Last year we had been unable to do a section of the Llyn peninsular due to circumstances beyond our control. To catch up Dorothy and I booked 5 nights at Gwesty Ty Newydd in Aberdaron. We drove up on the 15th and when we checked into the hotel we were told that we were in the annex. It wasn’t far away and was quieter than the main hotel.
The plan was to do the three days we missed in four days mainly because of transport. I had booked the local Coastal Bus which would pick us up at the start of each day.
16 August 2018 – Pentowyn Dunes to Rhiw: 4.7 miles (7.6 km) +108m -47m
Drove to the National Trust car park at Plas yn Rhiw where the Coastal bus took us to Pentowyn Dunes. The first part of the walk was along a road but it soon turned off onto farmland. Initially it was well signposted then they they disappeared probably because we had crossed from one farm to another but we didn’t get lost.
We were then back on the road for just over a mile then onto a footpath which took us back to Plas yn Rhiw. After a picnic lunch we walked up to the NT property to look around the house. We then drove back to Aberdaron for tea and cake.
17 August 2018 – Rhiw to Aberdaron: 6.8 miles (11.0 km) +334m -393m
Today we would be walking back to the hotel so all we needed to do as to catch the Coastal bus to Rhiw. We began the walk by going uphill through a wood then onto open countryside the Graig Fawr and then to the trip point (177m) at Mynydd Penarfynydd. From here we turned back to go down the other side.
At Llanfaelrhys we followed the Nant y Gadwen almost down to the sea. The Path, on a new route, then followed the coast but it was not very well signed until we arrived at Trwyn y Penrhyn when the waymarks improved. We walked inland for a short distance and then followed a small stream into Aberaron.
18 August 2018 – Porth Oer to Aberdaron: 8.6 miles (13.8 km) +573m -601m
We walked this section in reverse because it was easier to walk back into Aberdaron. The Coastal bus took us to Porth Oer National Trust car park. The first mile was flat but then we had to climb up Mynydd Mawr where there was an disused coastguard station. From here the views should have been magnificent over to Bardsey Island but due to the mist we couldn’t see anything.
We had lunch at the top sheltering behind one of the buildings. We then made our way down and along the coast until we reached the headland at Pen y Cil. By this time the visibility was so bad that we tried to find an inland route. We were unsuccessful so we returned to the coast.
We turned north and the Path was level but with one big flight of steps down and then up at Porth Meudwy. A little further on at Porth Simdde we should have steps to a higher level but by this time we had had enough and decided to walk along the beach to Aberdaron. Unfortunately it was almost high tide so we got our feet wet.
19 August 2018 – Porth Colmon to Porth Oer: 5.3 miles (8.6 km) +225m -196m
We did this walk in reverse as the the car park at Porth Colmon didn’t look secure. We drove to Porth Oer to catch the Coastal bus. The previous day the bus had dropped us off at the coast end of the very long car park and I assumed that it would stop at the same place today. For some reason it stopped at the other end and by the time we had run to the bus it drove off. I waved frantically and fortunately it stopped for us. The bus dropped us off at Llangwnnadl. We then had nearly a mile to walk to the start of the walk at Porth Colmon. These extra bits of walking don’t count in the overall total.
Most of the walk was low level with a few ups and downs. We had lunch at Pen y Borth in the company of three seals.
The finish of the walk was along Whistling Sands, which didn’t.
Finally a well deserved ice cream to complete the four days walking.
This had been an excellent four days of walking even though the weather hadn’t been too kind to us at times, but we did finish in the sunshine. Now we have caught up with the others all we need to do is to get to Chester.