Saturday 15th May 2010 Treardurr Bay and Parys Mountain

Sunshine all the way as we drove across the island to Treardurr Bay, which was not as busy as we expected, though it has to be said we usually come later in the year and at that time you can hardly get near the place on a weekend.
There were very few boats in the bay, but it's still a very attractive area and one lovely bay after another as you drive in the direction of Holyhead and the South Stack lighthouse

These people had everything well organised a tent, Food sizzling on the gas stove and Kayaks to take out into the bay, wonderful!
We had hoped to get parked at the south stack lighthouse but couldn't get on the car park which rather uncharacteristically was full, so we decided as the weather was so nice we would visit Parys Mountain at Amlwch.

The sign as you enter Amlwch says "The ancient copper town" which may be thought to mean that they have elderly policement, but in fact refers to the fact that mining copper has been going on here since the bronze age, and Parys Mountain above the town is where it all came from.

There is still a modern deep shaft copper mine, but in the past this was mainly open cast mining, and the pit it left is incredible to behold!
This graphic notice board is on the edge of the great pit and describes the awful way of life that the people suffered who operated the mine, it makes incredible reading
As a point late in the pit's history it was extensively dynamited to bring down the precipitous cliffs and these gentle slopes give no idea of how magnificent and terrible it must once have looked
This is a vertical panorama of two images that I hope gives some idea of the scale of the working, it is hard to believe that a hole so big could be dug with pick and shovel!The rocks here are of incredible colour, it has been used for science fiction films!

And this is just the surface evidence, hidden underground are 34 miles of tunnels on four different levels, some of them extending out under the sea!