Cei Balast, North Wales

                                                                     7^th April

We’d stayed in Aberystwyth after travelling from Pembrokeshire, leaving us a fair- sized window for reaching Porthmadog and completing the little island before the tide came in. It took longer than expected to drive because of long stretches of traffic- lighted road improvements. Low tide as advertised on the customs office was at 1.50 pm today but at 12 the tide was well out.

 Cei Balast

 

 

Looking the opposite way.

 

 

It was a beautiful day with mountain views as a backdrop to the Ffestiniog railway from where we crossed the sands. Bob carried our wellies in his rucksack but we were glad of shoes for clambering down the rocks to sea level. Dixie Willis, in her book “Tiny Islands” had said the route is over the wall by the railway ( but she didn’t say cross it)   We looked for a route that might be easier- to no avail.

The train was steaming up but not yet ready to go and there were no signs saying not to cross the lines. So over we went and over the wall we carefully descended on rocks that moved with our weight. Nearly down, I dropped my guard and slipped on some wet bladder rack. With bruised bottom and pride I was helped up ( I would probably still have been there when the tide came in otherwise) and after changing into wellies, we set off for Cei Balast.

This is a totally manmade island. The ships would come into Porthmadog collecting Welsh slate to take to all parts of the world. Before taking on board their cargo, the ship’s ballast was emptied in the sea and an island gradually formed.

The sand was pristine and unmarked except for patterns of bird feet. There were cockle shells but mostly we were surrounded by smooth golden sand. Our wellies sank several inches deep in the mostly dry sand and it was hard work walking. Occasionally we had to go through streams and shoes would have been saturated.

As we reached the island we noticed footprints going in a clockwise direction but we couldn’t see where they had come from. The water beside the backs of Porthmadog buildings still had boats floating so it could have been deep there. The island was much closer to the town here.

We walked anti- clockwise and we didn’t see a soul! The rocks around the base of the island were multicoloured representing the different geology of the countries from where the trading boats came. We recognised granite, schist, slate, quartz and waste material that would have been left after some sort of smelting- like clinker.

 Facing the back of the town were 2 columns of jagged weathered wooden posts that would have been part of the jetty. They have been left to rot but they stand like monuments to a forgotten past.

The island is mostly covered in scrub like blackthorn, covered in white flowers today. After the “jetty” it was easier to get onto Cei Balast where it was mostly tangled grass. To get off further down though we had to tread down brambles. It seems like most people walk around it rather than on it – there are no paths that we could see.

The views have been spectacular particularly going back the other side of Cei Balast towards the railway line, away from the sea. There were only our footprints going back and to make it easier we trod in them. We decided to climb at a signal box closer to the station.

A train went by, hooting and steaming, carrying carriages of passengers. We waved and then gritted our teeth for the climb up the rocks to the wall. We helped each other up, over the wall and line then I noticed I wasn’t wearing my fit bit anymore. I’d received it as a Christmas present and had worn it every day – quite a slave to it in fact, completing at least 10, 000 steps a day by hook or crook!

Bob offered to go down and see if I had lost it when I fell on the rocks but I decided that I would let it go- it might be a relief! Later, as we watched the video of the walk we saw that it had been lost way out towards the island but before we walked on it. If there had been an easy way down and up to the beach I would have said we could try. We wonder how people normally go to the beach- there were plenty of buckets and spades on sale in Porthmadog.

The tide was still out so there are plenty of opportunities to walk out that way so maybe there is a path we didn’t discover.

 

         

                                                                  Skomer Island

                                                                   6^th April 2017

 

Skomer and Ramsey are islands either side of a huge bay made up of Newgale sands and St Brides Bay. We thought Skomer would be fairly near to St. Davids but it took best part of an hour to motor even the large roads via Haverfordwest to reach St.Martin’s Haven near Marloes, where the boat would be leaving. This boat cannot be booked in advance and it operates on a first come first served rule so the earlier one arrives, the better.

We had managed to leave our B and B before 9 with time to get sandwiches from the delicatessen in St. Davids- loads of choice and delicious.

The car park at St. Martin’s is run by the National Trust and would have been £5 but we are members luckily, so it was free. There was a short walk down to a cabin, Locksley Lodge, a tiny visitors centre where you need to pay the Landing fee before you buy the ticket from the boatman himself. It is £10 to land unless you belong to the Wildlife Trust, who manage the island and then £11 for the return boat trip. Notices said you need to pay the boatman cash but we saw him use a hand- held card reader for some people with credit cards.

There are steps and slippery slopes leading to where you get on the boat which varies with the tides. Our boat left at 11am. The sea was flat and calm. After a safety demonstration (like on an aircraft) where a boat hand showed us how to operate a lifejacket- the boat can take up to fifty but only in the 30s today the vessel seemed full enough! The life jackets stayed in their hold and we gently cruised to Skomer.

We could see puffins landing on the water, beginning to gather in groups. They hadn’t landed on the island yet but we were told it could happen today.  There were playful pockets of seals as the boat drew near Skomer.

 

 We were helped out of the boat one by one and it was an arduous climb up 87 steep steps to listen to a talk by a warden. Bob just wanted to get going as it was drawing ever nearer to midday. I hired binoculars for £5 but it turned out these slowed us down quite a lot too.

It was stressed that we should stick to the paths as everywhere there are tunnels. Rabbits, puffins and manx shearwaters have excavated miles and miles of the 720 acres over time. Shearwaters only come ashore to their burrows when its dark, possibly around half a million(Gasp!) Rabbits, large, plentiful and of many colours ( there was a rabbit farm here for fur at one time) seem used to the visitors. Puffins still haven’t officially arrived.

There are several no-go areas set aside for research purposes. The first area is near the boats and it is used to compare the wildlife in the people free zone with that where up to 250 visitors a day tread. Quite a good way of measuring our impact on the ecology though even 250 people a day seems a lot!

Manx shearwaters aren’t adapted to travel on land but they are fantastic fliers being a relative of the albatross. On land they run the gauntlet of the great black backed gulls into their burrows, except running is what they can’t do. Evidence of the voracity of the gulls is all over the island- pairs of black wings attached to a skeletal backbone and legs. There are evening walks to see the shearwaters, if you are staying on the island.

Birds dot the rock cliffs edging the island. They seem to nest in impossibly small places, cracks and narrow ledges. In a square crevice a raucous raven, as large as a buzzard flew towards its nest. Its sound was deep and echoed around.

A sheer cliff of kittiwakes sounded like a playground of small children squealing and laughing.

We had to climb a lot and there were good views over to Ramsey. We had our picnic on the rocks not staying too long as we wanted to catch the 3pm boat. We got to the spot where if we were patient we would almost be certain to see porpoises. People just leaving had seen several but despite us staying the suggested 15 minutes we didn’t see any.

There were tiny blue flowers growing close to the ground and thrift. You could imagine what the island would be like in a few weeks as bluebells were emerging. A male warden waxed lyrical about Skomer’s beauty to us when I asked the identity of a bird. Bob was getting fed up of me with binoculars! The picture shows violets.

 

There are enclosures showing what the island would be like without the rabbits. They control the vegetation by eating it. One enclosure was completely full of long tangled grass swamping any flowers and the other was full of heather and shrubs with little variety. The cropped grass is better for ground nesting birds. We like the little ramp that enabled any rabbits, good at breaking in, an escape route.

 

Almost back at the boat are the toilets and what looks like the wardens’ quarters- buildings that are private anyway. Near here is a stretch of rough grass and we were lucky enough to see a short eared owl with its long wings hunting in the day. We’d seen pellets with bones and fur but didn’t think we would see the bird itself.

As we descended the steps the puffins gathering below started to fly onto the rocks around us. They were coming onto the island at last. Some were collecting nesting material. Some flew over our heads with their red feet ready to land. It was a sight to make everyone smile and cameras ( some very large and expensive) were clicking.

 

The sea was less calm going back but not enough to make me nauseous. People were collecting for another trip- round the island, not landing. Our boat would go back for the remaining visitors straight away and that would be it for the island for another day.

 

Ramsey Island

                                                        

                                             Ramsey Island, Pembrokeshire
                                                         5th April 2017

 

We’d booked 2 nights in a friendly B and B in St. David’s. Only a week before, we were expecting to go to Ireland but it looked better for the weather further south and it was less travelling overall.

We had also booked our boat trip from St. Justinian’s, 2½ miles away, with Thousand Island expeditions. There are other companies but only this one has landing rights, the others just sail around Ramsey. The crossing was £12 each return and £6 each for the landing fee. The island is run by the RSPB and landing is free for their members.

We built our tandem- it had travelled in the back of our car- and rode the pretty route past the ancient Cathedral to the layby nearest to the boat. We took hardly any space at all!  You pass a car park charging £3 on the approach to St Justinian’s, but nearer the ferry there are some parking places marked out at a layby with no parking charges, a prime spot if you are there early enough to get a space.

 

We had checked at the office at Cross Square in the town that the boat was running today. The sun was shining and it didn’t seem too windy so we were in luck.

We arrived dutifully 15 minutes before the boat’s departure from St. Justinian’s Lifeboat Station at 10 o’clock. We were met by an RSPB official who checked our names off a list- Twenty of us in all. There are 3 buildings here, the modern station, and 2 defunct ones. In front of the oldest building were steps leading up to an iron platform and the old housing for the lifeboat. Above the stairs is a sign saying private so we were very surprised to be told to, one at a time, make an ascent. We had to keep to one side, and to stop immediately when instructed to. It all seemed very dramatic! The building is no longer maintained so we can see why there may be some paranoia. At the top of the platform you could see through to the beach, then sea below. This gave me wobbly legs. We walked down the steep slipway holding onto the side rail, towards the place where the boat was “docked”. At least it wasn’t slippery today.

We were helped onto the boat. It left the station slowly and the sea seemed choppy but as soon as it picked up speed it felt quite smooth until we reached Ramsey. About 10 minutes after leaving the mainland we were bobbing up and down in the swell just off the island. We had to jump off one at a time when the boat steadied after a wave, but no one fell in!!

We were met by an assistant warden who told us where we could walk, sticking to the paths. Ramsey is 2 miles from top to tail and ½ mile at its narrowest. We decided to walk as far round the island as we could, taking in the hills. This seemed further than the 3 1/2 miles it was supposed to be. There was a boat at 12 Noon and another at 4pm and we decided to go for the latter to give us time to finish. 6 hours was a little too long for the walk, we would recommend getting the 12Noon ferry to the Island and return at 4pm.

There is a little shop open for a short while when the boat gets in. This sells crisps, fruit juice, flapjacks and other snacky bits. They also hire out binoculars for £3 a day.

We were pleased to see choughs, with their red beaks and legs, busily collecting nesting material on the northern part of the island. It was here on the hill we could expect to see red deer- introduced via a net beneath an RAF helicopter some years back. We were told they are used to humans, but the fast- moving heavy footed teenager, who wanted to do the 3 hour tour in just over an hour, probably scared them away. We kept seeing deer poo though and cloven hoof prints. There are several pairs of antlers outside the shop.

We were surprised to see horse prints until just before we’d completed the circuit we saw 3 beautiful white ponies. The prints had been in most inaccessible places steep and rocky with drops to the sea but then these are hardy Welsh Mountain ponies.

 

This shows the rocks from both sides

We watched inflatable boat tours giving thrills through the turbulent waters round the Bitches, a reef of rocks stretching into Ramsey Sound. The whirlpools and eddies create white water, a favourite for kayakers.

There are no trees but plenty of heather which will be lovely later, but the gorse is out and smelling like coconut. Tiny blue flowers are pushing through the close- cropped grass. Sheep are kept here to control the undergrowth and clear the way for ground nesting birds. We couldn't get close to them though. Lambing will start soon and the RSPB wardens are there to look after the sheep as well as the birds One lady arrived, on the boat we would take back to the mainland, with large packets of tick and worming powder.

There are compost toilets, one for sitting and one for standing, in a wooden hut near the shop. I can’t work out why they are up- stairs, except maybe for ease of emptying. These are the only ones on the island for the public’s use. As was pointed out there are a lot of birders with binoculars so it’s best not to go au natural.

We saw a lot of bones-of rabbits and birds which we tried to identify. We spent a while seal watching. There were 15 at the haul out area though there can be a hundred we were told. Later we saw 2 seals ambush a large fish, sending it towards rocks and the shore where it manged to get back in the water only to face its attackers. We think they caught it but they didn’t emerge after.

 

This is a varied and pretty island. The rocks are lichen covered with cairns marking paths which seem to have been mowed, the grass is so close to the ground. There are tiny primrose, violets and celandine just coming through. The views are spectacular!

We got back early for the boat so bought a cup of tea when the shop reopened at 3.15(on the dot) and we sat in the sun on one of the picnic benches. We hadn’t had time to buy ourselves lunch before we came, though we had brought bananas, crisps and water. It was good that we’d eaten cooked breakfast that morning so thank you Orla for giving me black pudding- we needed the calories.

The boat arrived at 4 and in no time at all we were climbing the slipway to the old lifeboat station and standing in the little cove of black rock as another group are leaving for a tour. It’s a busy little place!