Wales: Llŷn Peninsula

Five Beaches

There are more than five beaches on this peninsula, but we were thrilled to see the ones we did. It was one of those perfect weather days and everything was going so well that we just kept beach-hopping.

Aberdesach

Aberdesach is a small beach close to Penygroes where we were staying. We had a quick walk here.

Trefor

This National Trust preserve features a pathway up a rocky hill for spectacular views. There are loads of sheep roaming around, which we affectionately referred to as “beach sheep”. We saw folks fishing off the pier and people walking their dogs up the path. The impressive slate stacks angle down to clear water. You can also see the abandoned slate mine in the distance further up the mountain.

Porthdinllaen

Voted one of the best beach bars in the world, the Ty Coch Inn is nestled in the tiniest village on a remote inlet. You can park in the National Trust car park (not in the village - cars are only for locals). From there, it’s well sign-posted that you descend a staircase on the side of the hill and then walk across the beach (about 20 minutes in total). We had an awesome ploughman’s lunch and their resident cider, looking out across the sandy beach. We walked back the longer way around the mountain where we found rock pools, gorgeous flowers, and seals! There were several gray seals out on a rock close enough that we could see them via camera zoom.

Porthor: Whistling Sands

This beach is remote enough that it’s not on Google maps. My husband is a wizard with navigation and managed to get us there. Whistling Sands is so-called because the way the sand rubs together is meant to sound like whistling. I heard squeaking, so I’ll call this a win. Even though it’s remote, there is a nice cafe where we had tea and scones outside with a ridiculous view.

Aberdaron

This ancient village is at the end of the peninsula. In medieval times, Christian pilgrims flocked here on their last stop before Bardsley Island. Stone bridges built in the 1800s still connect over the water. I thought the mossy rocks on the beach were very pretty.

Abersoch

This is the closest we came to seeing a “resort town” on the peninsula (although we skipped the ticketed Portmeiron). We were shattered at this point and really only stopped for delicious pizza (topped with Brie and cranberry and parma ham) and a peek at the marina.

What struck me most (apart from the vast beauty) was how different all these spots were from each other. In such a small peninsula (only about 2 hours of driving total), we really experienced a lot.