Wild, wet and very windy

So the forecast said gale force winds and heavy rain, so I do what every photographer does and head to the beach. No? Just me then!

To be fair I had been promised 11ft waves but I must have read the forecast wrong as they weren't that. The water at Hell's Mouth was wild certainly but not to that height. And there were no surfers to photograph either.

I have recently bought a rain covering for the camera. It is designed to fit on one that has a much longer lens and also a flash gun, so there was a lot more plastic than I needed, but it seemed that it would work.

So undeterred I got to the beach, attached my new rain mac for the camera and headed for a walk. The rain wasn't heavy but it was being whipped by the wind and felt like needles on my face. There was a lot of spray coming from the sea and before long I was completely soaked. My waterproof boots aren't and neither are my waterproof trousers!

It was so wild and really dramatic but absolutely none of the photos came out which is really disappointing. The one above is of Criccieth a bit later on. The spray made it really misty and it was so windy it was impossible to keep the camera still, so I put it away and just revelled in the experience of being the sole person on a very wild beach in the middle of a storm!

Then I thought that I was already soaked I might as well do my 2 minute beach clean as I couldn't get any wetter! I now always carry a couple of plastic bags and some bbq tongs with me so I can do a clean wherever I am. Its amazing how much you can pick up in a short amount of time. I know my little effort isn't going to make a huge difference but it is so important that we all start to think about taking care of our wonderful coastline.

So I get back to the car park and start to disrobe. The wind is so strong the car is rocking and I am sitting there in little more than a t-shirt and towel and the bag I carefully packed full of spare clothes is sitting on the sofa at home. The car is like a sauna as I am trying so hard to dry my clothes. It doesn't work. There is little worse than putting wet feet into wet boots through wet trousers! I just hoped that no-one would come by as if they see a rocking car, all steamed up with a scantily clad passenger I think that they might jump to erroneous conclusions!

 

On the way back I briefly stopped at Llanbedrog. I had been here over the summer and it is a beautifully sheltered beach. I found that they have moved all the beach huts to the carpark for the winter, and I thought that this would make a nice colourful photograph. I have done very little to the colour here, the surrounding areas were as grey and dismal as they look!

But I didn't want to go home, still had a couple of hours of daylight left! So my final stop a squelch along the front at Criccieth, 

Had a very welcome and warming coffee at Cadwaladers so things seemed to be looking up, but when I went for a walk on the beach and the sea went over my wellies and I found I didn't have a square inch of dry cloth to wipe my camera lens with I decided enough was enough and time to go home for a long hot bath!


Lessons Learned: I have since been taught how to read the forecasts properly. Apparently the wind was too strong and in the wrong direction for high waves, but hopefully I will know better next time.
Take the darned bag with me next time!

Half Term Outings - Anglesey

As you may already know, I have my definite favourite places to go and although I have shared many with the family, I have not yet dragged them to Anglesey, so half term arrived and off we went.

Started off with breakfast at that Welsh place, you know, the one with the totally unpronounceable name!

It was all rather bizarre actually. We go up to the counter and the food is all there under hot lights looking delicious. But instead of serving it out, the chap behind the counter writes down our order, puts it on a clip behind him and says it will take 20 mins! Bearing in mind that it took him longer to write it down than it would have to put it on plates, I can not understand the system! And 20 mins we waited. Need that one explained to me!

Still, undeterred, we then head off to Llandwyn. It's quite a wild day, although not raining, it is very windy and a tad on the chilly side. The clouds are low which makes the visibility over Snowdonia unclear and colours a little hazy, not the best photography conditions.

I am pleased to report that the family loved it almost as much as I do. There was plenty of clambering to be done and some fabulous scenery to peruse. Sometimes at the same time.

Although I do really enjoy going out on my treks by myself, it is sometimes nice to have other people with you. I think for new places, I need to go alone and be able to explore properly and take ages over taking photos, then when I have done that, share with family or friends.

Because this is a much visited place, I was able to share all the little nooks and crannies that I love, and to position myself to get the best views. However, the challenge again is to make sure that the photos don't look the same as they did last time I visited! The above photo I have taken a couple of times but on checking, realised I have never shared it on the blog, so I guess it's your lucky day!

This next photo is a bit different. I am standing by the Lighthouse pictured above, shooting through one window to the other, with the wall and the sea reflected in the window in front of me! A bit weird at first, but I really like it. The little flash of jade in the corner is my coat, couldn't quite get completely out of it.

The day then started to get a bit wild and the wind really picked up, at some points it actually started to feel a little unsafe on a cliff edge, and if I say that, in my present dare-devil mode, you know it must have been bad!

So we head back down the beach and come across kite surfers. This was the most amazing thing!

These guys were whipping across the sea at phenomenal speeds, then the wind would change direction, whip them round and zoom them off in the opposite direction. Completely awesome, sometimes they were lifted out of the water altogether!

I am completely in two minds about this. Recklessness is saying "really need to do this" but Common Sense is coming back with a swift "don't be daft, you'll fall off" 

I do need to sort out the next challenge tho', been a while since I have done something wild and inappropriate for a woman my age. Ideas that have been floating about are hot air balloons, going up in a glider and quadbiking. No decisions made yet. Suggestions always welcome!

We are staying overnight in Holyhead and I have booked a B&B which looked nice on-line. And to be fair it was nice, but when you have to drive through an industrial area to get to it and it is situated right in the middle of a slightly dubious looking housing estate, you can experience a slight case of the "what have I done's"

Ventured out in the evening looking for tea, about 7ish, and to warn anyone else that ventures this way, Holyhead shuts on a Sunday. There was nothing open apart from one very lively pub where karaoke was in full flow and the gentleman singing very enthusiastically seemed to have been in there since lunchtime! We gave that one a miss. 

So reluctantly heading out of town towards McD's on the outskirts, we come across a very nice looking Chinese restaurant, so the evening was saved!

The next day was South Stack and Beaumaris, blog post to follow!

Lessons Learned: sharing some of my favourite places can make them more special because they will have a whole new set of memories. But I do have a couple of places which I am going to keep to myself because I am not sure if anyone else will understand why they are special. Not totally sure I do myself, but sometimes things, people and places just are.

Diet Diary: Nah!