Introduction


When we started walking the coast of England we had no intention that this would become a major lifetime project. Having to make a last-minute arrangement for our summer holiday in 1987, we said "Let's go to the nearest piece of coast and see how far we can walk along it." It turned out well and we started adding further stretches of coast, initially once every two years, but soon annually, or even twice a year.

We had always enjoyed the coast - there is something refreshingly "edgy" about having the sea always at our side, and one of us was into marine molluscs. We also enjoyed long-distance walking and had long been involved in general natural history recording. This project enabled us to combine all three interests.

You soon discover when embarking on a project like this that you need a few rules, which evolve from the first experiences. Our main rule was that we should walk as close to the coast as possible, which meant beach-walking whenever we could (unlike the official coast paths that largely remain above shore, recognising that at high tides the beach may be inaccessible). The route should also be capable of being a continuous walk, so that when we came to an unfordable river we walked inland along its banks to the first place at which we could cross, whether a bridge or a ferry.

We only carried light packs, so that at the end of each day's walk we had the problem of getting back to our car where we started. Initially we walked back, but soon realised we would be walking the coast twice this way! We used public transport whenever this was available - buses or trains, sometimes adjusting our start and finish points to make this easier. Failing this - and it was often not possible - we would phone for a taxi (an increasingly costly option over the years). Having our car with us gave us more freedom as to where we could stay at night - and after a day walking and only light food we were usually ready for being spoiled by a good meal and a comfortable bed! Even so, we stayed on the coast itself whenever there was a decent option.

Each walk was made for enjoyment, it was not a route-march to see how quickly we could get it finished. We therefore took it gently at times when passing through pleasant scenery or where there were many plants or creatures to record.

In terms of biological recording, we systematically noted every bird, butterfly, creature or sea-shell that we came across, sometimes spending time searching for the shells. We could not record every plant in the same way - there are too many common ones - so we were more selective, noting all coastal plants and any others that were not run-of-the-mill.

In our daily posts, edited from our original diaries, we include a star-rating from no star to **** according to our subjective estimate as to how special that day was from the point of view of natural history. This score (and our daily records) will, however, have been affected by the weather - it is difficult to appreciate the environment fully, for instance, in torrential rain, and there are many more butterflies and other insects to be seen in warm sunshine!

A summary of all our natural history records on the walk can be found using this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1LLGD55lKRHYXd1SGU1QndrcUU/edit?usp=sharing





Friday, 24 January 2014

Offa's Dyke: Bodfari to Prestatyn 4/9/2003**


 

 
 
Hoary rock-rose
 
 
 
End of Offa's Dyke Path
Today we only had to tackle the lower northern hills of the Clwydian Range before heading for the sea.  An obscure, partially blocked, footpath behind the church and across Moel y Gaer allowed us to reach the Offa’s Dyke path without going along the road.  We then rose quite steeply for a good way, including a stretch along road, until the top of Cefn Du at 275 metres.  We went to the west of the higher peak of Moel Maenefa and dropped down to the wide A55, which was crossed by a footbridge (view of lorry saying “Eat more chips” on its side) leading directly into the village of Rhuallt, where the Smiths Arms provided refreshments before we tackled the very steep slope up the south side of Coed Cwm, where we had our lunch on a track-side bank near the top.  There was then a mixture of road and field walking, with one minor hill, Marian Ffrith, before coming down to the farm of Bryn Cnewyllyn.  From here we left the Offa’s Dyke path to cross over to the North Wales Path at Dyserth, so that we could take the closely parallel route along the disused railway all the way to Prestatyn Station.  As well as being easy walking, it also took us past limestone cuttings with good plants like hoary rock-rose and lesser meadow-rue, and we disturbed a large yellow underwing moth.  At the former Craig Fawr halt, under the crag high above, there was a patch of cinders with spring sandwort and a hairy broom amongst hedgerow shrubs.  The bridge over the existing railway line from Flint to Rhyl led directly to a road down to the seafront, our first black-headed gull for a long time, and an information centre, closed as usual.  We celebrated with photographs by the stone marking the end of the Offa’s Dyke Trail, ice-creams, and a paddle in the sea, which was fortunately not too far out.   According to different authorities we had covered 182 or 188 miles from Chepstow.  Along the road from Bodfari to Tremeirchion, which lies beside the western edge of the northernmost Clywdian Hills, we found both borage and white ramping fumitory in the hedge bank.  We returned to Bodfari to stay at the Dinorben Arms.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Looking towards Craig Fawr
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Prestatyn
 

 
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