The Llyn Peninsula is a finger of Wales pointing towards Ireland and is often referred to as “the little Wales beyond Wales”. The lilt of the Welsh dialect is alive and well in the small coastal communities such as Pwllheli, where the Welsh National Party was founded. It may be a little finger of land, but it’s full of contrasts.

The southern coast is perforated with large sandy beaches, perfect for having fun with the children or walking the dog. Popular ones include Blackrock Sands near Morfa Bychan, Criccieth’s view across Tremadog Bay, Pwllheli and Abersoch. The Cambrian Coast railway terminates at Pwllheli, but the Tram and Quarry walk continues to another idyllic beach at Llanbedrog.

Two miles off the point of this finger, sir Bardsey Island, land of twenty thousand saints, as legend would have it. The only way to explore the island is by foot and worth it just for the bird life that exists there.

Llyn’s northern coast is dramatic. Yr Eifl is less than 2000 feet high, yet the way it thrusts itself out of the waters of Caernafon Bay suggests a far higher summit. The view commands the whole of the peninsula as well as Anglesey to the north. The Pilgrims trekked along three cliff top paths, through high moorland, and alongside whitewashed coastal cottages and across the whistling sands of Porth Oer to reach Bardsey Island.

Llyn is a pilgrimage all walkers should make.

There’s been a lot of work on the Ceredigion Coast Path in the last couple of years, and it now very nearly joins up with its better-known neighbour, the Pembrokeshire Coast path National Trail. You can hop from where that ends at Poppit Sands, to where the new coast path begins at Cardigan and walk them both if you like or, just as legitimately, head for the Teifi Estuary and turn north instead of south. So what do you get if you opt for that bite out of the apple that is Cardigan Bay?

The sea-ward views along this coast are astonishing, starting with the yachts at the mouth of the Teifi. You get even more of a face full of it at Mwnt, with its white church and perfect sandy cove. Cardigan Bay is a Special Area of Conservation. Keep your eyes on the water all the way along the coast, because it’s famous for pods of dolphins. It’s arguably the best place in Britain to see cetaceans – six different species. So you might see bottle-nose, common, or Risso’s dolphins, and you’re also on course to spot harbour porpoises, minke whales and even killer whales.

As you walk northwards to the two-beach village of Aberporth, and on towards New Quay and Aberaeron, you’ve every chance of views all the way to Snowdonia and the Llyn, with Bardsey Island to the west.

And the wildlife is the star, all the way. There are choughs, peregrine falcons, grey seals, and at any time you might see the Welsh national bird, the red kite, wheeling overhead.

Author Bio: Duncan writes on a huge number of topics including UK breaks, walking holidays and activity holidays in the UK.

Category: Travel
Keywords: travel,wales,walking,walking holidays,holidays,walks