Parys Mountain Copper Mines and onto Plas Cemlyn nature reserve
The location of our holiday cottage is on the edge of the town of Amlwch. Amlwch is the most northerly town in Wales, and is situated on the north coast of the Anglesey, on the A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge
Rung by the high tide, Time and Tide Bells are positioned around the coast of Britain, sounded by the waves. Each bell has been installed by the local community, celebrate connections between the land and the sea, between ourselves and our environment.
The Cemaes Time and Tide Bell was installed in April 2014, and has become a prominent feature on Traeth Mawr. It is one of only five bells installed so far as part of the ambitious project by sculptor Marcus Vergette. The others can be found in Appledore Devon, Trinity Buoy Wharf London, Aberdyfi Gwynedd and Bosta on the Isle of Lewis. Four more bells are currently under development.
Each bell has its own inscription, chosen by the community. The Cemaes inscription is a poem by Glyndwr Thomas:
Above the waves, melodiously, sounds
The name of a saint, so fair,
A bell whose knell is here to tell
Patrick’s eternal prayer.
A busy day but well worth it as we have visited some really interesting places. And so back to base!
Amlwch grew rapidly in the 18th century near what was then the world's biggest copper mine at the nearby Parys Mountain. By the late 18th century, Amlwch had a population of around 10,000 and was the second largest town in Wales after Merthyr Tydfil. It was at this time that its harbour was also extended to accommodate the ships needed to transport the ore.
When the copper production declined, a wide variety of industrial activities were developed to take its place. Ship-building in the narrow harbour area and other sites around the coast of Amlwch Port was a significant enterprise from the 1820s and grew in significance after the railway opened in 1864, reducing the use of the harbour for copper and other goods by ship. By 1912 the main shipbuilding activities were in decline, and neither the harbour nor shipyards offered much commercial activity.
In the 1970s, Amlwch had an offshore single point mooring - Amlwch Oil Terminal - which was used to receive large oil tankers which were unsuitable for the Mersey. Reception tanks were located ashore and the oil was pumped from there to the refineries on the Manchester Ship Canal. The terminal closed in 1990.
Today we are going to the old copper mines which look really appealing, (as far as a photographer is concerned), because of the range of colours on the vast areas of waste and other debris. All we needed was some sun - and thats what we had!
One of the many paths showing the multi-coloured debris heaped at the sides.
Looking across one of the huge Open Cast pit areas.
A less sunny view, but still the colours
Work began on Parys Mountain copper mine about 1765, though there are traces of prehistoric and Roman mining. Opencast mining ceased about 1800, though underground work continued until about 1880. The precipitation pits, engine house and windmill (which assisted a nearby steam engine in pumping a mine work) are probably nineteenth century in date. One of the next images show the Precipitation pits where iron objects were immersed in copper-rich water and left to dissolve, giving copper precipitate. This on its own turned into a large industry as iron ore was shipped in large quantities.
The remains of the Windmill
The Precipitation pits. The remains include twelve pits or tanks, within an area 220m by 60m, separated by low stone walls.
We were fortunate to meet an off-duty guide when we visited, and he obigingly pointed out areas of interest to walk through. Not your usual tourist attraction one would think, but a must if you are ever in the area.
Having spent a few hours here, we moved onward to Plas Cemlyn nature reserve. This is on the edge of Cemlyn Bay and its large shingle beaches and causeway. A great walk I believe if you are feeling fit! We went to the area which is a haven to nesting Terns at this time of year, and it was a magical experiece to watch these beautiful birds swirling around us in huge numbers.
Tern taking his catch back to the nest
Of course there always other birds about and Egrets were no exception.
Wylfa nuclear power station is a decommissioned Magnox nuclear power station situated west of Cemaes Bay. Construction of the two 490 MW nuclear reactors, known as "Reactor 1" and "Reactor 2", began in 1963. They became operational in 1971. Wylfa was located on the coast because seawater was used as a coolant.
In 2012, Reactor 2 was shut down. Reactor 1 was switched off on 30 December 2015, ending 44 years of operation at the site.
Cemaes harbour
Then to Cemaes beach, which you can see has very few people on it! Lovely!
Of interest on the beach was the St Patricks`s Bell. The Cemaes Time and Tide Bell is a public artwork, part of a project to celebrate the importance of the sea to the history and present of the United Kingdom. Below is copied from the local website:
The Cemaes Time and Tide Bell was installed in April 2014, and has become a prominent feature on Traeth Mawr. It is one of only five bells installed so far as part of the ambitious project by sculptor Marcus Vergette. The others can be found in Appledore Devon, Trinity Buoy Wharf London, Aberdyfi Gwynedd and Bosta on the Isle of Lewis. Four more bells are currently under development.
Each bell has its own inscription, chosen by the community. The Cemaes inscription is a poem by Glyndwr Thomas:
Above the waves, melodiously, sounds
The name of a saint, so fair,
A bell whose knell is here to tell
Patrick’s eternal prayer.
A busy day but well worth it as we have visited some really interesting places. And so back to base!
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