ONE OF BRITAIN’S
NEWEST ISLANDS
CEI BALLAST
Porthmadog, Gwynedd
Cei Ballast sits in almost complete
secrecy in the northern upper reaches
of the River Glaslyn, just a few hundred
metres from busy Porthmadog.
Low-lying and now covered with trees
and shrubs, this man-made island was
formed around 200 years ago from
discarded ships’ ballast.
The most interesting approach is to
drop down onto the sands from the Cob
at low tide, the stone embankment that
spans the estuary and carries the steam
trains of the Welsh Highland and
Ffestiniog railways. Once on the sands,
the short route to the island crosses a
tidal stream before it heads into thesalt
marsh, samphire beds, and cockle-filled
sands beyond. The colourful foreshore
of Cei Ballast is like no other: a mixof
chalk, red granite, brick, limestone,
industrial slag, f lint, and the occasional
piece of pottery.
Back on the Cob after your island
adventure, it’s hard not to feel slightly
smug. Among the crowds on the
platforms observing steam trainsor
enjoying refreshments, few realisethat
this island even exists.
Good fact In the 1800s ships carried
Welsh slate from the Ffestiniog quarries
across the world; ballast was addedto
the return cargoes before being dumped
on a sandbank to the east of the river.
Don’t miss Diving into the deep warm
waters of the pool in the sandbanksof
the secluded southern tip.Adapted from Islandeering:
Adventures Aroundthe
Edge of Britain’sHidden
Islands by Lisa Drewe(Wild
Things Publishing),which
features walks, sightsand
swims on 50 islands.OUTING