Three days of summer!

`Make the most of the good weather` was our cry for this year, as summer weather seems in short supply at the moment. This week was forecast as sunny for most days and three days were marked as potential `days out`.

We were lucky as we managed all three days. One to Redgrave and Lopham Fen, another to Pipers' Vale Nature Reserve with its stunning views of the Orwell Bridge, and the third to Ramsholt Church on the Deben River, to see the poppies all around the churchyard.

So, here are images from all three days to remind us of at least some summer in 2021!

As you can see, the churchyard is a riot of colour at the moment. Certainly a view to remember.

In amongst this colour, with the River Deben as a backdrop, you have an interesting church as well. See my previous post.

Moving on to the next sunny day, and a trip to Pipers` Vale. This is a Nature Reserve that is worth visiting for its flowers and butterflies, but also its views of the Orwell Bridge.

Two views of the Orwell Bridge. A magnificent structure by any measure.

Textures in the water at the base of the bridge.

Salsify, spotted near the bridge. It is a root vegetable, apparently, belonging to the dandelion family, being known also as the oyster plant because of its similar taste when cooked. The root is similar in appearance to a long, thin parsnip, with creamy white flesh and a thick skin. In the same way as many root vegetables, salsify can be boiled, mashed or used in soups and stews.

Bumble Bee

Common Blue butterfly. We have seen these and the Marble White on this site many times before.

Here is a Marble White taken a few days later. Included, as the ones I took on this day were not up to scratch! Still Pipers Vale though.

Day three was a visit to Redgrave and Lopham Fen, noted for it Dragonflies and Raft Spider.

First two images are of a male Norfolk Hawker. The Norfolk hawker is a rare species, with clear wings, green eyes and the characteristic yellow triangle shape on the dragonfly’s body which make this endangered dragonfly very distinctive.

These little creature are the young of the Peacock butterfly I believe.

So to the great find on a visit to Redgrave and Lopham - the Raft spider. We had seen it here a year or two ago, but it is quite elusive so we were well pleased when a lady suddenly said "look, there`s one".

The spider was first identified in the UK in 1956, at Redgrave and Lopham Fen. Following their discovery, a number of new pools were dug to encourage population expansion. However, water extraction from the nearby borehole and a series of droughts in the 1980s reduced the population to only two isolated areas on the reserve. Throughout this period irrigation of the pools inhabited by the spider enabled the continuation of the population. The removal of the borehole in 1999 was expected to trigger an increase in population as water levels returned to normal. However, a study carried out in 2006 showed that no noticeable change had occurred. The population of the fen raft spider at the site remains small and restricted in distribution, but stable.

Longhorn beetle

Lastly, as we were almost next door to Bressingham, we had a wander around the gardens before heading home. The gardens are beautiful this time of year and, having had plenty of moisture, looking lush and colourful.

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Dingle Nature Reserve and Moelfre

Having spotted one or two Nature Reserves on the map, we headed to a reserve, spent a little time there, and decided to move on. We then headed onto the Dingle Nature Reserve which was beside a stream and had the added attraction of resident Red squirrels. Sadly, when we arrived we found that the reserve was still shut. Not sure why, but signs indicated unsafe. Luckily there was a cycleway through part of it so we headed along it, cameras at the ready.

An early Marsh Orchid

This I thought was beautiful - Bogbean

Marsh Marigold

Robin posing for us - this taken at Dingle Nature Reserve

Jay - spotted along the cycleway

My shot of the day - a Red Squirrel on  a branch overhead. Magic!

The stunning red squirrel is native to England and it's always a special sight to spot one of these cheeky critters scampering through our woodlands. Unfortunately this is becoming an increasingly rare occurrence as the last century has seen a dramatic decrease in their numbers. The reason for the widespread decline across Britain can be attributed to two main factors: the destruction of habitat, and the introduction of the grey squirrel from America. It is estimated by the Forestry Commission that there are now as few as 140,000 red squirrels left in Britain compared to the 2.5 million grey squirrels. Anglesey is a hotspot as all grey squirrels have been eradicated, and the Menai and Britannia bridges act as a barrier.

Then the sight of a Nuthatch.

Having walked the cycleway at Dingle, we decided that a trip to the nearby coast was in order so headed to Moelfre.

A walk along the front brought us to the Lifeboat station and this figure on the wall. Richard Matthew Evans (BEM), was a Welsh lifeboatman. He was born in the village of Moelfre on the north-east of the island of Anglesey. During his 50 years service as a lifeboatman, Richard Evans was involved in 179 launches and the saving of 281 lives and is one of only five men to be awarded the RNLI gold medal twice, the highest accolade awarded by the institution and the equivalent of the Victoria Cross for bravery at sea.

A view from the harbour before we bought the biggest ice-cream I have ever eaten (well almost eaten!), and then making our way back to base. Another very enjoyable day.

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Parys Mountain Copper Mines and onto Plas Cemlyn nature reserve

The location of our holiday cottage is on the edge of the town of Amlwch. Amlwch is the most northerly town in Wales, and is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, on the A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge

Amlwch grew rapidly in the 18th century near what was then the world's biggest copper mine at the nearby Parys Mountain. By the late 18th century, Amlwch had a population of around 10,000 and was the second largest town in Wales after Merthyr Tydfil. It was at this time that its harbour was also extended to accommodate the ships needed to transport the ore.

When the copper production declined, a wide variety of industrial activities were developed to take its place. Ship-building in the narrow harbour area and other sites around the coast of Amlwch Port was a significant enterprise from the 1820s and grew in significance after the railway opened in 1864, reducing the use of the harbour for copper and other goods by ship. By 1912 the main shipbuilding activities were in decline, and neither the harbour nor shipyards offered much commercial activity.

In the 1970s, Amlwch had an offshore single point mooring - Amlwch Oil Terminal - which was used to receive large oil tankers which were unsuitable for the Mersey. Reception tanks were located ashore and the oil was pumped from there to the refineries on the Manchester Ship Canal. The terminal closed in 1990.

Today we are going to the old copper mines which look really appealing, (as far as a photographer is concerned), because of the range of colours on the vast areas of waste and other debris. All we needed was some sun - and thats what we had!

One of the many paths showing the multi-coloured debris heaped at the sides.

Looking across one of the huge Open Cast pit areas.

A less sunny view, but still the colours 

Work began on Parys Mountain copper mine about 1765, though there are traces of prehistoric and Roman mining. Opencast mining ceased about 1800, though underground work continued until about 1880. The precipitation pits, engine house and windmill (which assisted a nearby steam engine in pumping a mine work) are probably nineteenth century in date. One of the next  images show the Precipitation pits where iron objects were immersed in copper-rich water and left to dissolve, giving copper precipitate. This on its own turned into a large industry as iron ore was shipped in large quantities.

The remains of the Windmill

The Precipitation pits. The remains include twelve pits or tanks, within an area 220m by 60m, separated by low stone walls.

We were fortunate to meet an off-duty guide when we visited, and he obigingly pointed out areas of interest to walk through. Not your usual tourist attraction one would think, but a must if you are ever in the area.

Having spent a few hours here, we moved onward to Plas Cemlyn nature reserve. This is on the edge of Cemlyn Bay and its large shingle beaches and causeway. A great walk I believe if you are feeling fit! We went to the area which is a haven to nesting Terns at this time of year, and it was a magical experiece to watch these beautiful birds swirling around us in huge numbers.

Tern taking his catch back to the nest

Of course there always other birds about and Egrets were no exception.

Wylfa nuclear power station is a decommissioned Magnox nuclear power station situated west of Cemaes Bay. Construction of the two 490 MW nuclear reactors, known as "Reactor 1" and "Reactor 2", began in 1963. They became operational in 1971. Wylfa was located on the coast because seawater was used as a coolant.

In 2012, Reactor 2 was shut down. Reactor 1 was switched off on 30 December 2015, ending 44 years of operation at the site.

Cemaes harbour

Then to Cemaes beach, which you can see has very few people on it! Lovely!

Of interest on the beach was the St Patricks`s Bell. The Cemaes Time and Tide Bell is a public artwork, part of a project to celebrate the importance of the sea to the history and present of the United Kingdom. Below is copied from the local website:

Rung by the high tide, Time and Tide Bells are positioned around the coast of Britain, sounded by the waves. Each bell has been installed by the local community, celebrate connections between the land and the sea, between ourselves and our environment.

The Cemaes Time and Tide Bell was installed in April 2014, and has become a prominent feature on Traeth Mawr. It is one of only five bells installed so far as part of the ambitious project by sculptor Marcus Vergette. The others can be found in Appledore Devon, Trinity Buoy Wharf London, Aberdyfi Gwynedd and Bosta on the Isle of Lewis. Four more bells are currently under development.

Each bell has its own inscription, chosen by the community. The Cemaes inscription is a poem by Glyndwr Thomas:

Above the waves, melodiously, sounds

The name of a saint, so fair,

A bell whose knell is here to tell

Patrick’s eternal prayer.

A busy day but well worth it as we have visited some really interesting places. And so back to base!

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Beaumaris Castle and Penmon Point

Before we had travelled to Anglesey, we had plotted a few places to visit - weather permitting! We were lucky with the weather, so today we are heading to Beaumaris to look at "The Greatest Castle Never Built" - as it is described. It was the last of the royal strongholds created by Edward I in Wales – and perhaps his masterpiece. The following it taken from the Welsh Touret site:

Here, Edward and his architect James of St George took full advantage of a blank canvas: the ‘beau mareys’ or ‘beautiful marsh’ beside the Menai Strait. By now they’d already constructed the great castles of Conwy, Caernarfon and Harlech. This was to be their crowning glory, the castle to end all castles.

The result was a fortress of immense size and near-perfect symmetry. No fewer than four concentric rings of formidable defences included a water-filled moat with its very own dock. The outer walls alone bristled with 300 arrow loops.

But lack of money and trouble brewing in Scotland meant building work had petered out by the 1320s. The south gatehouse and the six great towers in the inner ward never reached their intended height. The Llanfaes gate was barely started before being abandoned.

So the distinctive squat shape of Beaumaris tells of a dream that never quite came true. Still it takes its rightful place on the global stage as part of the Castles and Town Walls of Edward I World Heritage Site.

Because this castle is special – both for the scale of its ambition and beauty of its proportions. Gloriously incomplete Beaumaris is perhaps the supreme achievement of the greatest military architect of the age.

The moat around Beaumaris

South Gatehouse

The North Gatehouse

Some of its 300 arrow loops

A modern rendering (2016) of the master builder - James of St. George

The Chapel - taken with difficulty though a window, as it was shut off!

Well worth a visit to savour the history of 800 years ago. Having left the castle, we headed toward the river side passing through some of the town of Beaumaris in the process.

The 14th-century Tudor Rose (one of the oldest original timber-framed buildings in Britain) this was in the main street.

Symmetry on Beaumaris Pier

And so onto Penmon Point where the remains of a Priory are sited and just a little further, Penmon Point itself. I only took a couple of images here.

Part of the ruins of the Priory

Penmon Priory is believed to have been established by St. Seiriol, as early as the 6th century. The existing 12th century stone St. Seiriol church and tower date from around 1140 and is a fine example of Romanesque architecture. Within the church interior are two medieval crosses carved in the Celtic style. Close by the church is a stone built dovecot (c.1600s) built by the Bulkeley family of Beaumaris. (below)

St. Seiriol's Well also lies close to the church and is believed to have healing powers and visited by pilgrims.

Penmon Priory stone built dovecot with domed roof c.1600s

Trwyn Du Lighthouse

A short drive away, and classed as the same carpark, we came to Penmon Point with its lighthouse. The first lighthouse was erected in 1838, at a price of £11,589. There had been a call for a light at this location for some years by master shipmen in the nearby city of Liverpool, especially after the steamer the Rothsay Castle ran aground and broke up on nearby Lavan Sands in 1831 with 130 people losing their lives.

The present Lighthouse, built 1835–1838, is 29 metres (95') tall and was designed by James Walker. It was his first sea-washed tower, and a prototype for his more ambitious tower on the Smalls.

The Lighthouse has a stepped-base designed to discourage the huge upsurge of waves that had afflicted earlier lighthouses on the site and reduce the force of the water at the bottom of the tower. Austere vertical walls, instead of the usual graceful lines of other rock towers, are probably an economy measure. The tower has a crenelated stone parapet, in preference to iron railings on the gallery, and narrows in diameter above the half-way point. These are features used by Walker in his other lighthouse designs. The tower is distinguished by its original three black bands painted on a white background. Its also bears the words "NO PASSAGE LANDWARD" on its north and south sides.

Walker also pioneered, unsuccessfully, the use of a primitive water closet, comprising a specially designed drain exiting at the base of the tower. The stepped design of the lighthouse may have helped water exit the closet, but surges of seawater made its use difficult during heavy weather.

The light-source initially was a 4-wick Argand lamp, set within a first-order fixed catadioptric optic manufactured by Isaac Cookson & co. It displayed a fixed red light.

In 1922 Trwyn Du became the first Trinity House lighthouse to be automated, when it was converted to unwatched acetylene operation and the lamp was converted to solar power in 1996 with the lighthouse being modernised extensively at that time.

At present the Lighthouse has a 15,000 candela light that flashes once every 5 seconds and can be seen 12 mi (22 km) away. Additionally, a 178-kilogram (3½ cwt) fog bell sounds once every thirty seconds. There was also a lifeboat station built in 1832, nearby, but this closed in 1915.

The tower has been unmanned since 1922 and is checked from Holyhead Control Centre. In August 2019 Trinity House started trials of a new fog horn, stating, "The bell is activated by an ageing electronic striker mechanism which no longer provides the assurance of reliability which is needed."

All in all, a great day out without to much driving from base.

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