Aberporth to Ynys-Lochtyn

Saturday 23rd August 2014

I have for many years wanted to do a walk along the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, but never been able to construct a plan that ties all the hostels in with the bus timetable. I had planned to do the walk at Easter last year, but eventually I went back to the Lake District when I couldn’t find an convenient way of getting past Milford Haven, so when I finally came up with a solution to the ‘Milford Haven Problem’ I was eager to put it to the test and decided that late summer would be the best time. I had originally planned to start the holiday in Cardigan and on the first day I would walk just the first mile of the coastal path from St Dogmeals to the Poppit Sands Youth Hostel, but when I came to book the hostel I found it was fully booked. My solution was to start the walk further up the coast in the county of Ceredigion, but I struggled to find buses that would take me a suitable distance from my planned overnight accommodation in an independent hostel near Aberporth. I was keen for the walk to include Cwmtyddu, a spectacular path cut directly into the coastal slope, but a landslip earlier in the year had closed the path and forced yet another change of plans.

After much planning this first day was nothing like how it was originally planned, but I ended up with a great walk along a spectacular coastline. The solution to my problems that I eventually came up with was to take a bus to Aberporth and then walk away from Pembrokeshire to the prominent landmark of Ysys-Lochtyn before catching a bus back to Aberporth. I had fabulous weather for this walk and judging by the weather forecast it seemed like this was going to be the best weather that I would have for the entire week so I was determined to make the most of it, despite walking for less than three hours as I didn’t reach Aberporth until two o’clock, but as soon as I got there I set off along the coastal path high above dramatic cliffs already getting a taste of the delights that awaited me on this holiday. The path for the first section of the walk is described as being an Inclusive Access Cliff Top Trail, in other words it’s tarmacked, however there were still many opportunities for stunning views down the cliffs.

Once the path narrowed the rough, steep trail was lined with bramble, bilberry and willowherb, and undulated dramatically making for a strenuous but enjoyable walk in the sunshine. A steep descent brought me down to the packed seaside resort of Tresaith and after passing through the tourist-trap I was faced with a steep ascent out of the narrow valley. After that steep climb a more gradual descent took me to the gorgeous beach of Penbryn. The coastal path doesn’t come all the way down to the beach, but stays above it before passing into a dark, narrow, tree-covered valley that was truly magical. Another steep climb took me away from Penbryn and back up onto the cliff-tops before a steep descent near Carrog y Nogwydd took me down into another steep sided valley where another steep climb led me to the earthworks of Castell-bach. Despite the steep, undulating terrain, and probably because of it, I was really enjoying this walk, however the goal of my walk was already within sight: the headland of Ynys-Lochtyn.

Gradually I descended once more, and this time into the seaside resort of Llandrannog, which for some reason I thought was a much nicer place than Tresaith. Llandrannog is smaller and narrower, and perhaps it seemed to me less spoiled by commercialism and tourism, despite the crowds. Continuing along the rutted coastal path I climbed steeply out of the village and up to the iconic promontory of Ynys-Lochtyn. The path skirts around the northern slopes of the hill, Pen-y-badell, high above the headland so when the path started to turn I headed straight on down the hill onto the narrow strip of land that juts out into the sea where stunning views could be seen across the headland and towards the small island of Ynys-Lochtyn at the end with dramatic cliffs on all sides, particularly on the island itself. A small stony causeway gives access onto Ynys-Lochtyn, but the gradients down were so steep I never contemplated attempting to make the crossing. I was content to simply gaze in awe at the tremendous scenery and wander around the headland looking at the awesome cliffs. 

The weather was at its best at this time and I was standing in a place of stunning beauty. I stayed as long as I could, but eventually I had to tear myself away in order to catch a bus, so I climbed back up to the coastal path and after climbing behind Pen-y-badell for a circuit of the hill I dropped back down onto the path for a speedy descent back into Llandrannog. This may have been a relatively short walk, but it was a wonderful taster for what I hoped I’d find on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Aside from the aforementioned path near Cwmtydu, this walk included the best sections of the Ceredigion Coast Path and they had set a very high standard for the Pembrokeshire Coast Path to follow. There were some stunning coastal cliffs and a lot of steep climbs on a short, undulating walk along a fabulous coastline.