Wild North Coast of Anglesey - Amlwch to Cemaes (Wylfa Head)

Walk: Amlwch to Cemaes (Wylfa Head) on Wales Coast Path

Distance: 12 miles (including walk from Carpark to Cemaes to catch the bus)

Parking: Wylfa Head Local Nature Reserve

Bus Route: No 61 Holyhead to Amlwch service picking bus up in Cemaes

Sitting here in early February, dreaming of the less grey days ahead, it felt like a good time to write up one of the coastal walks Rosie and I did last May (May 2023). I think the North Coast of Anglesey is ace. Vibrant and wild with an eyeful of wow around every corner. This particular walk has to be one of my favourite Wales Coast Path sections ever - made super accessible by the availability of the bus service between Cemaes and Amlwch and the free parking opportunities (this time near Cemaes). I still can't understand why I am not in a queue of people waiting to walk this section - maybe its just that bit further to go? I'm not complaining. Maybe in future those queues will happen, but great to enjoy it now, while you have it more or less to yourself.

The good weather colours cut straight to the happy hormones. You do eventually get used to them I guess but walking across the dew-clad first field with the newly risen sun warming your face and the deep blue and vibrant green everywhere you look triggers every 'good to be alive' chemical you are capable of creating. At least it does in me. I can't wait to get back there this year.

My chosen parking spot on this occasion is the secluded carpark that, I think, is part of the Wylfa Head Local Nature Reserve. It is accessed via the entrance to the now decommissioned Wylfa Nuclear Power Station from the A5025 about 2 miles west of Cemaes. It has space for about 20 cars and is also popular with overnighting campervans. There are no loos or anything but for me the joy of the walk into Cemaes and first view and smell of the ocean make it an uplifting start to an epic day out. My mate Rosie (Spaniel) and I got there early allowing 40 minutes for the (approximately 1.5 mile) walk east into Cemaes to catch the bus to the far end of the days walk.

To get to Cemaes, head out of car park the way you came in and turn right through a kissing gate into the woods. The route to the coast path (and Wylfa Head) soon takes you left (toward the sea), but the path also offers a 'straight-on' (east) in a more direct route to Cemaes. There is plenty of walking to be had later on, so we took the direct route. This brings you out into a meadow (seen in the photo here looking back towards the woods from which you exit (photo taken on the way back!). The path heads east across the meadow to another kissing gate where the main coast path from Wylfa Head comes in from the left (north). Go through the gate, continuing east on the main Wales Coast Path with the pebbly Porth y Wylfa bay down on the left, until you come into Cemaes Bay via a small lane leading to the small sandy beach of Traeth Bach. There is further parking here if that suits you better and you are early enough. Not sure its free though. The bus stop is not far further along the road, which turns inland away from the beach The bus stop is on the on the right hand side of the road as you walk up past the Stag Inn on the right and the Post Office on the left, just outside a Fish and Chip shop. Its easier to see the Fish and Chip shop than the bus stop sign to be honest.

As is our formula for these longer walks, we arrived relatively early and caught the 09:28 bus (No 61). It terminates in Amlwch so there isn't much stress of missing your stop. That said, we got off just as you come into Amlwch, at the Health Centre, a modern building on the left hand side. (If you want to knock a couple of miles off the walk you could even get off 2 or 3 minutes earlier at Bull Bay and still not miss the most memorable bits of the walk). Behind the Health Centre is a school and just beyond the school is a footpath on the left that leads roughly north west to join the Wales Coast Path. The first full sight of this special, rugged coastline. After about 20 minutes walking, this short section of coast path leads up you out onto the main road (with pavement) above the small beach and settlement of Bull Bay. Follow the Coast Path Signs up out of Bull Bay onto the headland that shelters the beach from the worst the westerlies have to offer. Once on top continue west, soaking in the eyeful and noseful of unspoiltness (how can these words not be in the dictionary, English is mad!).

The next landmark is the unexpected Victorian industrial building that greets you across a stunning looking bay. This is the now-derelict Porth Wen Brickworks that shut sometime shortly after the first world war. You can go down into it and have a mooch around; its not promoted, but its not banned either. I've been there a few times before though, and Rosie generally snubs her nose at Industrial Heritage (Victorian or otherwise), its just not her thing (and I'm not far behind her in this sentiment). So, after a short show of paws, we had our butties up-top instead and gave it a miss.

The walk continues west away from the Brickworks cutting across a headland then along the steep coastline to another headland that is the northernmost point of Wales. This last half of the walk back to Cemaes is properly up and down and not really ideal for those that are scared of heights. The landscape and seascape are however second to none. The north of the northernmost point is adorned by a rather scruffy looking concrete and brick structure that is/was, apparently, a monument built to celebrate the coronation of Edward VII in 1902. It looks uncomfortably down on its luck now but the position and seascape are epic.

(Digression alert: Edward VII wasn't the lightweight one one that married the American divorcee (that was his grandson Edward VIII). Quite the opposite, he was the rather more heavyweight one who made it fashionable to have a waistcoat with a popped button at the bottom and who, like the present King Charles, spent rather a long time as the Prince of Wales as his mother (Victoria) just kept going and going (and going). His actual name was Albert (after his father) but I guess he didn't want to be King Albert (possibly he saw an early trailer of Only Fools and Horses and didn't want to be associated with the friendly but somewhat tatty uncle in that series). It's a shame that his memorial here looks so 'Uncle Albert' now as I reckon, like Uncle Albert, he was probably a lovely bloke as he had the reputation of treating everyone he met with equal respect. He probably deserves a better memorial, with a plaque extolling this rare but attractive virtue, in this glorious peaceful spot.

The walk continues steeply down to another Industrial heritage site (this time a porcelain works) before climbing steeply back up, etc, eventually reaching relative civilisation at the small church and churchyard of Eglwys Llanbadrig. As the name suggests (with a mutation or two), this is associated with St Patrick who allegedly, maybe on a boozy daytrip out with a few monk friends from Ireland, came a cropper on the small Island that has been visible to your right for some time (Ynys Badrig). Getting ashore onto the main island (somehow), typically for a saint, he built a church. Apart from being in a beautiful place, and having been visited by his Holiness the Dalai Lama, the other cool thing about this Church is that, at some point after falling into disrepair in the late 1800s, it was rebuilt by a Muslim. Islam doesn't promote the depiction of people or animals in religious settings and so it is with the new stained windows in this church. The Dalai Lama is reputed to have called it the most peaceful spot on earth. It's not. That is about 3 miles further east but I can attest to that being a bit of a mission to get to in sandals so I'll forgive him.

The last mile into Cemaes is eventful only in so much as there are people around. These fall away though as you retrace your steps from Traeth Bach in Cemaes and eventually across the meadow to the car park at Wylfa head, perhaps taking the time to divert to the superb sheltered swimming beach at Porth yr Ogof (site of the old lifeboat station) on the east side of Wylfa Head. I spoke to some local women on a previous visit who met and swam there regularly. They handed me the very good advice of checking for 'visitors from the Gulf of Mexico' (Jellyfish) from the top before going down and committing to the water. It is beautifully clear.