THE LLYN PENINSULA
Stretching from the peak of Snowdon to Bardsey Island (or Ynys Enlli - the Island of the Tides), the Llyn Peninsula is a unique and beautiful part of North Wales, renown for its natural charm and mild climate.
It has a very different landscape to the rest of North Wales. The mountains on Llyn fall sheer into the sea, but they are broken by wide bays and rocky coves. There are charming little fishing villages and white-washed farms with small, protected fields. It is a very beautiful place and has been populated since early times by man. You will find Iron Age hill forts, Neolithic tombs, ancient trackways and standing stones on the Llyn.
Many parts of the peninsula were designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with a 50 mile Heritage Coast and a wealth of sandy beaches and rocky headlands; this is the habitat of choughs, puffins, dolphins and seals.
Lleyn was voted the 4th most popular UK holiday destination by SAGA and also in an internet poll. Recent research from Channel Four placed North Wales ahead of the Algarve, the Lake District and Florida in a list of popular holiday destinations.
BEACHES
The Harbour Beach at Abersoch straddles both sides of the Afon Soch, one of the longest rivers in western Llyn. The small harbour wall on the southern side of the river is popular with children (young and otherwise) looking for crabs. The southern side of the river has a dog ban, but dogs are allowed on a section of the beach to the north of the river. There is very little car parking around either side of the river. On the south shore of the river is the village centre so amenities are close by, to get to the northern shore you either paddle through the river or take the 5 minute walk around the inner harbour.
Abersoch Main Beach Abersoch main beach is a long sandy beach and very popular with water sports enthusiasts like wake boarders and water-skiers. There are dog restrictions at the northern end of the beach. There is a shop and cafe at the top of the beach and also midway along. There are two main car parks set back from the beach a little but still gives good access, there is a fee payable during the main holiday periods. To get to the carparks either turn up between the Nat west bank and the garage in the centre of the village, or go up the main street and take the road signposted to the Golf course.
South facing Porth Ceiriad, is a Natonal Trust beach, sheltered by high cliffs and interesting rock formations, iIt is a really picturesque cove, out of the shelter that St Tudwal's Islands offer to the beaches around Abersoch. Hence it gets a good deal of swell from the south west, ideal for surfers, especially at the eastern end of the beach, where waves refract off the cliffs forming powerful "pyramidal" waves.(First timers may want to start further along the beach). The car park is on the cliffs above the beach and accessible via Nant-y-Big or Pant farm (fee payable). You have to walk down a long series of steps to reach the beach, where large pebbles line the very top. The rest of the beach is good sand.
Easterly winds can be avoided at Porthoer with its "Whistling Sands" and rocky pools – the sand gives a curious ‘whistling’ sound as you walk across it.
Porth Neigwl, or Hell's Mouth as it is also known is a three mile beach which gets the brunt of any south westerly swells coming up from the Atlantic between Cornwall and southeast Ireland. The beach attracts thousands of surfers every year. The car park is about a 500m walk from the beach across sand dunes.and is accessed from the road through LLangian.
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