“Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth”. – Walt Whitman
It has literally been two whole months since I did this walk but since I am trying to to the whole Wales Coastal Path I didn’t want to miss a section off my blog. So here it is! Oh also I want to say that was the windiest day of my whole life, I have never experienced wind like that, it knocked me over not sure how Sarah managed to stay up right, although she is solid muscle so I am sure that helped, I am positive that helped!
The map for the next section is busy with names of caves and coves, but you probably won’t see Ogof Lliant-glas and Ogof Newry from the path. Rounding Trwyn Glas brings you to Porth y Wrach – Bay or the Bay/Cove of the Witch – before finally arriving at the beach we dare not speak it’s name. It derives the English name of Whistling Sands (whoops – that’s setting off the keyboard warriors as we speak) as the sand apparently ‘whistles’ when you step on it. This is due to the perfectly spherical shape of the sand particles which cause air to whistle as it’s expelled, but the conditions need to be perfect for this to happen. There’s a beach cafe at the far end of the beach, with a road to the NT Car park leading from the cafe.
The second beach of the three we mentioned, is one of the gems of the Wales Coast Path; Porth Iago. Reasonably remote, with a private toll road the only way to reach this other than via the coastal path. Walking via the toll road actually costs 50p, so according to your efforts you’re already 50p to the good. Poth Iago is a beautiful sandy beach, deep in a rocky cove and hemmed in on both sides. The photo in the gallery below does not do it justice! Make a note to return here another day, as you’ve still got a few kilometres to go before you can rest.
The final section is a tale of three beaches. Traeth Penllech comes into view, with it’s eroded stacks protruding like rotten teeth from the sandy beach. The beach makes an interesting walk, but the path soon climbs up again and continues around the headland to the fishing cove at Porth Colmon. We’ll be honest, and a good pub here would be more than welcome! The next few kilometres is along a tougher coast between Penrhyn Colmon and Porth Iago, which includes some newer sections of path that are not as easy to follow. Care needs to be taken past Porth Wdlin on this new section of path, with an eagle eye needed to spot the way-marker posts.
The coast here is higher and ruggeder than the first section, with the rocky coves of Porth Gwylan and Porth Ychain providing a couple of opportunities to get close to the sea on their shingle beaches.
Porth Towyn can be visited if wished, but the coastal path continues high past numerous named coves that come thick and fast along this section. Porth Ysglaig and Porth Lydan bring you on to the headland, with the unusual sight of a low level trig point. Low it may be, but there’s still an excellent view from here. Around the headland with the unusual sight of a single gable end of a ruined cottage and the coast path brings you to the former port of Porth Ysgaden. This used to be a lifeline to the rural communities in the past, depending on the trade ships that stopped here for goods such as coal and sugar as it was just too remote to reach overland. This end of North Wales is still a number of hours from England, and it used to be twice that as recent as the 1980s before the A55 Expressway was built.
Find a friend who not just endless walks with you because you decided that walking the @wales_coast_path was a good idea but keeps you laughing and positive when you get tired! Helps you up when you fall, teaches you, doesn’t laugh at your stupid questions, helps you rescue farm animals. Waits while you pick rubbish up, shares your love of ice cream and photography. Takes cute pictures of you for Instagram and can stand perfectly still in the wind and run into it laughing. Doesn’t mind that your anal about rules! Find a friend that believes you can do it ♥️
The first section starts from the National Trust Car park at Porthdinllaen , which is served by the Bws Llyn to make getting here easy so long as you’re based on the bus route. It heads around the peninsula, with the beach and Ty Coch Inn best visited at the end of the previous section, on to Trwyn Pen Dinllaen before skirting the golf course towards Borth Wen. The path dips down to cross the cove at Aber Geirch and continues along a steady low coastline towards the beach at Porth Towyn.
We saved a sheep!
Naturally we could not be in Wales without seeing hundreds of sheep and lots of seals! Although I am blind as a bat so it takes me a while to spot a seal in the distance.
