Sue and Martin in Mallorca 2019

Sue and Martin in Mallorca 2019
On the Archduke's Path in Mallorca

Saturday 21 April 2018

Saturday 21 April 2018 - The Anglesey Coast Path - Stage 6 - Benllech to Amlwch

29 km, 800 metres ascent, 9 hours 10 minutes.
Martin did about 10 km of bimbling.

A beautiful warm cloudless day with a light cooling breeze at sea level.

David has spent the last three years turning a wrecked Victorian house into what is now Sea View Guesthouse, with rooms for at least 16 guests. Well done to him. We enjoyed our stay. Unlike our previous accommodation, other people were also staying here.

We enjoyed both dinner and breakfast with fine views over the bay to an outline of hills beyond a sea of windfalls. The top picture is the view from our room, the same view as from our breakfast table.

By soon after 9 am the others were on their way to Moelfre while I was despatched to the local Tesco Express shop. Missions accomplished, I parked up at Moelfre and walked a short way along the coast path to meet the coasters, before skilfully guiding them to the delights of Ann's Pantry.

We then walked a couple of kilometres out of Moelfre, passing various memorials to several shipwrecks, notably the Royal Charter, luxury liner of its day (a motorised sailing clipper), which foundered on nearby rocks in a storm in October 1859, with the loss of over 400 lives. There's also much reference to a rescue carried out in 1959, when the lifeboat crew saved eight sailors from certain death. On leaving the coasters, I returned to Polly via the lifeboat Visitor Centre, where a 'This is Your Life' recording shows the Coxwain of the lifeboat, Richard Evans, being delivered his day of fame by Eamonn Andrews.

Next stop for me was a parking spot at Traeth Dulas. A short walk to meet the others was followed by a sumptuous lunch on some comfy rocks overlooking the bay. There had been lots of people around Moelfre on this sunny Saturday, but very few were down here. After waving the others off I watched the tide surge in, bringing with it a colony of swans.

About now, Jeanette began to exhibit symptoms of 'Fitbit Distress'. Her batteries were low and she had forgotten to bring her charging lead. Even I will soon move ahead of her in the 'Steps League' (Division 3B)!

After a long rest at Traeth Dulas, Polly took me up to Amlwch Port, from where I trogged off down another nice section of coast path to meet the others. A section of marsh was safely skirted, and thanks to expert guidance, Paul's trainers that he has now been wearing for a couple of days in a foot cripple saving capacity, remained dry, and Jeanette's rock climbing skills were honed.

Oyster catchers and crows, aided by barking dogs, serenaded us towards the delights of pots of tea at the Sail Loft Café, at Amlwch Port in an area of industrial archaeological interest in this area of copper mining.

The coasters then continued their longest walk of the trip, arriving at the Trecastell Hotel over an hour later at 6.20 pm. Whilst Sue was misleading Paul and Jeanette through ankle deep mud, I was luxuriating in a hot bath. That could be used later to wash Paul's horribly muddied trainers...

Needless to say, their arrival time coincided with Beer o'clock.

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