Dingle to Nant y Pandy, 
to Cefni Reservoir

A Nice and Gentle Saturday Afternoon Walk

June 22 2019

Heading for the Dingle and nice walk with a friend. At last, it looks like Summer has arrived and it's been a glorious day here on Anglesey.

Llangefni town centre was much quieter this afternoon. Market this morning and everybody out and about to do their shopping or just stopping on the corner to jangle.

Maybe a cup of tea later in the Mona House Café opposite the clock, which seems to be very popular with cyclists and locals. Best place for double egg and chips. 

Llangefni Dingle Boardwalk
on a Beautiful Summer Day

Above, and on the left, is it a giant alien spider or a tree bent over and reflected in the old stone weir near the St Cyngar Church and old Llangefni Railway Station. 

This pool used to host freshwater oysters, some of whom were revealed to be living quite successfully behind the dam in the Cefni Reservoir a couple of miles up the boardwalk.

Freshwater Oyster beds were revealed when the Cefni reservoir lake last year during the very hot summer on Anglesey and the lake levels were drawn down to such a degree.

Above, and on the right, is one of the tall trees that have grown from the base of the river valley that is both the Dingle and Nant y Pandy. In  order to thrive, the strongest and tallest mist strive for the light.

It is up these and along their branches that Llangefni's Dingle Red Squirrels chase each other and leap, in most spectacular way, form the one tree to the next.

The Llangefni Dingle Boardwalk. 

The Llangefni Dingle Boardwalk is level and almost flat along its entire length. All the way, about a mile and a half, through Nant y Pandy to the Cefni Reservoir.

It is used by people of all ages, wheelchairs, pushchair, doggies and bikes. I understand that someone did once propose it as a route for horses. The latter did not succeed.

A Bearded Iris - Prominent in the River Cefni Valley through Nant y Pandy and a really tough plant.

Dingle Anglesey Red Squirrels

One of the best spots for red squirrel spotting when you are walking through the Dingle is the open ground that is on your right just as you leave the woodland for the open ground of Nant y Pandy.

Follow the boardwalk from St Cyngar's Church - always keeping to the left path until you are deposited on the old path. When you are back on the gravel path follow it for a few hundred yards until the woodland rises more or less open (as below) on your right. 

At the beginning of this open area, listen and scan with your eyes.

Why scan? The eye reacts to movement. so instead of staring wild-eyed at one spot, simply scan. If there is movement that turns out to be a red squirrel either eating or burying its nuts then your sense will pick it up.

Don't give yourself a migraine, just scan. And if they are there then you will in all likelihood see them.

This is also near the territory of the Wild Llangefni Woodland Salmon. See the other Dingle Walk page for more details on this phenomenon. 

The Nant y Pandy Concrete Path

Nant y Pandy - Dingle Llangefni

Once you have left the Dingle Boardwalk and left the woods, walked under the bridge, you will be greeted by what I choose to refer to as a low-alpine meadow, resplendent in hundreds of yellow bearded irises in mid-Summer and beautiful yellow primroses in Spring.

It feels as beautiful as it looks.

Llyn Cefni Reservoir

Llyn Cefni Reservoir Circular Path

Below the dam holding back Llyn Cefni Reservoir is a long boardwalk. Follow it to the two benches at the top. Not a good place to rest if you've got short legs.

The path will reach up and behind the benches to your right as you face them. Follow this path and it will take you on a lakeside walk all the way to the village of Bodffordd. Or you can choose to continue to follow it back up all the way to the railway bridge and back to the dam. About two or three miles.

This is what happens to you when you unwisely decide to take on the Women's Institute.

Below is the old Llangefni Railway Bridge. The first on the old route to Amlwch.

Return to other Dingle Walk page

Go Llyn Cefni page

Go Llangefni Main Page

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