View from Church of St Hywyn, Aberdaron
Aberdaron is a small former fishing village at the tip of Wales's northern peninsula, the Llyn Peninsula. According to the 2001 census, the population of Aberdaron was 987, of whom 76% speak Welsh fluently, with the highest percentage of speakers being in the 20-24 age group, and the 10-15 age group, where 100% are able to speak Welsh.
Beyond it lies Ynys Enlli (known in English as Bardsey Island), and the small islands of Ynys Gwylan-Fawr and Fach. in legend the island of 20,000 saints and now a favourite bird-watching place. Nowadays, Aberdaron's main trade is tourism and its beach was awarded the Blue flag rural beach award in 2005. The bridge, which stands at the confluence of the Afon Daron and Afon Cyll-y-felin, is often photographed. The poet R. S. Thomas was vicar of the church which stands next to the shore. At times the congregation could not hear the service for the sound of the wind and waves.
The village is very busy during the summer months and is a very popular location for both sunseekers and water sports enthusiasts. Aberdaron is also home of a Seventh-day Adventist Church Christian youth camp named for the village, located half a mile from it. Many cottages are now holiday homes.
There are two hotels - The Ship and the Ty Newydd; numerous B&Bs; two tearooms / cafes - Yr Hen Blas and Y Gegin Fawr and a centrally-located car park, ideal for the beach or the many heritage walks. Several seaside shops sell buckets and spades and other beach items.
About 3 km to the south-west is Mynydd Mawr, (SH 145255). There is a picnic site with magnificent views looking seaward towards Ynys Enlli. There is a road to the summit that is owned by the National Trust, and footpaths. A former coastguard lookout point provides fine views over Bardsey Sound and Ynys Enlli, and is a fine location to view the sunset on clear evenings, particularly in June. At night, South Stack Lighthouse is visible in the distance. At the foot of Mynydd Mawr is Ffynnon Fair (St Mary's Well) - the last stopping off point of pilgrims crossing to Enlli.
Perhaps one of the most interesting of all the beautiful beaches around Aberdaron is Porth Oer (SH 167300). This bay, about 2 km from Aberdaron, has smooth white sand that is said to whistle. The English name for the cove is Whistling Sands.
Mynydd Mawr has a concrete road that ascends to the top to a coastguard lookout. This road, built during World War II to the heights where many men lived and worked at that time, gave early warning to Liverpool during air raids. The coastguard building, which was manned occasionally, later had one of two four-minute warning devices in the area during the Cold War. The other was at the police station in Aberdaron.
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Coordinates: 52.80230° N 4.71313° W
(Source: Wikipedia) |