Today we decided to take a drive down to Anglesey and visit Newborough Forest as i had been researching places to visit the night before and this looked like a good place to spend a few hours. Apparently Newborough Warren is one of the largest and finest dune systems in Britain and the Corsican pine trees of the forest were planted between 1947 and 19665 to provide timber and to help stabilise the shifting sand dunes.
On the journey to Anglesey we passed through part of the Denbighshire Moors which were absolutely stunning and then skirted Snowdonia National Park which was breathtaking. We very nearly sacked of Anglesey so that we could drive around the moors and Snowdonia, but thought we best stick to the plan and save exploring these places for another day.
Finally arriving at the gates to Newborough Forest we proceeded to drive a couple of miles through a dense pine forest which was so beautiful that we were glad to of decided to stick to our plan. After parking up we walked the short distance to the beach, and what a beach it was. The sandy shoreline stretched for as far as the eye could see forming a kind of bay shape and at one end was a small outcrop/island of rock with a lighthouse on it which could only be accessed at low water. We walked towards this outcrop with the waves lapping on the sand to our left and the pine forest some 20 yards away on our right.
The boys had a cracking time splashing around in the sea and swimming out through the waves to fetch the sticks that I was throwing in for them.
Dotted along the waterline were the remains of big jellyfish which had washed ashore. The tentacles were missing but their bodies were a good couple of inches thick and as round as a football, the biggest jellyfish I have seen up close.
After a little sit down on some rocks we headed along a track that took us into the pine forest, which was odd because as we walked amongst the the trees for the first couple hundred yards the ground was still sand.
Again we were enjoying our walk so much that we forgot to take any photographs as we wandered up and down the various tracks that seem to criss-cross through the forest. As ever I soon started to spot a few fungi growing amongst the undergrowth so of I trotted to take some photos.
After a couple of hours revelling in the forests beauty we arrived back at the car park and after a nice latte from the catering van tucked away in one corner, we were on our way back to the cottage. This forest needs a good full day to explore and appreciate its true beauty, I will return…..
