The city of Nice seen from the surrounding hillside bathed in sunshine

Home Travel StoriesTywyn 2014

Home From Tywyn

By Ren Withnell

Relative to a bed I didn't sleep too well last night. The ground roll is hard, the sleeping bag wants to wrap around me like a constrictor snake, the rolled up pants as a pillow don't want to stay rolled up and it got somewhat cold. Otherwise compared to other camping trips I've slept quite well all in all. At 0545 I feel "refreshed" if not fully restored. I get up with plans to be on the road nice and early and to have a gentle saunter back along the coast before I head back home. 

grey clouds roll in over the campers at pall mall campsite, tywyn
Where has my sun gone? It's not promising much today.

Although it's cold I'm going to brave a shower. I like this campsite so far because it's cheap, adequately appointed and near to the town. As such I'd like to return and as such I'd like to know how well the showers work. The shower itself works well and each cubicle is properly enclosed, unlike the shanty sheds we found in France. Each cubicle is well proportioned too, with one flaw, nowhere to put things you wish to keep dry. I manage with the use of hooks and the high windowsill to keep my dry clothes dry. Good, not quite perfect but manageable.

Feeling clean and refreshed I open a tin of spaghetti bolognese for breakfast. Yeah yeah yeah I know it's hardly a traditional start to the day but it's tasty, cheap, easy to heat and filling. I follow that with a cuppa or should that be a panna of hot tea. By the time I've washed up, packed and sorted myself out it's already 0800 and the other campers are starting to stir. I start the bike and slither off the damp grass and onto the empty main road.

After last evening's dry, warm sunshine and still air this morning is not so pleasant. It's dry although the skies tell a different story, as does the weather forecast on my mobile phone. I reckon I'll be lucky to get home without a soaking. Still, it's not raining yet and as I ride back along the coast road I'm treated to views of the sea again. Today the beaches are completely deserted and they look somewhat bleak. 

seen from high on a hill vast empty beaches under misty dark skies mid wales
Anyone for the beach? Nope, seemingly not today thank you.

I spot a sign for Barmouth via a toll road, I take the turning. Only a few hundred yards later I'm facing a closed metal gate that would have lead to a long wood covered bridge. It seems this toll is closed first thing on a Easter Sunday morning. That's a shame, it crosses a river and it may have offered some interesting views. Mind you this mist is making things look grey. I consult the map on my phone, the detour is not a long one.

a closed metal gate the would lead to a long wooden bridge across the estuary
I guess I'll not be going this way then will I?

Barmouth is deserted too this morning. It presents itself as a small coastal tourist spot with an arcade or two, fish and chip shops and of course the beach. I know it's Easter Sunday, I know it's grim weather wise and I know it's early but this is a ghost town. I can only guess that the families who should be making sand castles are all still eating breakfast in their warm guest houses and pondering how to entertain the kids. Good luck with that, it's not really beach weather.

a broad wide beach, deserted and peaceful under the misty skies at barmouth
Still no-one for the beach, even at Barmouth? 

Shell Island is another enigma in my knowledge base. I have biker friends who've spent time there camping and claimed to have enjoyed a delightful time with much laughter. In my head I have a notion of a sunny beach, gentle sand dunes, smart mown lawns for camping on and all in a remote location. I know it's further up the road so I make a note to keep my eyes open, to see what it's all about.

From a vantage point along the road I can see below me a large broad flatland leading down to the sea. While there are green fields this is no longer a rural view, several large buildings and what appears to be a runway stand out. I stop and check, yes indeed Shell Island ought to be "over there" somewhere, out beyond the curious airport, if that is what it is.

a view over a flat area with some buildings and perhaps something else in the distance
Shell island is "Over There!" somewhere. Beyond the buildings?

I follow a sign for Shell Island. A narrow lane takes me past the airfield. It looks deserted. It doesn't look dilapidated or abandoned then neither does it look used. Odd, but then it is Easter Sunday, maybe it's simply closed. The lane wendles past grassy fields and finally sand. A sign warns this road can be flooded at high tide, I must be close to the shore. 

My pathway is blocked by a large barrier. It seems that "Shell Island" is in fact a camping resort rather than a small quiet family run campsite. I can see several buildings that appear to be shops, cafes, bars and reception. The barrier is unwelcoming and the signs indicate that entrance of any kind has to be paid for. It seems this is as close to Shell Island as I can get without "Shelling Out". Oh I do make myself laugh at times. I'm disappointed. It's not what I was expecting at all. In the grey skies the grass looks dull and the sprinkling of tents I can see in the fields look forlorn. Weather does make a huge difference on how a place looks.

Back on the road I get on with getting home. A steep hill out of Blaenau sees me in third gear, 35 mph flat out giving it large. Betws-y-Coed provides a toilet break with the bikers that gather there on the car park. The rain starts just before Pentrefoelas so I stop to put on "full wets" waterproof gear in the middle of nowhere. Of course the rain stops a few miles later. The A55 from St Asaph runs me home.

a line of motorcycles out front of the station at betws-y-coed
Betws-Y-Coed for a pee, a brew and a chat to some random bikers.

I've had a grand night away. I am certain that Tywyn and the surrounding area is worth more investigation and exploration. I'd like to find a beach suitable for a little bodyboarding. The Pall Mall campsite is near enough to the well serviced Tywyn town centre for entertainment and supplies. Maybe I could save up and spoil myself with a costly trip on the Talyllyn Railway too. As for taking the diminutive 125 on this journey, it's been great. There have been but a mere few moments when I would have liked more power otherwise it has again proved to be comfortable, economical and fun.

Into Mid Wales Ren's ride down to Tywyn on the Welsh coast. Cold and warm, lost and found and a new area to explore.
Home From Tywyn Ren rides home after a night in Tywyn. It's grey and grim and it looks like rain.

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