Anglesey in October
06th October 2008
Last year's meeting on Anglesey in North Wales was a great success. Good weather and great company saw to that. A spring 2008 meeting was arranged completely independently. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make that particular event although many of the original crowd met up. A little over 12 month's later and here we are again, some familiar faces as well as a few new ones. As at the previous gatherings, there was a mix of locals and people travelling in, staying in various places and meeting up at various locations. Thanks to member Lee this time for organising the meet and getting a block booking in the Outdoor Centre just a mile or so from Holyhead.
Friday night
The weather on the journey out to Anglesey on Friday was good. Travelling through Snowdonia National Park, there was a slight dusting of snow on the very highest peaks. Gradually the sky filled with cloud as forecast, and there was a heavy downpour going over the Menai Bridge – albeit with part of a rainbow. On arrival at the centre in the late afternoon three of us made our way over to Rhoscolyn in the hope of catching some good evening light. It wasn't to be, though there were dramatic skies. At least I saw three choughs on a rock just above the beach. A squally shower came in, followed by heavier rain, which never completely left us until Sunday morning. Some good food and plenty of drink saw off the evening.
Saturday
It was decided that we'd get on the road by 6.15 am to get to our chosen locations for sunrise. However, we were greeted with leaden skies. At this point the rain abated for a little while, fortunately this coincided with the time we were out of the cars. There was however nothing we could do to coax any images out of the conditions. Heading back to the centre for breakfast and some catching up on sleep was the best thing to do.
Venturing out in the afternoon was also a fruitless task. Admittedly, the swell and crashing waves in Porth Dafarch had the necessary drama, but the wind and driving rain made any photography difficult to say the least. Onwards and upwards to South Stack. The wind there was so strong it wasn't easy to stand up straight, rather an issue when there are sheer cliffs nearby! Such a change to July when I was there last. The rain stung when it hit our faces, and it was cold. It wasn't even worth doing a recce for suitable locations in future.
We headed back to base. The next couple of hours or so were spent taking pictures of each other and looking through images on laptops. Another convivial evening of food, drink and conversation followed.
Sunday
The weather was still awful at 6 am but by 7.30 it had improved immensely. The light was flat at Rhoscolyn, and the sea was benign, so no drama there. Heading back we stopped at Porth Dafarch just to give it a chance. It's just as well we did, as there was a super sky across the Irish sea, and the sun itself broke through the cloud to give some good side lighting on the rocks in the bay. We got our fill of shots, and one person who shall remain nameless got her wellingtons full of seawater. Such dedication to getting images!
Back for breakfast (at 10 am), pack up and on the road home. The last place to call was at Llyn Ogwen for the waterfalls which had been swollen by the rain over the last 36 hours. You can't see them at all from the main road which passes right over the top of them. It was well worth it, though the light was harsher than we would have liked. It seems there's no pleasing us. Myself and Pete scrambled down some steep rocks to a small ledge no more than a metre square overlooking the falls. Pete used to do rock climbing so was confident that we'd be safe enough getting down, and back up.
All in all it turned out to be a good weekend, and I believe the next meet is already being pencilled in.
Friday night
The weather on the journey out to Anglesey on Friday was good. Travelling through Snowdonia National Park, there was a slight dusting of snow on the very highest peaks. Gradually the sky filled with cloud as forecast, and there was a heavy downpour going over the Menai Bridge – albeit with part of a rainbow. On arrival at the centre in the late afternoon three of us made our way over to Rhoscolyn in the hope of catching some good evening light. It wasn't to be, though there were dramatic skies. At least I saw three choughs on a rock just above the beach. A squally shower came in, followed by heavier rain, which never completely left us until Sunday morning. Some good food and plenty of drink saw off the evening.
Saturday
It was decided that we'd get on the road by 6.15 am to get to our chosen locations for sunrise. However, we were greeted with leaden skies. At this point the rain abated for a little while, fortunately this coincided with the time we were out of the cars. There was however nothing we could do to coax any images out of the conditions. Heading back to the centre for breakfast and some catching up on sleep was the best thing to do.
Venturing out in the afternoon was also a fruitless task. Admittedly, the swell and crashing waves in Porth Dafarch had the necessary drama, but the wind and driving rain made any photography difficult to say the least. Onwards and upwards to South Stack. The wind there was so strong it wasn't easy to stand up straight, rather an issue when there are sheer cliffs nearby! Such a change to July when I was there last. The rain stung when it hit our faces, and it was cold. It wasn't even worth doing a recce for suitable locations in future.
We headed back to base. The next couple of hours or so were spent taking pictures of each other and looking through images on laptops. Another convivial evening of food, drink and conversation followed.
Sunday
The weather was still awful at 6 am but by 7.30 it had improved immensely. The light was flat at Rhoscolyn, and the sea was benign, so no drama there. Heading back we stopped at Porth Dafarch just to give it a chance. It's just as well we did, as there was a super sky across the Irish sea, and the sun itself broke through the cloud to give some good side lighting on the rocks in the bay. We got our fill of shots, and one person who shall remain nameless got her wellingtons full of seawater. Such dedication to getting images!
Back for breakfast (at 10 am), pack up and on the road home. The last place to call was at Llyn Ogwen for the waterfalls which had been swollen by the rain over the last 36 hours. You can't see them at all from the main road which passes right over the top of them. It was well worth it, though the light was harsher than we would have liked. It seems there's no pleasing us. Myself and Pete scrambled down some steep rocks to a small ledge no more than a metre square overlooking the falls. Pete used to do rock climbing so was confident that we'd be safe enough getting down, and back up.
All in all it turned out to be a good weekend, and I believe the next meet is already being pencilled in.
