Easter 2024 day 1 Porth Ellian to Cemlyn Bay

We always knew we would have to be very flexible with our plans for this Easter trip, and the hoped for mini wild camping trip became campsite-based a few days before the weekend. The forecast was showing too much wind from different directions during the 4 days for any other option.

We booked our campsite, Outdoor Alternative and two days later and the day before we were due to leave for Anglesey it was cancelled due to water logging. Adya found a site willing to take us that was apparently not too wet on the hills above Cemlyn Bay. Lots of camper vans got stuck on the field and towed off by a mini tractor, so I it was only sort of not waterlogged!

With southerly winds forecast to be 18mph gusting 20-25mph, we decided to head to the north coast for protection from the wind. We set off from sheltered Port Eillian, for the one-way trip to Cemlyn Bay, stopping on route at the west side of Bull Bay, and Porth Llanelliana, variously described as a shoe factory and a Victorian china clay factory.

We kept inshore to make sure we were sheltered from the worst of the winds, weren’t blown out to sea, and made the most of the back eddies until we had the tide with us. There were a few sections where we had to paddle hard into the wind, especially heading into Cemlyn, but there was little swell and the sea conditions weren’t challenging.

The highlights of the trip for me were the wildlife, which include a porpoise, gannets and my first otter siting off the coast of Anglesey, and all day sunshine.