Llandanwg Beach- A Taste of the Coastal Path

Llandanwg Beach

The weather has been incredible recently and I’m sure that you are all enjoying it….how long it will last I’m not so sure. I wanted to make the most of the sunshine and combine it with some work….I needed somewhere beautiful and interesting to tell you about…..Llandanwg it was.

Llandanwg beach is a small beach in Ardudwy and is often overlooked by the incredible neighbouring beach of Harlech or Barmouth up the road. Due the opening of the Wales Costal Path in May I felt it to be the perfect place to visit. It’s a fairly small stretch of land but fantastic for a walk with the dog, rock pooling or just relaxing in this amazing weather. It’s a beach I go to often, and somewhere I’m proud to show off to visitors. Not only does the small village of Llandanwg coincide with the coastal path, but is along the ‘Ardudwy way’ a three sectioned walk that takes in all of the stunning parts of Ardudwy.

Walking along the Maes

Llandanwg has much more than just a beach….St Tanwg’s Church, founded in the fifth century lies among the sand dunes at Llandanwg which is unlike any other church I’ve seen before. These sand dunes are part of ‘The Maes’ where rare wildlife and plants can be found. The building is small, quaint and beautiful and has a modest charm. The church we see today dates back to the early Medieval period, however after being abandoned in 1845 it was sympathetically restored back in 1987.

St.Tanwg's Church

The Church almost seems like a buried treasure and is fantastic way to combine a day on the beach with a little history.  This summer I’m attending a wedding there and I can’t wait! Another friend of mine got married there last year and the setting really is striking.

I decided to make the most of my time outside and carried onto the village of Llanbedr continuing up to Gwynfryn. I walked up to Plas Gwynfryn, a stunning property built at the beginning of the 20^th century which hosts weddings and events. I know the proprietor Caroline, I was being a little nosey and she showed me how the house has now been set up for large self catering groups for…..a pretty incredible place to stay as it is sandwiched inbetween both the coastal path and the ‘Ardudwy way’ (take a look at www.plasgwynfryn.co.uk).

Caroline told me about ‘Wildlife Wales’, an interesting company who offer wildlife activities such as Rock-Pooling, Fly-Fishing and 4x4 'Safari’ trips around the area especially Llandanwg! There is even more to this beach than I thought. Wildlife Wales can even take kids off parent’s hands for a couple of hours and involve them in some wildlife fun (www.wildlife-wales.co.uk). I would love to take part on one of these days in the future; I have an interesting in learning more about the wildlife of North Wales but wouldn’t have a clue where to start, so this sounds perfect …. A possible blog entry soon, watch this space!

Well, it seems that Llandanwg is the place to be….hopefully not too many people will read it or we won’t find a place on the beach to lay down our towel!