Video
Welsh Coastal Foraging Wander
Welsh Coastal Foraging Wander
8th August 2021
A coastal wild food wander and explore at Porth Trecastell
Throughout the year we get asked to help out with events and projects related to wild food and foraging – and occasionally that requires heading out to explore and survey an area to see if it what we need is actually available in that location.
One of our favourite secret-ish spots for gathering wild food is on the coast of Anglesey, between Rhosneigr and Aberffraw. Many know it as Cable Bay, but as it’s a Welsh beach – and language is important to the culture of a place – we should probably call it by the correct name: Porth Trecastell.
In this (impromptu and unplanned video) Amy and I go for a wander along the rocks on the western side of the bay, dodging waves and seeing what’s available in this location in the middle of summer.
Unwise and unsafe activity
This is one of those “do as I say, not as I do” situations. Wet, algae-covered rocks are dangerous enough at the best of times, let alone in the tail end of a storm. People die on the shore of the British coast every year – swept away by waves and/or bashed against the rocks.
So why are we hanging around in such a dangerous place…?
I am a firm believer in the ideas of free will and adults making decisions for themselves. I have also witnessed countless examples of people getting into dangerous situations where they were not fully aware of the risks involved. If you don’t have all of the data, how do you know you’re making a good decision?
These are some of the thoughts that went into us being in that place, at that time, in those conditions:
- We delayed the trip by a day so that we arrived after the storm, not during it
- We chose a time when the tide was low, and knew where it would reach to at high tide
- We stayed on wide, relatively sheltered areas and knew when we were in places we could get cut off
- We retreated back towards the beach as the water advanced
- We wore appropriate clothing for the conditions, conscious of the risks of slipping and getting too wet/cold
- We have both spent many, many hours scrambling over wet rocks on coastlines
That experience is important, because it gives each of us more information when it comes to making decisions.
The species we found
We wander fairly aimlessly through the rocks and ledge for this video, but we do find a good number of edible and useful plants and sealife species:
– Gutweed (Ulva intestinalis)
– Oarweed (Laminaria digitata)
– Spider Crab (Maja squinado)
– Rock Samphire (Crithmum maritimum)
– Common Limpet (Patella vulgata)
– Common Periwinkle (Littorina littorea)
– Dog Whelk (Nucella lappilus)
If you want to come and see these species for yourself then you can join one of our foraging courses in North Wales – we would love to see you there.
A Mountain Leader with over a decade of experience across the UK and overseas, Richard is our Lead Instructor and a partner in Original Outdoors. He is a specialist in temperate wilderness skills and the wild foods of the British Isles, and also works as a consultant for various brands and organisations. Richard lives in North Wales.
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