View of Wylfa from Craig Wen

Another breezy, wet morning at the end of the wettest year on record.
A view west looking towards Wylfa from Craig Wen.

Wylfa power station in the mist.
Looking west over Cemaes Bay.

Lime kiln at Wylfa

Remains of a re-worked limekiln overlooks the bay. A doorway had been created at one time, one side has now collapsed. Possibly used as a look out post during the second world war?

Bird boxes

The latest letter from New Horizon explains about the delay in completing demolition of houses in the area because of requirements to make provisions for bats and owls.
owl boxes can be found in the area.

Owl box in planted pine woodland to SW of Wylfa power station. 

View from Wylfa Head

View from Wylfa Head on a wet and blustery December morning.

View from Wylfa Head looking SW towards Wylfa power station.

View of lookout on Wylfa Head looking north. 

Looking east from Wylfa Head towards Llanbadrig and Cemaes Bay.

Looking south towards Tregele.
Wylfa Nature Reserve lookout is on the artificial ridge in the conifer trees to the right.

Wylfa Sports & Social Club

Wylfa Sports & Social Club, Wylfa nuclear power station.

Boxing Day Shoot at Wylfa

The Clay Pigeon Club met today. usually they are shooting on saturday mornings. Located at the playing field next to the Wylfa Social Club their guns echo across the fields and around the power station.

Clay pigeon shooting is a regular club beside Wylfa power station.

Christmas Day 2012

View towards Wylfa power station from Cemlyn on Christmas Day morning 2012.

View of Wylfa Power Station, Christmas Day, 2012

Hereford Cattle

The herd of pedigree Hereford cattle stroll around fields between Wylfa power station and Cestyll Gardens.

Hereford cattle between Wylfa power station and Cestyll Gardens.

Dead Sheep at Wylfa Head

With all the wet weather there has been a high mortality rate amongst the sheep grazing Wylfa Head.
Not a good impression for walkers who use the Anglesey Coastal Footpath. Yesterday there were three dead sheep in the area.

Dead sheep at Wylfa on the coastal footpath above Porth Wylfa.

Dead sheep at Wylfa Nature Reserve.

Dead sheep in field adjacent to the Wylfa Nature Reserve.

Anti-slip treatment at Wylfa View Point

Following all the rain of recent months an anti-slip surface has been applied to the steps leading to the view point at Wylfa Nature Trail. Health and Safety in the countryside!
Compare a with the photo taken on  1st December, 2012.

Anti-slip surface glued to the slate steps at the
Wylfa Nature Trail.

Monitoring - water levels near Porth Wylfa

New Horizon installed a water measuring device over a year ago (?) to monitor the water flow from a boggy area Sw of Porth Wylfa.
With all the rain this summer and winter it is now completely drowned, and the culvert that drains water to the sea at Porth Wylfa appears to be blocked.

The boggy area is now a flooded marsh.
Looking south with Port Wylfa to the left.

The blocked culvert and flooded monitoring device.

Cycle Route 566 - The Copper Trail

Anglesey County Council promote a cycle route, 566 - The Copper Trail, through the middle of the proposed site of Wylfa B power station.

Information board at the village of Tregele.

The route enters the land owned by New Horizon at Tregele and takes cyclists to Cemlyn. All the houses on this road have been bought by New Horizon, owners evicted and most have been, or will be demolished. See earlier posts labeled 'demolition'.

View to Wylfa and Wylfa Head from Cemlyn

View towards Wylfa Head and Wylfa Power Station from Cemlyn.

View of Wylfa Power Station
from Cemlyn.

Wylfa Head Nature Reserve is to be seen behind and to the left of the power station.
The first pylon carrying power from the station is immediately above the Wylfa Nature Trail that is part of the Anglesey Coastal Footpath and is shown in an earlier posting.
Cestyl Gardens is in the bay between the near headland and the power station, and is also on the Anglesey Coastal Footpath.

Cemlyn Nature Reserve

Cemlyn Bay is a very short walk from Cestyll Gardens and Wylfa.
There are two car parks. The east one is accessed first when walking from Cestyll Gardens.
Cemlyn Bay is an important wildlife area. Land here is owned by the National Trust with management input by the North Wales Wildlife Trust.
In addition to being a Wildlife Trust Reserve it is a Special Protection Area, a candidate Special Area of Conservation, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and part of the Anglesey Area of Outstanding natural Beauty.

Shingle bank, Cemlyn Bay to right.

Gates

There are a variety of gates within the area around Wylfa.

Cestyll Gardens

To the west of Wylfa Power Station lies Cestyll Gardens.
Video of gardens.
BBC Report of the gardens.
Magnox web site reference to the gardens.
Coflein record by Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales.
NPRN 301555
watermill

Pine trees act as a windbreak for the gardens,
which is set in a small valley.

gates to the gardens.
Which are only open at Spring and Summer Bank Holidays.

The old pine trees are being thinned around the eastern side.

A rare  water mill is located on the foreshore.
This is managed by the National Trust.

Wylfa Head Nature Reserve

The car park serves both the Wylfa Nature Trail and the Wylfa Head Nature Reserve.

Information panel.

Entrance to the Nature Reserve and picnic area, signage for the Anglesey Coastal Footpath.

Original gates and Coastal Footpath signage. 

Picnic seats looking towards Llanpadrig and West Mouse.

The Nature Reserve includes Wylfa Head itself which was given to the parishioners of Llanpadrig by the CEGB in 1969. The Llanpadrig Council sold this land to New Horizon  in 2011!

National Grid Issues

Some work on power cables reminded me of the National Grid Connection Project which is set up to discuss issues of new power line transmission pylons across North Wales.
Even if there is not a new nuclear power station there are plans to bring on shore electricity from the wind farm about to be constructed between Anglesey and the Isle of Man.
National Grid are asking for public for feedback on proposals to connect Horizon's proposed nuclear power station at Wylfa of up to 3.6 gigawatts (GW), together with 2 GW of offshore Irish Sea wind energy being proposed by Celtic Array, which will also connect on Anglesey. This represents what National Grid calls the Need Case for its wo

rk.

Work to power lines this morning.

Reports on BBC web site about EDF power stations in Scotland

Instead of reopening a visitor centre to try to prop up public support they'd be better off opening a museum to serve as a reminder of quite what a folly we know nuclear to be”
Dr Richard Dixon
WWF Scotland

Hunterston and Torness nuclear plants reopen to public

Scotland's two nuclear power stations are opening their doors to the public for the first time since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US in 2001.

A new visitor centre is being opened on Friday at Hunterston B, near West Kilbride, in North Ayrshire.
Operator EDF Energy plans to open a similar facility at the Torness plant, in East Lothian, later this year.
The Hunterston facility will open daily from 09:00 until 16:00 and offer guided tours and "hands-on" displays.
The visitor centre at Hunterston is the first to be opened at EDF Energy's UK plants.

'Openness and transparency'

Company chief executive Vincent de Rivaz unveiled the new facility on Friday.
"We have said for some time now that openness and transparency has to be at the heart of everything we do in our nuclear and our retail business," he said.

"We are already at the heart of the community in North Ayrshire.
"However, this gives us a great opportunity to engage with more and more people and listen to what they have to say and answer any questions they may have about our station, our company and the nuclear industry as a whole."

EDF believes the Hunterston visitor centre will attract about 3,500 people each year.
Visitors will be given an introductory talk about how the station operates, before being given a guided tour through selected parts of the plant.
The majority of the tours will be organised for schools and educational groups.
Members of the public will also be able to visit the station by appointment.
Scotland's Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: "I welcome EDF Energy's commitment to openness and transparency in their work on existing nuclear power production.

'Dangerous' technology

"While the Scottish government has a clear policy position against new nuclear build, we recognise that EDF Energy is a valued local employer and supports the community in which it operates."
The environmental group WWF Scotland, however, said the visitor centre opening at Hunterston did not change its assertion that nuclear power was unwanted and unneeded.

Director Dr Richard Dixon said: "Nuclear power is a dirty, dangerous and unnecessary technology.
"Research has shown that a combination of energy efficiency and renewables is more than enough to power all of Scotland's electricity needs.
"Instead of reopening a visitor centre to try to prop up public support they'd be better off opening a museum to serve as a reminder of quite what a folly we know nuclear to be."

Wylfa Nature Trail

The trail begins at the Wylfa Information Centre.

Access to Nature Trail from Information Centre...

This is also the route of the Anglesey Coastal Footpath.

There are numbered points of interest along the route.

The trail passes beneath the main pylons carrying electricity
from the power station.

The first pylon viewed from the trail.

Steps climb the earth bank to the east of the station
to a view point.

To the view point from the nature trail path.

Slate steps to the view point.

The view point looking towards Wylfa Power Station. 

The view point looking towards Wylfa Head.

The view point looking towards the village
of Cemaes Bay.

Entrance to Nature Trail from Wylfa Head end.