This was to be the first leg of my journey around the Lleyn Peninsular section of the WCP. I drove early to Caernarfon and parked on the Aber foreshore (free) just opposite the castle. There is a footbridge that links the foreshore to the castle, but be aware that it closes overnight and opens at 07:00. I had decided to start my walk from Trefor which meant getting a bus . I walked to the nearby bus station and caught the 7:30 #12 to Trefor – only £2.40.
I think I should advise anybody walking this section to be prepared for an awful lot of walking on tarmac, in fact probably about 95% of it. By the time I reached Trefor, the sun was just coming up, catching the towering hill of Yr Eifl. It was a short walk to the A499, where I would spend most of the morning. Parts of the footpath are in fact the ‘old’ A499, which runs alongside the current A499, this meant having a super wide footpath. However, the main road is never far away, and the sea about half-a mile. The road is straight and flat, so you can make good time.
The first small village I came to was Clynnog-Fawr, here the new road by-passes the village but the WCP carries on down the main high street, offering some respite from the traffic noise. I came across Ffynnon Beuno (St.Beunos Well) which contained in a grade 2 listed enclosure, the water looked a bit ‘manky’ though with green algae abundant.
Back on the A499 and some 4 miles later, the WCP heads off down a road to the left towards Dinas Dinlle. Nothing seemed open as I passed through this quite little ‘resort’. As the path approaches Caernarfon airport, the WCP takes a sharp right. I however, had other ideas. I had decided to continue up the beach and alongside the airfield. I met and spoke at length to a chap walking his dogs. At the tip of the promontory is Fort Belan, now a private residence. I had intended to walk past the Fort and join up with a public footpath which stops abruptly in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, by the time I reached the Fort, sea fog had suddenly blown inshore and it was difficult to navigate. I passed a couple of “private” signs as I cut across to try and find the public footpath. Under the cover of the sea fog I was not challenged, in fact, I have read that rambling groups regularly walk around this promontory. After passing a few World War 2 buildings I found the footpath sign, which advised that land beyond the footpath was private. I rejoined the WCP after about a mile. The next 5 miles was spent walking along country roads, which were not really very interesting.
I passed through Saron and continued down a road that took me back to the coast. This road would become the Aber Foreshore road, where I had parked. By the time I reached Caerfnarfon the sea mist had cleared. The walk took 5.75hrs.
Distance today = 17 miles
Total distance = 1100 miles
Walking the Coast of Great Britain 