Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

Spur of the moment trip to Aberystwyth (so, inevitably, no camera...). An icy and foggy start at home, but by the time we reached the seaside the weather was amazing - sunny, warm, windstill, and the sea like a millpond - none of which I associate with Aber, and certainly not in January! The main blip is of a gate on the prom near the pier.

Visibility was superb, and the mountains of North Wales looked close enough to touch. We could see all the way from Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon in the east to Ynys Enlli/Bardsey Island in the West (see first extra - both extras are wide format so will need a click).

We decided to wait for sunset in the hope of seeing the starling murmuration for which Aberystwyth Pier is famous. No pics (I did take a few videos on the phone) but wow, what an experience - not to mention the noise of all those starlings (apparently there are estimated to be 50,000 of them - it seemed more) vying for the best perches in the girders under the pier, where they roost for the night.