlands, and each one has its own tidal race around it, and they are quite different.
Looking out to Middle Mouse - you can just see the race that forms on the downstream side of Middle Mouse during a big ebb tide - it can stretch for a couple of kilometres out to the west if it is a big Springs tide, and can be a very meaty race. It does get played in, but not by the faint hearted.
You get a similar race out to the east during a big flood tide.
By now I decided that I wouldn`t be going out to Middle Mouse, I could see some quite chunky seas further out, and with all the obvious birdie poo it was clear that a lot of nesting was going on, so I wouldn`t have been able to get close in anyway.
Heading on towards Dinas Gynfor - actually that is technically incorrect - the headland is actually called Llanlleiana Head, and Dinas Gynfor is an iron age hillfort up on Llanlleiana Head.
Llanlleiana Head is the most northerly point of mainland Anglesey, Middle Mouse is the most northerly place in Wales.
On the way to Llanlleiana Head, and looking in to Porth Llanlleiana with the remains of the porcelain factory.
As it sticks right out into the west flowing ebb tide you get some strong currents around Llanlleiana Head, and with the swell and waves coming from the west, there was some interesting conditions around there.
As I was sitting there in a bit of an eddy considering what to do, I suddenly saw a fin - a dolphin was playing in the race conditions.
The fin came and went quite a few times, and at one point a second fin appeared, so I think there were two dolphins - the two fins didn`t appear at the same time, they were one after the other, but I think they were too far apart for it to have been the same dolphin.
I sat and watched them for quite a while, and then a scruffy power cruiser sort of boat came along the coast and went right through where they playing.
The fin or fins dissappeared.
It seemed to be a long time before they re-appeared again.
Eventually I plucked up the courage and headed off around the point, and lived to tell the tale.
Past Llanlleiana Head now, and Hell`s Mouth was anything but hellish - looking along the cliffs to the east of Llanlleiana Head.
I think - but I am not sure - that the furthest headland you can see is Torllwyn - it isn`t too easy to see from the picture which headland is which.
Torllwyn is the last headland before Porth Wen, so I continued along in quieter conditions now, but just before I turned into Porth Wen, another fin appeared.
Was it the same dolphin that I had seen at Llanlleiana Head or a different one - I don`t know.
And so into Porth Wen, eventually getting to the famous brickworks -
Time for a stop, and I landed on the beach there, beside another group of sea kayaks already there.
The brickworks used to make silica bricks out of quartzite - silica bricks are capable of withstanding very high temperatures, and are, or were, used to line the vessels used in steel making.
There are various websites that report that public access is not allowed, but it doesn`t seem to stop visitors, as they are still a fascinating place, with lots of industrial archeology to be seen -
Part of some kind of machinery -
Three giant bee-hives - were they used for drying bricks before they were fired, or were they the kilns ?
Inside looking out -
The remains climb away up the hillside -
Right up at the top, and a big chunk of machinery - was it a crusher, and the outflow of material from the crusher flowed down that stone chute you can see, and into the start of the brick making process.
I think this might have been a pumphouse, judging by the water pipes sticking out of the walls -
I`m trying to be arty now -
Up on top of the rocky arch, looking back into the brickworks -
Round a bit -
The beach where I landed - the yellow and orange plastic boats stand out really well - surprising how my boat, away along at the far end of the beach, is almost invisible.
Heading back down to the beach, and an inside view of the big brick building - the big hole in the foreground is caused by the sea which has found a way through the foundations, and is eating away at the inside of the building.
And look at that brick wall built on top of one of the beams - I wonder when that will all come crashing down.
Time to say goodbye to the brickworks and head back to Cemaes - out past Torllwyn now, and looking back along the coast to Llanlleiana Head and Middle Mouse.
It was a fairly straight forward paddle back to Llanlleiana Head, although there was a bit of an eddy around Hell`s Mouth which slowed me down a bit.
At Llanlleiana Head somewhat different conditions from when I had come out - it was by now about 4 hours into the ebb tide, and an eddy had formed to the west of Llanlleiana Head - in fact it is huge eddy that I think goes right across to Wylfa Head.
So close into Llanlleiana Head the current was flowing to the east, but just a wee bit out it was flowing to the west, so rather confused sea conditions.
Just as I was heading through it, at the worst possible time because I couldn`t stop and watch it, a dolphin came within about 10 metres of my boat, and exposed its whole back, before dissappearing again.
What an amazing sight, just as I was trying to negotiate the worst of the sea conditions.
Fabulous !
Then I had only gone about 100 metres or so and a seal popped up right in front of me to say a quick hello before vanishing again.
It was quite hard work getting back to Cemaes against the current in the eddy and against the now increasing south west wind, so it seemed to take a long time.
But what a super day it had been - it is a fabulous bit of wild and isolated coastline.
I do wonder about the dolphins - are there three dolphins in the area, a pair, and a single one. Or was it all the same one. It would be interesting to know.
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