With 2020 out of the way I look forward to a better year (come on 2021, it doesn’t take that much!) where, I hope, at least a few of the things I have planned will have a chance to happen. Some of these projects have to do with travelling but I have a few more that I consider a priority and I’ll share more in the incoming posts.
Let me start from a reflection for now and a new year resolution wrapped in a travel story. There might be a parallel between travelling and story telling or perhaps they are the same thing. Then, what is a good story and what is a journey worth taking-on and eventually talking about?
Imagine going for a holiday in an amazing, culturally diverse and historically rich place and then spend the entire week at the hotel’s bar suspended in a booze induced space-time warp (not saying that ever happened to me…). Well, maybe fun once… or twice but, let’s be honest, what a waste of time and what a waste of an opportunity. And now imagine sitting around a camp-fire in a crisp autumn night listening to the chatter of brown and yellow leafs seduced in their last dance by a gentle breeze and… to your friend telling you all about the benefits of that herbal extract oil he/she is trying to sell you…
I guess both scenarios will turn out to be useful banter material at the pub sooner or later but are they a story or just that… banter material. I see a thin line between the two but I think a defining element of what makes a story a good story is a character arc, an evolution, a discovery. In my latest posts I’ve been guilty of the same sin by merely reporting events, giving tips about locations and places to visit. Useful, yes, but not completely true to the spirit of this blog and, perhaps, less meaningful and fulfilling to you reading it. And here comes my new year resolution: I won’t limit myself to talk about useful info about locations, photography and travel but I commit to describe and share more of my personal experience.
I stand that journeys are not defined by miles alone and for me that was never more true than with my journey with photography, the way it began, where it is taking me and what I’m learning about myself through it. Since I began, my photography trips have been much more than a day out, they have been a complete re-discovery of what I do during a day out and how I do it. With this post I’ll take you on my first visit to Anglesey (last August) and the five must-see spots I absolutely recommend and I’ll share how it was for me.
An early start: Menai Bridge
Senses have strong evocative powers and nothing is more comforting to me than the warm, hugging sound and aroma coming from the Moka-pot as coffee brews. Waking up at 3 AM is not really me but in summer there is no alternative if you want to catch the sunrise in a place a couple of hours drive from home and so I’m in the car just past 3:30 AM on my way to Anglesey for the first time. The “plan” is simple: explore the cost-line of the island from east to west. There are only two bridges that allow access to the island via land and just after 5 AM I cross one of the two and head east towards my first stop when some business prompts me to a sudden stop. The air is cold and there is silence as I raise my gaze above the bush I’m attending business in and all I can see is a cow looking at me in a puzzled way and then the Menai Bridge raising from the dark, treacherous waters of the Swelllies. The morning fog has not completely lifted yet and just about skims the top of the pylons and the spectacle is unique in its combination of eeriness and serene calm and this stark contrast of feelings reminds me, as I take the first shot, that most of what we feel when looking at something is what we project from inside.
Plan A is always really Plan B… Penmon Point
As I pack up the gears to drive to what was supposed to be my first stop, I realise I might miss sunrise… again. According to Goole I only have about 15 minutes until the sun starts rising from the sea and a 20 minutes drive to Penmon Point which is part of my plan A. I decide to give it a try also because, not knowing the area, I’m not sure there is any other spot worth stopping at. I pass through Beaumaris, the town is still waking up to a new day and as soon as I exit the town border I realise I’m out of time but, maybe, not out of luck. On my right, I spot a beach and after “parking” in the best Italian tradition I’m soon walking on the pebbles and getting in position to photograph the scene blessed by the first sun rays of the day. It is a moment in the day where the blue and magenta on the west leave slowly space to the yellow and cyan materialising east and I’m always amazed by the fact that, just turning by 180 degrees, you can take pictures that seem taken at different times of the day.
With the sunrise in the bag I now head for Penmon Point which was my original first destination…. remember? On the narrow road getting there, one of the first buildings is Penmon Dovecot where I pay for 3£ for access to the area… I guess it is for some organisation taking care of the site and honestly it is well worth it considering that if you have a van/camper-van you can stay overnight in a pretty stunning place. There is no use in hiding that I was pissed for missing the sunrise at Penmon Point. I still managed to take a few long exposure shots that I’m happy with using a couple of screw-on ND filters but I would have loved to be there earlier. I also admit that I looked at the many camper-vanners there on site with a bit of envy and a little seed started materialising in my mind: what if I had one of those? What if I could wake up already on location instead of compromising on slipping time or slipping in a car? Food for thought…
You don’t know till you know: Porth Wen Brick-Works
There are instances when the name of a location on a map is not that telling of the story of the location as much as the position of that location on the map itself. No better example than Porth Wen. As I enter the narrow road that leads to the beginning of the path for Porth Wen Brick-Works and after masterfully executing a 16-points turn manoeuvre to leave space for a car coming from the opposite direction, my brain is fixated on “brick-works”. Brick-works are supposed to be big, they have furnaces, storages, humongous grinders, they need water, fire and earth. I can’t see any of that even when I leave the car on the side of the road and take the path indicated by the GPS thinking that “I might have got it wrong… again!”. It is a warm and sunny summer day as the path starts descending and it turns on my left, the coast and the sea are now visible again. The track keeps going down, edging nearer and nearer to the cliff that separates land and sea. I can see them now, not very far in front of me but quite low down compared to where I stand, two big, tall and industrial chimneys’ stacks! I get closer and below me I can now see the entire site: furnaces, a wear-house, rusty machinery, a dock, piping everywhere and also a cart of those used in the mines in the old days.
If you decide to visit Porth Wen brickworks bear in mind that the last part of the track getting there is narrower than the main path and goes steeply down the cliff framing the small bay where the site is located. This place has a very rich history and as I said, when getting there, there isn’t much giving that away. This place used to have its own small railway and raw-material transport system and used to be a big player on the local economy. I exchange a few words with some wild campers that spent the night there, I gain some insight on how not to be convicted for flying a drone at Enfield during a match without permission and I’m ready to move on… Anglesey is growing on me.
Is it an island part of an island? …Holyhead
As this gloriously sunny summer day passes its mid point I cross the bridge that connects Anglesey to Holyhead Island. Whilst systematically ignoring what the sat nav is saying I smile thinking that it would be funny if there were a feature where, after ignoring the instructions say 10 times, the sat nav would say something like “then deal with it yourself” or “good luck jerk”. I’m also thinking again about one of those campervan things… the day it is hot and I’m starting to feel it, would be nice to stop on the side of the road and take a proper break. I park near the South Stack Light-house and just getting out of the car the view is amazing in every direction. The cliffs, the light house on the stack, the stairs leading to the light house are incredibly dramatic also in the middle of a perfectly clear day and I can only imagine how epic they must be at sunset/sunrise or with a more challenging weather. I recommend to take the time to walk to the North Stack following the path along the coast! I leave the rest of Holyhead for my next visit, it is clear that I need to explore more of it but with the middle of the afternoon approaching today is not the day… I’ll be back!
Ynys Llanddwyn and Newborough Beach
My last destination for the day is Ynys Llanddwyn near Newborough Beach. Not knowing much about it and let alone how to best get there I find parking at Llyn Parc Mawr Community Woodland which is about 3.5 miles away. The good thing is that the path leading to Ynys Llanddwyn is in the middle of a woodland. Back-pack with full gear on my shoulders and I set off. The day is sunny and very hot now. On one side that makes the walk with a heavy burden less pleasant but on the other side really lifts my spirit, so much so that I decide that it would be really enjoyable to run to destination. I’m not the only one, there are many other people doing trail running or just jogging… but if you go there for photography and you are carrying your full gear, don’t run, just don’t… not a good idea especially on a hot summer day. Ynys Llanddwyn is connected to Newborough beach by a narrow isthmus that disappears during high tide so factor that in if you want to get there with dry feet.
Days are long in Uk in summer and now it is about 4pm. I take some great shots even if the light is not the best with the sun high in the sky. I winder how this place must be at sunset and I’m tempted by the thought of waiting for sunset but I’m tired, after all I’ve been around since 3am. On the way back I explore Newborough beach and realise there is a parking location very close to the beach. Next time… will be for next time and it will be a sunset.
And so it was….
