Wales Coast Path 2024

  This walk was done yesterday, 21 September, again using the train. From Llwyngwril, it's a steep rise up from the beginning, without the gentle warm-up afforded the previous day. On the way up, we stopped briefly to look at Castell y Gaer, an Iron Age hillfort. There's a lot of up and down on the non-coastal section of this walk, then it seemed quite suddenly that we were walking down to the coast again at Tonfanau, where our picnic was taken. We got to Tywyn for an ice-cream stop.  After that, it was a long walk along a sandy beach,  where we spotted large oyster shells, a cuttlefish bone, and parts of a giant spider crab among the more everyday pebbles and shells. 

A shorter walk today, still using the railway to get to our start. After a stroll along the top of the beach at Fairbourne, where we stopped for our coffee flask, the path climbs through an old slate quarry. The quarry workings provided up with enough interest to take minds of the slope. Once at the ridge, the path follows what must have been a Bronze Age route, with frequent Standing Stones marking the way. We saw a frog in the road. Coming down into Llwyngwril, we had a refreshment break at the Garthangharad .

  Another fine day, perhaps a bit too warm, but we were well prepared with water and food; after recent walks, we also felt fitter to tackle this.  The walk from Llanbedr Station around the airfield until the beach is a little dull. The length of the beach at Morfa Dyffryn was a little daunting at first, but unlike some other sandy beaches, we soon found some firm sand which supported a brisk pace. Towards the middle of this beach, there is a special section which the guide book does mention, mostly comprising single gentlemen. The red and white pole, well forewarned in our book, took us off the beach, where we first stopped at a table for our picnic lunch. We soon had to follow quite detailed directions in the book, field by field, for the section which rises diagonally towards the A496 road.   We stopped at Dylans Barmouth (not really in Barmouth at all) for a drink: until we reached  Barmouth itself, this was the only refreshment point actually on the path. ...

This walk was done last Friday, 7 August, again parking at the finish and using the train to get to our starting point. There's a convenient little car park on the Coast Path, close to Llanbedr station. It meant we crossed Pont Briwet four times in the day. After leaving the bridge and crossing to the seaward side of the railway, there was some confusion as to whether we should be walking on top of a sea wall, or on a more obvious track just below it, especially as these began to be separated by a fence. Guidebook and maps were ambiguous. On top, and inside the fence, proved to be the right choice. It was a walk for old churches. At Llanfihangel-y-traethau there's a grave marker, recording the burial of Wleder, mother of Odelau, who built the first church when Owain ap Gruffudd was king of Gwynedd: this dates the church and the stone to the twelfth century. This is all explained in the church, but what we found remarkable was that the stone, still standing outside, still has le...

  We took coffee at the curiously-named Eating Gorilla in Penrhyndeudraeth before catching our train to our starting point. Setting off from Cricieth, we were soon at Black Rock Sands - Morfa Bychan, which is a very different beach from what we have seen so far. It is massive, with vehicles of all kinds are allowed along it, at a charge. There is an informal roadway along the sand (which at least made for firmer walking), with all sorts of cars, camper vans and tents on either side. People were having a good time, with the constant sound of jetskis in the background. The sandcastle pictured was the best bit.  At Ynys Cyngar (so named but no longer an island), we viewed some Celtic Longboat rowing just offshore. After passing the point, it was a lot quieter, with small pretty sandy coves below us along the way to Borth-y-Gêst. There we bought a cinnamon bun (their speciality) from Bae Borth but went on for a hearty lunch at the Sea View Tea Rooms . We got to Paorthmadog, by...

  Logistics is simpler now that we are on a railway line again. We took the 11.04 train from Cricieth after a quick coffee at No 46 .  After leaving Pwllheli harbour there's a long slog along a sandy beach, where the walking involved either soft sand or soft small shingle, either of which just pushes away underfoot. The guide book raised our hopes, promising a harder path behind the dunes after Abererch, but this proved very short-lived and were were soon back on the beach, albeit slightly firmer. Signage was poor, and we had to work out carefully where and how to rise off that beach to the point at Penychain. Here there were excellent views looking over to Harlech and the Meirionnydd coast, with just a hint of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire beyond. We looked around for a bench or somewhere to sit down for our lunch, which took some time: we were past most of the Haven site when we sat down. After Afon Wen, walking along the cycle path alongside the A497 was a little dull, but a...