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Weekend trip to the Lancashire coast followed by a night on Anglesey with me mate Alex looking across the Menai Strait towards Snowdonia, Llanfairfechan, the Ormes & Llandudno with spectacularly clear winter skies, a half moon & great stargazing
I explored more of the west coast & checked out what plants were making an appearance for next week’s spooting course over there ♡ I enjoyed the dunes, the sunshine & picking up some sea coal to play with in the campfire when Al joined me on Saturday
It may have been -1°C at night with a strong steady wind blowing onshore & buffeting the vans all night but, determined to eat al fresco, we cleared a l’il nest in a nearby hawthorn & bramble thicket, put tarps up as wind-breakers (and my big umbrella cunningly blocking the ‘door!’) creating a cosy corner hidden from view of the road, listening to the wind & waves, toasty warm whilst cooking our dinner & open to the sparkling heavens above us… really ace ????❄
Next morning we explored a nice little wood full of ash & willow amongst other tree types, so my shroom-dar prickled & told me to look out for scarlet elf cups haha! Found some lovely patches of red glinting in amongst piles of fallen willow twigs, but we’d not brought a basket (as mine were all full of other treasure in the van!) so Alex fashioned a very swift makeshift receptacle of willow & ferns & the scarlets went into our lunchtime sausage noodles along with tasty wild garlic shoots. There was also sea beet & alexanders nearby.
I picked up a beautiful mallard drake I spotted beside the road, so sad but he was pristine & really healthy. I marvelled for ages at his stunning plumage as it shimmered in the slanty morning sunlight… gorgeous bird.
I also collected some more knotted or egg wrack as I love the little pods it has in abundance at this time of year, they’re small & crunchy, great in a salad, stirfry or pickled. Plus there was a nice amount of dumont’s tubular weed on the beach too, one of my favourites, they’re like tasty umami glass noodles in soups or spring/summer rolls, I’m going to try pickling some too. This stuff was mature, boasting long spirally ribbons of tastiness. Yum!
