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DESCRIBING: A church
SYNOPSIS: A stone church stretches across the frame with a square bell tower on the left. The walls are pale tan, built of rough blocks, with tall, pointed-arch windows. A round clock decorates the tower. Trees form a dense green backdrop under a pale, overcast sky.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: The square tower rises at the left edge, topped by a flat parapet with notched battlements and four corner pinnacles. Two narrow, louvered openings pierce the tower’s upper face; beneath them, a round clock with gold roman numerals and hands sits slightly left of center. The tower walls are thick with uneven, light-brown stone and thin mortar lines. A slim black downpipe runs vertically near the corner. The main body of the church extends rightward from the tower, one story high, with a dark gray slate roof. Three tall, narrow windows with pointed arches and fine leaded panes punctuate the long wall. At the far right, the roof ends in a gable capped by a small stone cross finial; a second cross stands on the nearer gable ridge. A modern gray streetlamp leans in from the lower right foreground. Shrubs and low plants fill the front edge; behind the church, a wooded hillside rises, its leaves a mix of medium and dark greens. The sky is light gray, suggesting a cloudy day.
DESCRIBING: St. Cyngar's Holy Well
SYNOPSIS: A hand-built stone basin nestles into a green, mossy rock wall. A black mouth of a spring recesses under the rock ledge. Ferns and ivy lean in, while sunlight freckles the stones. A wood sign names the place: “Saint Cyngar’s Well,” restored in 2009, with Welsh above.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: The well’s walls are rough and irregular, the stones pale gray to brown with soft, rounded edges, as if worn by time. A ledge of capstones on the right is smoother and shows faint pinkish staining. At the back, where wall meets cliff, the rock is veined and slick with moss, colored olive and dark green. Beneath that rock, a triangular opening drops into shadow; the interior appears damp, with no reflective water surface visible in the photograph. The sign, fixed to the upper right of the rock face, is a warm honey-brown board with white letters. Ivy vines web across the left side, their leaves glossy and heart-shaped, while a spray of ferns adds frilled, light-green fronds. The ground around the well is dark, compacted soil dotted with tan and orange leaves.
DESCRIBING: A bridge crossing a small river.
SYNOPSIS: A shallow river winds through a leafy woodland. A low wooden footbridge crosses from the left bank near the foreground into the midground. Bare and budding branches arch over the water, and sunlight spots the surface. Mossy boulders sit at the water’s edge; the far bank is steep and shaded.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: The vantage point is near water level at the river’s edge. In the lower left corner, a lichen- and moss-coated boulder fills the foreground. The river, dark slate blue with ripples and a few white glints, runs from the bottom center toward the middle distance, curving slightly right. At the left, a plank-and-rail footbridge, about waist high, spans a narrow section of the stream; its slats form a repeating rectangle pattern, and a simple wooden fence continues back into the woods. A thick tree trunk beside the bridge leans out over the water, its branches branching into a web that reaches across the frame. On the right, the far bank rises into a mossy, rock-studded slope shaded by brush. Overhead, a pale blue sky peeks through a mix of leafed-out and still-bare deciduous trees. The overall feeling is quiet and cool.
Red Squirrels
In the Dingle Local Nature Reserve
The Dingle is a Green Flag award winning Local Nature Reserve, managed by the Isle of Anglesey County Council’s Countryside and AONB Service. The rich and varied woodland is now home to the enchanting but endangered native red squirrel. The first red squirrels were introduced in the winter of 2011/12 with additional animals released in 2012/13. The squirrels were all bred in captivity and on arrival they were housed in an enclosure for a few weeks. This allowed them to become fully accustomed to their new woodland home before being allowed to venture into the surrounding trees.
Anglesey Red Squirrel Facts
In 1998 red squirrels were almost extinct on Anglesey but a pioneering conservation project has reversed their fortunes.
Today, with over five hundred red squirrels, the island has the largest population in Wales.
The population is genetically diverse with at least five distinct bloodlines.
Red squirrels can be found in parks and gardens across the island and in 2008 individuals crossed the Menai Strait sea channel and colonised the mainland county of Gwynedd.
Look out!
Red squirrels may spend up to 70% of their active time searching for food.
They move nimbly among branches and leaves, high in the tree-tops.
They feed on a wide range of tree seeds, buds and shoots; in autumn they will also eat fungi and are often busy burying seeds to form a food store for the winter months.
They build nests called “dreys” out of twigs, moss and leaves high in the tree-tops; this is where they rear their young in spring and summer.
DESCRIBING: A railroad underpass on the boardwal.
SYNOPSIS: A shaded boardwalk passes under a short, low bridge made of black metal and old stone. Dappled sunlight filters through leafy trees. The walkway narrows under the bridge, then curves downhill to the right into dense woods. Moss softens the stone, and ferns and vines grow along the edges.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: In the foreground, a wooden boardwalk fills the frame, its planks sunlit with leaf shadows. Low, dark edging borders both sides. Ahead, two thick stone walls rise to hold a short bridge that crosses overhead. The stones are rough and mottled with moss. The bridge is a shallow span of black-painted metal and wooden slats beneath. A simple metal rail and a loose loop of wire sit on top, silhouetted against treetops. The passage under the bridge appears tight with a low clearance. Beyond the opening, the boardwalk continues through cool shade, then bends right and slopes gently down. Tall trunks and tangled green foliage surround the path. Bits of blue sky show through the canopy.
DESCRIBING: A log bench.
SYNOPSIS: A low wooden bench made from a rough log sits on a boardwalk. Moss and small ferns grow from the bench’s rounded ends and along its top. Dense green undergrowth fills the background. The scene looks damp, with darkened wood and scattered leaves on the planks.
IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION: In the foreground, tan-brown deck boards run left to right, their grain and seams visible. Centered on the boards is a squat bench built from a single weathered timber. The long seat is cracked and gray-green, about the length of six to seven deck boards, with no back or arms. At both ends, stacked, rounded lobes of wood form bulky supports, each coated with moss. Tufts of bright green ferns sprout from crevices in the lobes and from the bench’s edges, especially on the right end where fronds droop toward the planks. The underside of the seat arches slightly, leaving a shallow opening. Moisture-dark patches mark the planks near the right support, where bits of soil and roots meet the deck. Behind the bench, an edging board separates the walkway from thick groundcover—ferns, vines and leafy shrubs in many greens—rising to the top of the frame.