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: Llangollen to Llanbedr 2/9/2003**


 

Eglwyseg
 
Cowberry
 
Castle Hotel, Ruthin
We soon left the road by a track at Rock Farm, continuing along a path across scree slopes below the rocky cliffs of Eglwyseg where jackdaws and ravens flew.  We eventually descended into a deep valley and resumed the road.  After fording the river the way rose through a larch wood with plentiful toadstools, including the uncommon toad's ear Otidea bufonia, and then out onto open heather moorland.  When we struck westwards along a track, which was often boarded through the boggy places, we were in well-preserved grouse moorland with bilberry and cowberry, both in fruit, and tall clumps of heather.  Unfortunately this was spoiled in the western part by a huge plantation of larch, owned by a paper company, although the path through it was generally wide and pleasant enough.  We emerged to descend into Pen-y-stryt, where we had our lunch on a bench beside the A-road.  We went up a side road to Llandegla, but the inn there had been pulled down and replaced by modern cottages.  We crossed various fields and the River Alyn before rising to a lane through the Clwydian Hills AONB.  We particularly gained height when we left this beside another larch plantation and a fly fishing lake to climb near the summit of Moel y Plas.  We kept quite level along the line of hills for a long time, along pleasant moorland paths among the gold and purple of flowering gorse and heather, with ravens and kestrels flying above, and common lizards.  One last climb after Moel Llanfair took us to the col of Garreg Lwyd and beneath Moel Gyw.  We descended to the A494 at its highest point and finished with drinks at the Clwyd Gate Motel, watching a large variety of birds at their bird-feeder, including nuthatches.  As last night, we stayed in nearby Ruthin, at the Old Anchor Inn.  The town had limited facilities, however, with businesses closing down.  We ate at the Castle Inn (Globetrotters Restaurant).
 
 
 
Common lizard
 

 
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