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Porthoer to Aberdaron (12 miles circular)

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The shape of the coast here means it was fairly straightforward to do a circular walk where nearly all of it was along the Wales Coast Path. So we started at Aberdaron and walked along quiet country roads past Gwythrian to Porthoer. We stopped just above the beach at a convenient picnic table for our coffee break. We had again chosen a fine weather day, blue skies everywhere, but breezy. It helped that this was blowing us towards the land when we were walking along steep cliffsides, at least while we remained on the north coast. It became a little more sheltered as we turned. Picnic lunch was at Porth Llanllawen which energised us for the ascent of Mynydd Mawr,  another refreshment break. A very clear view there of Ynys Enlli / Bardsey Island. At this point, Anglesey remained just in view and we could look inland towards peaks of Eryri. The hills continued southwards giving us Meirionydd, and then we could see a far-off coast stretch round the horizon, which must have been Ceredigi...
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Tydweiliog to Porthoer (11 miles)

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Today's walk had reference to a recent newspaper article extolling the path and its cafes. Logistics dictated this was to be another two-car walk. After the essential car transfer, we had a coffee at Cwt Tatws before setting off on foot. The first leg had until recently been closed, with a diversion in place, because of severe mud. It has been open for a few days now (we had checked) and it was passable enough after a week of dry weather - but we could see how this part of the path could become fairly awful after a bit of rain. At Traeth Penllech, our book had told us that the path diverted along roads inland because of a landslip below the cliff. When we got there, it became clear that the path has been reinstated along the clifftop (we could see a bit of the slipped portion) so we didn't need to divert there. We stopped at the Moel-y-Berth Coastal Cafe , where we were warned of the next diversion that was  in place. Again, having checked path status before we set off, we kn...
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Nefyn to Tudweiliog (10 miles)

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Today we were back to using the bus to get from where we parked to our walk start point. A warning for any others attempting the same leg: the bus from Tudweiliog at 9.53 doesn't run on Wednesdays! Only a last-minute check told us this, so we went a bit later and took the 11.30. Tudweiliog Post Office has a general store and serves takeaway coffee which we enjoyed. At Nefyn and Morfa Nefyn (but no further) the path was abundant with the invasive three-cornered leek.  Here we were taking care to make sure we took the right route, because we knew about recent landslips neccesitating diversions. We found good permanent new signage around Nefyn showing the route the Coast Path now takes, different to our map and book, but very clear on the ground.  Of course we had to take in the iconic Ty Coch Inn . Our walk timing meant this was very convenient for a pasty and a pint before resuming. There is another diversion here, around the clifftop instead of along the shore, not quite as w...
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Trefor to Nefyn (9 miles)

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After a long break over the winter months, we resumed with our first Coast Path walk of 2026, picking up where we left off on a splendid sunny spring day. From Trefor to Morfa was a gentle enough walk that soon reminded us of the coast again. Here we were treated to a few splashes offshore and occasional display of fins - enough to say we had seen porpoises or dolphins, but not so much as to say which.  As we began our ascent of Yr Eifl, a local gentlemen asked us where we were headed,  and, hearing the answer, said we had started too late: he reckoned we needed to have started before 10 because of all that lay ahead. He had walked the whole Coast Path (as well as Offa's Dyke and the West Highland Way) and claimed that Trefor to Nefyn was the hardest stretch of all. This was not the encouragement we needed. From then on, the ascent to Bwlch yr Eifl was indeed tough going, an unremitting steep gradient. It's didn't help that this was our first long walk of the year (so stil...
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Glynllifon to Trefor (8 miles)

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  So this leg was never going to be particularly exciting because it's a road walk nearly all the way, and with no obvious cafe or pub breaks, but for those who wish to complete the whole of the Wales Coast Path, it had to be done. There were, however, two compensations. The first was that, actually, the path alongside the road follows the old line of road where it has been improved, so for about half the distance we were not alongside the traffic. The second was that the road is high enough up that there were views over the sea, and much of the west coast of Anglesey, nearly all the way.   We had our coffee at Pontllyfni (a convenient picnic table by the road) the ate our picnic lunch at Clynnog Fawr. We had a quick look the church of St Beuno , then his well .
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Caernarfon to Glynllifon (11 miles)

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The book has the next stage as Caernarfon to Trefor, but at 17 miles that was a bit daunting, so we did this one as far as Glynllifon, convenient both for parking and the bus route. We had a quick coffee at Bonta Deli  before setting off from Caernarfon, as there were not going to be many refreshment stops along today's route.  The walk along the coast from the Aber shore to Foryd then inland was familiar to us from earlier walks. The Path then leaves the coast in order to cross Afon Gwyrfai inland at Pont Faen, before returning on a minor road to the shore again. Here we found a bird hide repurposed from a storage container with a bench, that was just the right place to stop for our lunchtime picnic. Inland once more before crossing Afon Carrog (aka Afon Dwylad) at a footbridge, then we were on the Dinas Dinlle peninsula, passing the airport (with an open cafe, but we didn't stop) on the way to the hillfort. From the beach we returned on the road with no footway to protect us...
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Bangor to Caernarfon (10 miles)

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It's been a bit of a break since we did the last walk, for various reasons. Resuming this today was along familiar paths, because this is close to home. In fact we've covered all of it before, some only in the reverse direction. It also means that we made a start on the volume 3 guide , which will take us round Llŷn.  The book starts the walk at Bangor Pier, and of course we've covered some of that, up to crossing the Menai Bridge for Anglesey, so we regarded today's walk as properly starting from the bridge where we had got back to after rounding the island.  We strayed a little off the path to see see the latest at Treborth Botanic Garden. There was tree-felling going on, but still a few changes to see. The path now passes through the National Trust's Glan Faenol land, very much along the shores of the Strait, and with three or four bird hides (or at least, walkers' rests) along the way. This is the short undeveloped stretch of the Menai Strait where the comb...
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