Coastal HIGHS
AS PEOPLE have emerged from lockdown wanting to escape the confines of urban living, it’s hardly surprising that interest in the Wales Coast Path has soared. Guidebook sales are rocketing and website hits are up. So what is it that attracts solitude-seekers to this briny trail that extends 1400km from Chester in the north to Chepstow in the south? Far from being all sand dunes, salt marshes and busy seaside resorts, there’s endless appeal here for hillwalkers – if you know where to look. Ranging from rugged clifftop walking to wildlife-rich heathland, these day walks visit the most remote, challenging and stunning sections of the Wales Coast Path.
1. Tip of the Llyn Peninsula
A slender finger of land. The best way to experience it is to walk south-west from Aberdaron along increasingly brawny clifftops, with views of Snowdonia’s peaks quickly replaced by the spectre of Bardsey Island, or Ynys Enlli, floating offshore. After rounding the tip at Mynydd Mawr – where heathers and western gorse defy salt-laden winds by creeping along the ground – head along the north coast as far as Whistling Sands before crossing back to Aberdaron to complete a 17km circuit.
