Day 3: Things that go bump in the night: Greenfield to Porthdinllaen

I woke up with a jolt at 3am with a fleeting sensation of buoyancy followed by a juddering bump.  We had planned to rise at 4am, but the tide had already reclaimed the acres of sands on which we had been marooned.  

So with only 3 hours of fitful sleep, we were soon retracing yesterday's passage through the line of buoys out into Liverpool Bay; the first light of dawn casting a crimson wash beyond the Wirral.

Graig Fawr, the isolated Trust-owned limestone crag above Prestatyn, glowed in the early sun as we followed a course back past the Great Orme, with Parc farm, our most recent Neptune Coastline Campaign funded acquisition. 

Llandudno and the Great Orme, with Parc Farm at it's summit

It was then on to Point Lynas, Anglesey's north-east extremity and around the mostly-unspoilt and wild north coast, including a good view of Dinas Gynfor, the Trust's second Welsh property, donated in 1913.

Borth Wen brikworks & Dinas Gynfor

In an attempt to catch up with ourselves after our unplanned stop on the Dee, we motored on in an attempt steal a march over the contrary tide race around Trwyn Carmel, before its force increased beyond the capability of all but the most powerful boats.  

We only just made it, spending about an hour crawling forward at full revs at the rate of about half a knot per hour until we escaped the tide's clutches into the calmer waters of Porth Swtan, where a film crew from S4C Newyddion 9 were waiting for us.

Bryn Jones, Ynys Môn Ranger

Bryn Jones, the Trust's Ynys Môn Ranger for the last 25 years, joined us for the next section, through the shipping lanes around Holyhead, around the spectacular seacliffs of South Stack and onwards to the heavenly hidden sandy cove of Porth Dafarch. 

South Stack

Porth Dafarch - where we dropped off Bryn

With the evening sun lighting the Caernarfonshire hills we cut straight across Caernarfon Bay to Porthdinllaen, arriving at 10pm in a stiff breeze, all three of us too tired to take the dinghy the short distance to the front door of the Ty Coch Inn.

Gavin at the helm of Capercaille heading for Porthdinllaen

Go to Day 4