Trips to Anglesey not one but 2!!!

A few days ago I turned 34 and I feel more happy and confident about what I love and I still enjoy the Nature of wildlife photography but Wild camping has really got into my heart so in 2019 Anglesey will be my area of exploring plus I still have not been able to photograph a Red squirrel.
Heres one I saw but its not the best quality

 To feel the warm wet grass under my feet in the middle of November was glorious

 After visiting porth wen and Bull bay we decided to check out Point Lynas and as we had a cottage to check into later that day our best bet was to head back to the get our gear dry and ourselves showered then head there the next day.

Point lynas was a few miles walk from Almwch and having a new walking app (Footpath) on my Ipad which is one of the best I've used and seems to use less data and power to run.

The reason I was excited about visiting the view point was for the sightings of Rissos Dolphins and a species I have not seen. On the day we visited it was sunny and calm unfortionately there were none showing but we saw plenty of Gannets and Porpoises in good numbers.

 Gannet or Porpoise?

2 Porpoises but there were more around

 A lone Gannet heads inland

 The area past Point Lynas yet to be explored by myself

The light drops as we head back home

Each time I go wild camping I try to get my kit weight down and make sure I can be as comfy as possible. I have just treated myself to a few pieces of kit and at the minute I am finding the Sea to summit camping range fantastic as the gear is so light and portable. I have given up on using a tent and my new setup is a large umbrella pegged down then I climb into 2 waterproof sleeping bag covers with a fleece blanket then over the top a emergency shelter cover. I've just tested the kit on a lone trip to the coast and I must say I slept so well and as it worked in winter so in summer it should be the perfect lightweight and quick setup. The reason I love wild camping is it allows you to be out in the wild near the place where you want to be without much effort as long as you set up at last light and leave the area tidy and packup at first light then nobody will ever know your there. Enough of wild coastal camping for this year or maybe not as I have a few days at Christmas which may be wild time.

Example of my wild setup

I've started planning for next years wild camping trips as my boss has just confirmed my holidays.

Merry Christmas and stay wild

Mike

A trip to Anglesey Porth Wen 1/2

Last week we enjoyed a week on the coast of Anglesey and the weather was amazing with sun, hail, cloud, and Thunderstorms and to me, it was wonderful being out with just the things in my backpack.

 
Redline we walked

One place we decided to visit and camp near was an old Victorian brickworks which are right at the top of Anglesey down a well-worn path that had a flow of water all the way down.

 

Drying out our stuff from camping the previous night

Porth Wen building looked stunning in the Autumnal light

The largest building in the area as the sun went down

There was no one else camping there but I did not feel relaxed enough being at the end of a waterfall created the path and if we needed to leave the area in the night it would be tough. An hour before sunset we headed back up to look at some ruins to use as a camping spot and as we reached the top it started to rain. We chose a high sheltered point near some turbines but it had an amazing view of Porth wen bay and the surrounding hills and sea. We set up the tent at last light just as the weather turned the sky went black and we found ourselves up high in a thunderstorm. It was exhilarating laying in the comfort of my down sleeping bag holding the outer part of the tent from the 30mph winds. We survived the night and packed up 2 hours before light to clear up the area and await a gap in the rain and the sunrise as the paths were tricky in the dark. On the 3-4 miles walk back to Almwch we were joined by Porpoises feeding on the tideline as the rain got harder and the sky turned red we were soaked through but full of energy and happy to be surrounded by natural beauty.

Next time I will include some more wildlife photographs as I did not take to many due to having my camera packed in two sections to balance our backpacks weight.

Stay wild

Mike

No blog posts since spring!!!

Sorry for not posting since Spring but I have had lots of things to deal with personally so I've decided not to post anything about my encounters till the end of summer. I have decided this as in the later months of the year the weather changes and the dark nights, return and in these summer months, I just love being out and rarely turn on my PC. I also find it therapeutic turning on my lamp, shutting the curtains and remembering all my wonderful memories of nature from the summer months. I'll try to blog again soon but if not I'll be back in September.

Regards

Mike

Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter on my local river

With the 4th season of the year upon us I have decided to post a photograph from each season taken on my local river. From Spring to Winter I visited this bridge to see if I could spot the local Otters and Kingfishers. Most days I just enjoyed the view and enjoyed the trickling calmness of the flowing water. While I was there I thought it would be a good idea to take a photograph to capture the beauty of each season in one photograph. As you can see the sun usually sets behind the bridge casting some really beautiful light at the end of the day. 

SPRING

SUMMER

AUTUMN

WINTER

All the photographs put together in one picture

 
Thanks for reading my blog
Stay wild, be happy and be safe

Mike

Nettled in November!!!!!!!!!!

With the days being shorter, wetter but still very mild I have thought that rather than try and squeeze a walk in the evening in the dark when the roads are still busy and there are still people around. I have started getting up early on my days off and heading out on foot for an early morning walk to see what I can bump into and there's a really lovely ambiance in the peace of a cold, dark winters morning when the Tawny's are calling under the stars and moons on a clear sky morning. Sometimes I end up creating new paths or wandering into vegetation I can't see and the other morning I got nettled and as it's November and nearly Christmas I was very surprised that there are still nettles. There also seems to be not many Tawny's calling at the minute so I wonder if the warmer weather and large amounts of green vegetation that's still remaining is confusing the wildlife and holding back the normal signs of winter that we normally see. This week things are due to change and get colder so I will be out for a few evenings enjoying the clear starry sky's and hoping to enjoy the Tawny calls after a quiet start to there Winter pairing performances. Expect lots more Wild blogs with less recent photographs but more of my thoughts, sightings and photographs/videos from this Summer.

Thanks for visiting my blog

Mike