If
you like your beaches high wide and handsome you will like Colwyn
Bay Beach. Stretching 
3
miles from Rhos Point to Penmaenhead, Colwyn Bay beach offers
a variety of attractions. To the west end of the beach in Rhos-on-Sea
is the picturesque Rhos Harbour. The harbour formed by the rock breakwater
shelters a mix of private pleasure boats and busy little fishing boats
that offer fishing trips out into the Irish Sea.
The promenade
at Rhos-on-Sea has a great selection of cafes, coffee bars, seaside
kiosks, and quality restaurants. Frequented by visitors and locals alike
they can be bustling in the deep mid winter! And if you are a bird watcher
the Rhos Harbour Bistro offers a unique opportunity to enjoy good food
and drink while watching the oystercatchers, dunlins, cormorants and
many more seabirds that are to be found at Rhos Point and Rhos Harbour
rocks. (Tip. Best time for bird-watching in the Bistro are 1
hour before and 1 hour after
high tide.)
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The Colwyn Bay section of the beach also offers popular seaside
kiosks, each with their own little community of regular customers. (Yours
truly uses the Cayley Kiosk near the Cayley Promenade).
A new beach community
has appeared over the last few years, the noisy jet ski band of brothers!
But they have now been banished from the Pier area nearer to the
Old Colwyn end thus enabling the locals and visitors alike to enjoy the
wide expanse of golden sands that make up the central part of Colwyn
Bay beach.
The sandy beach continues eastward toward Old Colwyn before
turning to a pebble beach around the Penmaen-head-land, much favoured
by the anglers.
When the tide is high the Old Colwyn end of the beach
is taken over by the hardy angling folk who brave the winter storms to
hook those elusive sea bass, cod and flat fish. Mind you some days I
believe more fish are put into the waters as bait than are ever taken
out as catches!
Cycling along the North Wales Coast Cycle Path is another
popular pastime on Colwyn Bay promenade, but beware that YOU don't
get "hooked"
while cycling past the anglers on Colwyn Bay beach!
BAY WATCH :
A new section on the walesdirectory.co.uk
2009 has been an eventful year on the beach. Fishing trips are becoming
ever more popular from the jetty at Rhos-on-Sea. I've seen large groups
hiring three boats at a time to fish the Irish Sea, and coming ashore
with the tide and comparing their catches. Best fish gets a prize!
In May 2009 we had strong easterly winds for several days and a
great free show from a small colony of gannets. Its was the Monday when
we first noticed unusual splashes out to sea, which on closer inspection
turned out to be gannets diving for fish. This continued for a few days
until they were joined by a number of common terns who were diving closer
to shore. By the friday the local herring gulls had starting diving,
which is most unusual for the lazy old chip grabbers.
By June there were several
sightings of a seal , popping his head up both in Rhos-on-Sea and near
the Eirias Park slipway.
By the end of July, well on Sunday the 26th
July to be exact the seal had become bold enough to come in close with
the high tide and was happy to come ashore and role about on the concrete
platform that crosses the stone breakwater next to the slipway. He was
not at all perturbed by the crowds that gathered.
Dolphins and waterspout in the Bay
But it was the Thursday
the 23 July that hit the headlines with a dolphin appearing offshore.
Spotted by Trevor the Promenade Inspector , again at the Eirias Park
slipway, he was seen close to shore before skipping out to sea in the
direction of Rhos Point. Maybe he was chasing the waterspout!
Yes Thursday
the 23 July was a dramatic day on Colwyn Bay beach ...at 11.15.a.m.
just 5 minutes after the dolphin sighting a waterspout was seen traversing
the Irish Sea from west to east.
2nd August and the dolphins are in the bay again. Trevor and Bill both
spot the dolphins close to shore near the Eirias Park slipway.
Bob saves the day!
Well the excitement never stops on Colwyn Bay beach. 5th August 2009
and its a beautiful day, sunny and warm. I've finished my jog along the
promenade and am having a cup of tea by the Cayley Kiosk with the rest
of the Cayley Gang ( as I do most days) when Bob spots a canoeist in
trouble offshore. Although the weather was fine it can be deceptive out
at sea and today there was a strong off-shore breeze. There were a few
boats in the bay including sea kayaks fishing by the pier. But eagle
eyed Bob had spotted another canoe that appeared to be in trouble off
the Rhos on Sea breakwater. After much discussion we agreed that he was
probably right and that the canoeist seemed to be struggling to control
the boat and was slowly drifting out to sea. Bob telephoned the coast
guard and within a few minutes the Air Sea Rescue helicopter flew round
the Rhos headland. Bob continued to direct operations from the shore.
The helicopter circled the canoeist for a few minutes and then the
lifeboat appeared and quickly secured the drifting canoe.
Just another day on Colwyn Bay beach ! (and guess who left his camera
at home)
Dave counted 15 boats out and 14 boats in.
Sat 9th August 2009 and it was a busy day for Dave the Prom Inspector
at the Pier section of the beach. Fifteen craft were counted out but
unfortunately one failed to return. A 12 ft boat with four passengers
sank off the beach. Fortunately other craft were close at hand to rescue
all four. I believe all but one were wearing buoyancy aids and all
were relieved to reach shore safely.
The Gannets return.
Monday 17th August and Trefor reports that there is plenty of whitebait
about. He says there are a lot of seagulls diving after the whitebait.
By the time I got to the Cayley and was having a cup of tea I noticed
that the Gannets that visited in May had returned and were diving and
causing their characteristic big splashes far out in the bay.
The Gannets return 2
Wednesday 2nd September and the Gannets are performing out
in the Bay once again. Eagle-eyed Bob spotted the splashes as they
dived into the sea and the black tips on the wings confirmed the sighting.
Week of 7th to 13th September.
Johnny the seal pays another visit
to the Bay
Bit of action on the beach this week. Johnny the seal paid another
visit. He was swimming off-shore close to the Eirias Park slipway. Just
lolling about in the water having a good look about. I gave
him a wave. Its the first time I have seen him so I was very pleased.
Young Lady falls over promenade Wall
On a sunny day in September a young lady was walking along the promenade
and fell over the wall and suffered injuries including bashing her head
on the rocks below. The 39 year lady was badly shaken and received prompt
treatment from an emergency paramedic who was soon helped by colleagues
when the ambulance arrived. Fortunately the accident
had happened close to the Rhos/ Cayley slipway as just a few hundred
yards along the prom the drop increases from 8ft to 16ft. Ironically
the lady had knocked herself out by hitting her head on one of those
ubiquitous "health and safety" notices that are proliferating
on the prom. After hitting her head she fell to the floor and rolled
under the bottom rail falling to the rocks below. The alarm was raised
by a passing couple and several passers by went to her aid before the
paramedics arrived.
I am not one for over doing the "elf-n-safety" but that is the
third accident I have seen involving falls through the railings. The
other two involved dogs, one having to be put down having broken its
back. Lets hope the proposed new promenade will include an extra rail.
September 25th Update. More Dolphin sightings
Dave, the prom inspector at the pier station confirmed that he had seen
dolphins close to the pier earlier in the summer.
Dolphins in the Bay
Confirmation of recent sightings of Dolphins in Colwyn Bay. Dr Peter
Evans of the Seawatch Foundation said North Wales was fast becoming one
of the UK's best places to see dolphins. They have traditionally been
seen off the Llyn peninsula and Anglesey but dolphin watchers now say
large groups are spreading along the North Wales coast and into Liverpool
Bay. "To see these numbers of bottlenose dolphins so far east into Liverpool
Bay is unusual and very good news. It shows the seas are not doing badly
at all which is good news for everyone. It also means there are wonderful
opportunities in North Wales to see dolphins. The dolphins will be following
their food which means there are good stocks of fish in the waters off
North Wales.
March 25 2010 Spring is here at last
After the coldest winter for many years spring has sprung at last. Must
have been 16 degrees in the warm sunshine on the beach today, although
the BBC had forcast rain for everyday this week. In fact apart from a
bit of drizzle one day its been fine all week on the promenade.
We had the usual storms during the winter months and the tarmac on the
promenade was broken up in some sections. This led to the usual cries in
the local papers of the town sinking beneath the waves due to climate change
when in fact it was caused by seawater and frost getting behind some badly
laid tarmac. (I have the pictures to show that there was no key made on
the original sub base.)
The other talking point this winter is the ongoing saga of Colwyn Bay Pier.
A public meeting was held in the Town Hall in Rhiw Road. Four hundred people
attended and most showed support for preserving the pier. A lone voice
(yours truly) suggested a structural engineers report should be commissioned
before further action. This was greeted with a huge round of .... silence
... and was that a tumble weed that blew by.
More on Colwyn Bay Pier >
Directions:
From Chester or Holyhead take the A55 Expressway to Junction 22 at Old
Colwyn. Take the slip road and follow the signs to the Promenade. Free
Parking is available on the Promenade.
Facilities: Toilets, Seaside
Kiosks and Restaurants.(Rhos on Sea end). Harbour, Pier, (dilapidated)..
