Ponies of Trwyn Talfarach

View across Porth Neigwl at breakfast!

I think it was probably nearly midday before we set out for a walk. This was on my recent little camping trip to the end of the Llyn Peninsula with friends. We'd spent all morning slowly barbecuing and eating a hearty breakfast, whilst slowly cooking in the clear bright sun ourselves!
Sheer delight..finding the herd on the steepest, trickiest part of the headland.

Last year I'd visited this headland for the first time and had been delighted by finding a small herd of ponies. The land is owned by the National Trust and I presume they have put the ponies here for conservation grazing. This is a wild and beautiful place and their presence just seems to add that little extra surprise.
Boss hoss in the middle watched me very closely and I kept my distance..

We followed the rough path that leads to the rocky outcrop which marks the end of sensible walking. Sat eating our butties, admiring the views. Up till now there was no sign of the ponies. Although this was not my main aim of the day, I was curious as to where they were.
I was so busy watching below that I hardly noticed these two to my right. You couldn't have asked for a prettier pose!

By way of a distraction I looked down to the sea below and wondered if I could possibly, safely, make my way to the water. The going was steep with rock ledges half covered in ivy, long grass, heather, bracken and gorse. Every now and then I found little tracks..pony tracks. Then almost unbelievably there they were, right below on the lushest most inaccessible part of the whole headland. How I wished I'd not said I'll only be ten minutes to my friends on the cliff top. I'd 've gladly stayed here all day.
View from Trwyn Talfarach across Porth Ysgo towards Bardsey and the Irish Sea beyond.

We continued our walk with a rugged descent, with Choughs dancing in the air, to a rarely visited beach, where we were overflown by a Red Kite. I managed to confidently guide us up a non existent path in the heat of the day. Sandals and shorts now not such a good idea. Which eventually took us on to farmland and an interesting chat with a friendly farmer about the sheep shearer shortage. Perhaps an idea for a second income?

Orange UFO Sightings

A casual comment and an assumed spec on the lens of my camera, half made me think of UFOs. Today I looked in a daily paper and saw that there have been several recent reports of strange orange lights in the sky over the UK. Having looked at my photo more and tried to zoom in on the strange orange coloured ball in the far right of the picture, I have no explanation


Picture taken on 29th May, mid afternoon. Follow the horizon to the right in the picture. There is a small spec, which I thought was dirt on the lens. On zooming in, it is definitely something in the picture. It could be a balloon of some sort, I'm just surprised I didn't see it, I was on the hill top for sometime generally just being aware of my situation and orientation..

Carn Fadryn..a short walk with a view

Last week I was lucky enough to spend a few days on the Llyn Peninsula, in North Wales. On my first day, by way of a stop on my drive further South, I climbed Yr Eifl and Tre'r Ceiri. Sadly I have little to tell from these hills except cold wind and thick mist and stumbling around in ankle snapping boulders hidden in heather and bilberry!
Carn Fadryn viewed across farmland from the West close to the village of Dinas

By way of a reward for the previous days efforts, I decided to finally set foot on a delightful hill, CarnFadryn, which sits centrally in the peninsula. Like its higher northerly neighbour Tre'r Ceiri it boasts an Iron Age hill fort. Though not as impressive, it is nonetheless thought provoking and I found myself trying to imagine life in such a place so long ago.
The track up out of the village leads to a gate, where the direction changes, following the wall to the right, before ascending.

There is easy parking in the village which takes it's name from the hill behind. Today the sun was beating back a sea mist which kept me cool in my tent earlier. Now the day was almost hot and I chatted with a couple who had just come down and spotted their first ever Grass Snake, basking in the heat.
Looking North East lining Garn Boduan up with the distant horizon of Yr Eifl and furher right into Snowdonia. The Irish Sea and the town of Nefyn are hidden in the mist. Perhaps there's even a UFO in there too...

To the left of the chapel a track goes boldly straight at the hill. After a small gate such an aggressive route is softened by the path skirting round in an anti-clockwise manner, so as to ease the angle of ascent! After a short steep climb with a little meandering through the heather, the hill fort was breached and the summit trig point in sight. My reward for the day, far reaching views and the sea mist clinging to the north coast, adding to the impression of altitude given from such a hill which punches bigger than its size!