Watching in Wales

WHEN Lancashire folk plan a long day's birdwatching they are often prepared to drive for two or three hours to the northern Lake District or southern Scotland.

Few realise that there is some truly wonderful wildlife in North Wales.

I have just visited the sand dunes of Newborough Warren, which is just on the island of Anglesey. In Norman times this was indeed a New Borough but it is now just a small settlement surrounded by rich wildlife.

It was once used as an area for the breeding of rabbits (hence the word warren), introduced by the Normans because of the valuable flesh and fur of the animal. I was only later that the rabbit became a pest. The man who farmed the rabbits on the sandy area was known as the warrener, which is where we get the surname still used today.

I reached Newborough from East Lancashire last Friday and the journey only took around two hours.

There I met the warden, Duncan Brown, who took me in his Land Rover to Ynys Llanddwyn, which is an island - but only when the tide is out.

lt is usually possible to walk to the area along the sands and in winter the birdlife is spectacular.

I watched dunlin, oystercatcher, ringed plover, knot and shelduck.

All this was against the backdrop of the mountains of Snowdonia, which were covered in snow and reflected the sunlight. The "island" once had a thriving community and was the base for the pilots who guided the ships through the narrow Menai Straits between Anglesey to the delightful mainland towns of Bangor and Caernarfon.

The pilots' cottages have now been converted into a visitors' centre with displays relating to the Celtic Saints, the wildlife and the history of the area.

One industry which once thrived in this area was the weaving of marram grass.

This tough plant will always resist both wind and the erosive action of sand.

The community around the Warren learned how to weave the strands of marram and used it as thatching and as hurdles to keep livestock within bounds.

The Newborough area has been on the Pilgrims' Path for many centuries.

The migratory birds have been coming here since Adam was a lad but the area is close to the Pilgrims' Path, which ran from northern England to Bardsey Island - still associated with the Celtic Saints.

Whatever the season, the area has much to offer and, although it is within range of a day trip, short breaks and long holidays for naturalists are a speciality of the area.

Details can be obtained from North Wales Tourism (01492 531731) or from Gwynedd County Council at Caernarfon. The telephone number of the Tourist Information Centre is 01286 672232.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.