Nant Y Pandy (Y Dingle), Llangefni-Llyn Cefni there and back pushchair friendly (3.43miles/ 5.53km)
Well it’s been a while! As anticipated, Anwen hit the “I’m too big to be carried but too small to walk far” stage. Mix in another dose of Covid and being flat out busy with work, horses, family, haymaking etc. I just haven’t managed to do much walking at all. We have been exploring Lôn Las Ogwen a little though so I’m hoping to make a post including that route sometime soon. It is now the summer holidays (hurrah) so hopefully we’ll get a few more treks in over the next few weeks. Today’s walk is a family favourite and an old go-to.
Nant Y Pandy (more commonly known as the Dingle) is a 43 acre Nature Reserve in Llangefni in the middle of Ynys Môn. It is a wooded valley which is bisected by the Afon Cefni (River Cefni - Av-onn Kev-knee). I used Strava to measure today’s route rather than OS Maps, so the distance may not be 100% accurate. Anwen walked halfway which is pretty good for wee legs! I did have the pushchair with me the whole way though so I can definitely say this route is pushchair/ wheelchair friendly.
Nant Y Pandy / Dingle / Nant Y Dilyw
This area goes by various different names.
Nant Y Pandy (Brook of the fulling mill - Nah-nt err Pan-dee). This refers to the old wool processing plant situated upstream.
Nant Y Dilyw (Brook of the deluge- Nah-nt err Dee-lieu). Possibly named due to the formation of the gorge by glacial meltwater during the last ice age. Also characteristic of the winter flooding.
Dingle- an English word meaning steep wooded valley. This name was given during the Victorian era when it was common to replace Welsh names with English ones.
Distance: 3.43miles/ 5.53km(according to Strava)
Time taken: 1hr 32mins
Elevation gain: 25m (Strava app)
Parking: Yes, plenty but pay and display.
Facilities: Shops and cafes in Llangefni.
Walkers: Me (34years, fat and unfit), Megan (5yrs, full of energy and never stops talking), Anwen (2years, walked halfway then in the pushchair.)
To park: there are a few car parks in Llangefni but the main car park for the Dingle is at St Cyngar’s Church. It’s a tricky entrance straight off a small roundabout on the B5110 near Asda. You do have to pay to park (I’ve included the prices below) but there is plenty of space.
Google maps showing the location of the car park.
Prices to park.
Plenty of spaces! St Cyngar’s church on the right.
Once parked, head up to the top of the car park, past the church on your right, and you’ll see the entrance of the reserve. You have two choices of path. To the right is a wider concrete track which is a more direct route but more hilly. To the left, past the dragonfly statue, is the boardwalk- narrower but flatter and more interesting (in my opinion!) You can chop and change between the two as they join at a few points along the route. We stuck to the boardwalk completely today, there and back, as Megan loves a boardwalk!
Eglwys St Cyngar
The church is on the south east edge of the Dingle. The early Celtic foundation that was once on the site became the first focus of settlement at Llangefni. The church is devoted to Cyngar, an early Christian saint from noble lineage. The present building was constructed in 1824. The section of woodland seen behind the church is known as Coed Plas (Mansion Wood), and is one of the oldest sections of the Dingle having had trees on the site since the last Ice Age 10,000 years ago!
There is a third route along the abandoned railway but it isn’t pushchair friendly, and isn’t really an official route so take it at your own risk! I have walked it once with just Megan and we made it all the way to the reservoir (you can go further). There are a couple of bridges full of holes to cross on this route too, so as I say, take it at your own risk. It’s a great route though!
Pictures from a previous walk.
Anglesey Central Railway
The line was established in 1863. By 1865 the Gaerwen to Amlwch Branch Line had been completed as far as Llangefni. Beyond Llangefni the Dingle offered itself as a natural corridor for the line to follow. To ensure a constant gradient, the track through the Dingle was built close to the Afon Cefni and crosses it at three locations. The branch line was completed in 1867 at a total length of 17 and a half miles.
The line was closed to passenger traffic in December 1964, but it continued to be used until 1993 by the Associated Octel Company of Amlwch for the transport of goods.
Since it’s closure there have been many debates on the best use for the abandoned railway line. Some would like to see it reopened as a passenger line and a tourist attraction. Personally, I am on the side of those who would like to turn it into a multi use path for walkers, cyclists, and horseriders. Currently though, we’re at a stalemate and so it remains as it is.
Enjoying the boardwalk.
As you head down the boardwalk, not long before you join briefly back onto the main path, you’ll see a pool on your left, called Llyn Bach (Small lake- Tlynne Bach like the composer!)
Llyn Bach
The small weir located in Llyn Bach was built to extract water from Afon Cefni in order to power the town’s flour mill which was located in Mill Street, on the site now occupied by the library. Remains of the leat, used to transport the water, can still be seen in the woodland. The Cefni Mill was closed in the early 20th century, but reopened in the inter-World War period to generate hydro electricity for the town.
After rejoining the main path we immediately turned left over the bridge to carry on along the boardwalk. Before heading over the bridge though we headed down the steps and under the railway bridge. Normally the river is a bit higher here, but we’ve had so much hot weather it was pretty dry!
Looking down.
The railway bridge.
Under the bridge.
Ffrindiau. Friends.
Remains.
Steps back up.
Over the footbridge.
After crossing the bridge we turn right (left takes you back into Llangefni). Along here on the right you’ll see Argae Fawr (Big Weir - Ar-gaee Vaur) and the fish ladder.
Argae Fawr and Llyn Pwmp
These were built in 1867 to create Llyn Pwmp (Pump Lake - Tlynne Poomp). The weir was originally built by the Rail Company to provide water to the steam railway engines using the branch line. Llyn Pwmp was never used for its original purpose because, with the advancement in technology, the engines could cope with the journey to Amlwch without needing to take on extra water.
Watching the cwac cwacs on Llyn Pwmp.
There are a few viewpoints along this section of boardwalk. After the Llyn Pwmp viewpoint, as you look across the river and railway track you’ll see the original section of woodland known as the Dingle. The Dingle as it is known today, with the exception of Coed Plas, was planted by Thomas James Bulkeley in the 1820s. The Bulkeley family, from Baron Hill, Beaumaris, was the largest landowner in the Llangefni area at the time.
Looking to the left.
After crossing the oak bridge the boardwalk does split briefly. If you go to the right and up some steps you can rejoin the main path. We went left. In this area look out for some old stone walls. These are the remains of an old agricultural boundary. In the past, parts of the Dingle were used for agriculture. The valley floor would have been used for rough grazing due to its poor drainage. There is also clear evidence that the Afon Cefni was used for dipping sheep and watering cattle.
On the left soon after this, hidden in the trees, are two large brick tanks. These were originally used as settlement tanks during the extraction of water from the Afon Cefni to supply the town. A small weir was constructed during the 1940s further upriver. The water was piped down to the tanks where the sediment was allowed to settle, prior to being pumped via a pipe up the opposite bank to a reservoir located above the western boundary of the Dingle. Further along from the tanks is the original pump house, which has now been converted into a bat roost and otter holt. The reservoir ceased to operate in the 1950s following the construction of a dam further upriver in 1951 to create the Cefni Reservoir. This became the first domestic water supply for consumers in North Anglesey.
Not long after passing under another railway bridge we rejoin the main path and turn left. Soon after this we pass through a gate and out into an open area. Before the path veers left under the railway again have a look on your right. It’s very overgrown but there are some remains of stones to be seen. This was the site of the Pandy fulling mill.
Pandy fulling mill
The fulling process consisted of the closing together of threads of woven woollen fabrics by pressing and kneading with the assistance of soap and acid liquor. The Pandy ceased operating in the early 20th century. The mill building itself was later used as a cowshed before being demolished in 2004. The 1881 Census shows that the workforce at the mill consisted of an engineer, a weaver, and a spinner. During the 19th Century many such mills tended to satisfy basic local needs with much of the weaving and spinning processes being undertaken domestically in the home as part of the household routine.
We are actually leaving the Dingle here and continue on to the Cefni Reservoir and dam. Megan likes to walk across the top of the dam so we usually turn left across the bridge then return to the right over the dam before retracing our steps home. It was here that Anwen decided she’d walked far enough, so she slept in the pushchair all the way back.
You can continue all the way around the reservoir but that was a walk for another day (there are two car parks situated at either end so it’s possible to do the reservoir walk without including the Dingle.)
Llyn Cefni
Home along the boardwalk.
https://www.visitanglesey.co.uk/en/things-to-do/activities/dingle-local-nature-reserve/#.Yt6LRIF4Wf0
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