Explore Britain with me...

Thank you for joining me. My journey has only just begun (September 2014). I will be travelling around the coast of Britain over the coming years. I hope to see all the coastline and much of the interior. I am going anticlockwise and randomly started at the Dyfi Estuary, one of the most beautiful parts of Wales that I already knew, overlooked by the most beautiful mountain Cadar Idris. I am looking forward to seeing and recording all sorts of things. My own passion extends to wildlife, geology, scenery, history, architecture and I am interested to meet people and see the communities and towns that I pass. I have read different accounts on the length of the coast and it varies enormously, but at its extreme could be as much as 37000km, taking into accurate measurements and including all the islands. I don't think that's feasible, but much probably is! I suspect Ill use a combination of foot power, bikes and busses if I am to do it all. Perhaps I can use boats too and maybe even swim a bit.

Saturday, 3 September 2016

Day 23 West angle to Stack Rock

Friday 26th February




Walk distance 8 km

Cycle 15 km

Height  595 est

6 hours



Total coastal distance walked 8 km

Total coastal distance cycled 5km



Running coastal total distance 323.65km

Running height climbed 10596m
















Parked in the car park at Freshwater west in the dunes.  I then cycled to west angle. This involved a steep cycle out of the dunes and then a level road which dropped down to freshwater. With the wind behind me it was easy.  I parked my bike a started walking hoping to beat the rain. Heavy rain was forecast all day. As x said at breakfast the weather is often different on the coast and the rainfall is much higher even a few miles inland. Amazingly the sun was shining.  The path headed out to the point x where more fortifications, derelict foundations of east block house, stood. These were built in 1854..

There is also an Elizabethan watch tower built after the armada, and WWI lookout. Then there are iron age fortifications as well as a large bank around WWII Angle airfield. Rounding the Point the full force of the wind became apparent. The path way was mostly on wide turf, just occasionally narrow above steep drops a and in places the path was very steep. Rounding the pointing was once again walking with the open ocean. Large waves crashed against the rugged red cliffs.  Views of freshwater west open up a magnificent sweep of a bay with huge sand dunes behind. Beyond is the military zone of castle martin. After collecting my bike, I returned to the same car park. I then cycled out of the dunes along a ridge which marks the boundary of the live firing area. Every now and then I heard explosions as rank shells fired as well as artillery. the ride was into a head wind and it was cold. I didn't want to walk this long tarmac section of the coastal path. It was an interesting ride passing the challenger and.   Tank at the entrance to Merrion camp.  Tanks were training in the distance. On the return ride it did all feel rather depressing.

After the initial excitement of seeing tanks it dawned on me this was real war games.  I noticed cottages with names like cold comfort farm. Hardly welcoming.  The barbed wire and trees along the road was bedecked in torn black plastic. Billowing in the wind with a backdrop of military warnings on one side and the power station in the distance on the other.  With rain just coming I was glad to get back to the car.




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