Brothers on the Strait and Narrow

It seems an age ago since the Welsh border closed again due to the pandemic and my walks had to be suspended. I didn’t dare plan anything to the 12th April opening actually arrived and the reopening was confirmed. My brother Paul expressed an interest in coming along if I could wait till the Friday 16th, so I planned for that day. The weather in the UK had been unpredictable in April 2021. High pressure brought sunshine, but North winds brought some late snow. You could be in a t-shirt one minute then find yourself in a hail storm the next. But when Friday came, the weather was looking kind as we set off west. For sound logistical reasons (and nothing to do with the desire for a bag of chips at the end) we started in Caernarfon. We left the car in the shadow of Caernarfon Castle at the Slate Quay car park alongside the Afon Seiont estuary.

We started at the bridge that crosses the Seiont and takes the Wales Coast Path westward. We turned east though and followed the castle walls and the sea wall. The castle is still closed due to the pandemic. Even today, it’s scale is impressive. It was the jewel in the crown of Edward I’s chain of Welsh castles. The castle was designed to induce shock and awe in the local inhabitants to subdue them and protection to his followers should that tactic not work - which it often didn’t. You get glimpses through the arches in the walls of streets of tightly packed houses still sheltering in the wall’s embrace. Edward was far from the first to realise Caernarfon’s strategic importance. As with other places with “Caer” in the name, there is a Roman connection. The Romans had a fort here in a place they called Segontium and Edwards grand castle built on fortifications started by the Normans.

Well Tower through the Town Walls, Caernarfon Castle

It is where he is reputed to have nicked the title of Prince of Wales. He promised the local nobles that the Prince would have to be born in Wales and not be an English speaker. He then gave the title to his son soon after he was born at the castle. The title is still passed down to the oldest son of the monarch. The current Prince of Wales, Charles, had his investiture here when I was a small boy. I recall we got a souvenir mug given to us at school.

Just beyond the walls is the marina at Victoria Dock flanked by impressive modern buildings. Like many marinas in this very tidal area it has a tidal gate. As we passed, it was a rising tide but the marina gate was still closed. If you looked out towards the west you could see the sands around the Caernarfon Bar. This is the western exit of the Menai Straits and a trick point of navigation. Heavy storms can reshape the sands of the bar you can see and those you cannot. Sailors in these waters learn to be careful. The dockside retains a few original features from its days as a working port.

Just beyond the docks the path follows the shoreline and we could see some birds trying to make the best of the remaining low tide - we saw a Heron, Cormorants and a pair of Northern Shovelers. If it was the coming of the railway that started to undermine the marine economy of the docks even as it was completed, it is ironic how the path proceeds. You pass between the Strait and a Morrisons supermarket which stand on the site of the railway station.

Typical part of the path using the old rail line

The path then follows the old railway line, a casualty of “Beeching’s axe”, along the coast to Bangor. It also meant Paul and I were going to need a different method of getting back to Caernarfon. We were also sharing the route with National Cycle Path 8. Old railway lines are ideal for this. They tend to be wide and straight with gentle gradients and good drainage. Trees flank the side of the path making a kind of arboreal tunnel. The trees haven’t yet gained their full foliage so you see glimpses of the shoreline and Anglesey across the water.

As the path started to move away from the water, we came across a car park that seemed completely out of place until we discovered a derelict factory on the other side of the path. It felt like the underground was swallowing it like a forgotten jungle city. As the OS map only said “Works” we had no idea what it once was. Only when our bus home had a stop called “Ferodo” did we twig what it had been. A sign warning of the presence of Asbestos hints at the downfall of Ferodo (though the brand survives). Another unexpected casualty of North Wales’ industrial past. I believe there are plans to redevelop the site as a holiday park. It certainly occupies some prime Straitside real estate.

Just beyond the factory we saw a sign for the Plas Menai Outdoor Centre. If it floats in the sea, then there is probably a course for it here. Paul and I decided to take a detour to go and see it despite there being a very low chance of it being open. On the approach you are greeted by a huge sign and a graveyard. Paul and I were both stuck be the same thought. We know all watersports carry some risk, but this seemed rather extreme! The centre wasn’t closed off but it wasn’t really open either. The lure of a Lavazza coffee sign proved false. We made use of their outside picnic tables to eat some of our own snacks and shed some layers as the temperature was climbing. As surprising as the position of the graveyard was, it was impressive. I don’t recall seeing one better kept and with more floral tributes. The pretty church of Llanfair-is-Gaer being just yards from the lovely Menai Straits, I can think of worse places to find peace to rest in.

We headed back up to the path again at a major roundabout. There was a lot of serious looking construction work going on. Judging by the dotted line on the OS map, they are building a bypass on the A487 for Caernarfon. It will squeeze between Caernarfon and Bontnewydd before rejoining the A487 and A499 near Llanwnda.

Fortunately, the path doesn’t follow the main A487, but follows the old Caernarfon road for a short distance before taking the railway route again. It flanks the Llanfair Hall Estate before heading downhill to the town of Y Felinheli. Busy boatyards marked the edge of the this town. You emerge onto a wide promenade flanked by rows of houses looking over the Straits. It borders straight onto the Port Dinorwic marina complex. Along with the marina, there is a lot of modern accommodation that forms the part of the development. Rather than a tidal gate, Port Dinowic has a lock system like a canal. I have some bad memories of being on a yacht doing an Ever Given impression across this canal after a missed rope throw.

As we crossed the canal bridge, we hit a bit of a navigational dilemma. The OS Map app on my phone said we needed to go right towards the road. The signage was pointing us round the shoreline. We decided to go with the signs. This part of the path seems fairly recent. Checking later, the web version of the OS Maps seems to know of the course change but the app seems to be a bit behind. The new path plots a course much more worthy of the “Coast” tag and keeps you away from the traffic. It passes to the west of the Vaynol Estate rather than the east. The path is bordered by the Strait and hillside. The is a mixture of natural woodland and sheep filled fields.

As with the rest of this walk, there are no difficult obstacles to traverse - just the odd gate here and there. Across the water stands Plas Newydd, the family seat of the Marquess of Anglesey, now operated by the National Trust. You are mostly getting glimpses of the grand house through the tree before a huge stone wall blocks your view of the wall altogether. Fortunately, the Path has consideration for the curiosity of walkers to what lies beyond. There are a couple of rustic lookout posts build along the route. One hide-like structure had a bench on it for more leisurely observation. Paul and I, now deep into the walk, stopped briefly before deciding we would seize up with we lingered too long.

An ornate gate stands at the point were the new path and my planned route meet at Glen Faenol. We started to glimpses of the Britannia Bridge the the trees and it started to rise up above us. As you reach it’s base there are examples of its original structure. The bridge was designed by Robert Stevenson, son of railway pioneer George Stevenson, and a very significant engineer in his own right. The innovative box girder design using wrought iron allowed the railway to pass over the straights with enough clearance for a fully rigged man-of-war to pass beneath. Originally opened in 1850, it was only a rail bridge with Telford’s older suspension bridge serving the road. A disastrous fire in 1970 caused irreparable damage to the original wrought iron structure. The stone towers were modified and a new structure of steel and concrete to carry not just the rail link but also the dual carriageway of the A55 across the Menai Strait. This alleviated the congestion on the old A5 for this popular holiday destination and major Irish freight route.

It’s a relatively short distance between the two bridges which overlooks the notorious Swellies section of the Menai Strait. With its strong tides, whirlpools and hidden rocks it is a significant challenge to navigate. Church Island and Ynys Gored Goch stand in the Strait but it’s probably not the rocks that you can see that will get you!

We also came across an unexpected meeting along the path. A bronze statue forms a marker for the route of the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run in the Treborth Botanic Gardens. The path than climbs past a little waterfall to emerge at the foot of the Telford Suspension Bridge.

This marked the end of my route but not the end of the walk. We needed to get a bus back to Bangor but the route runs past Ysbyty Gwynedd which was still half a kilometre away and worse still 100m above us. It was a hard way to end the walk but at least the bus came quickly and we felt we had earned the chips we had back in Caernarfon. It is always nice to have company on my walks and it was great to share this section with my brother.