‘Llanbedrog is a pretty little town on the Llyn Peninsula in Gwynedd. It juts out of the side of North West Wales and into the Irish Sea...’

Llanbedrog, like many of the coastal villages in the area, is generally quiet and unspoilt. It’s a firm favourite of mine to visit off season (generally in early spring or end of summer).  This means the sun is still shining, but the majority of holidaymakers are absent.

Culture at Plas Glyn y Weddw

I can’t quite state just how much I love wandering around this old Mansion House gallery, with its beautiful conservatory cafe, the wonderful sold wood staircase, and the lovely gardens. Plas Glyn is primarily a gallery – the oldest in Wales – showcasing pottery, sculpture and paintings by a plethora of artists, with a great focus on Welsh art and non-Welsh artists who take their inspiration from the nation’s incredible scenery.

There’s a new exhibition every time I go (not because I call them in the morning of my visit and *demand* they display something I haven’t seen before…) and the gallery space in the old mansion house is so pretty.

There are lots of individual rooms to walk round and on the bottom and top floors. There’s also a gallery shop displaying local crafts, bags, and gifts on the ground floor.

In the gardens, there’s space to venture over short trails and take in the colourful rhododendrons. Afterwards, you can visit the cafe, or picnic tables on the lawn and eat cake. It’s not mandatory, but it probably should be.

Chilling on Llanbedrog Beach

A short 3 minute walk from Plas Glyn will see you arrive at the town’s stretch of beach. It’s very popular during the season and has the cutest beach huts this side of Dorset. The row of brightly painted structures form a line at the top end of the beach.  On sunny days, the area is full of families (and dogs, much to my delight) making the most of the white sand. The shallow water makes it an excellent area for kids to play around in.

The beach overlooks the beautiful Cardigan Bay and is run by the National Trust. It has many scheduled events for kids and adults over the course of the main school holidays. These include kayaking, paddle-boarding and raft building.  That way,  should you ever end up like Tom Hanks in Castaway, you’ll be able to construct a boat and sail down to Porthmadog to find help…

Lunch and Drinks at Aqua Beach Bar

Sitting right on the entrance to the beach, and just down from the main car park, is the Aqua Beach Bar.  It’s a great spot to meet dogs (trust me…I’ve done it on several occasions) and relax with a cold beer and some food.  It’s mainly open air, due to the location, and does a great range of food and light bites.  It also has a great view of the water, which is perfect is you want to be close to the sea without worrying about all that sand.

Walking Mynydd Tir y Cwmwd

Roughly translating to ‘the Headland’ in English, Mynydd Tir y Cwmwd measures around 175 acres of land and sits at the southern end of the town of Llanbedrog.  The headland is privately owned land, but it can be utilised by the public for walking.  It consists of many paths, criss-crossing the area and care should be taken when walking.

Along the edge of the headland sit three granite quarries and associated buildings, which are no longer in use.  When the tide is low, you can also see the remnants of the old pier. The pier was used for boats coming to the area to collect and ship the granite which was mined there.

At the pinnacle of the headland sits the Tin Man, which was originally a wooden carving of a ship’s figurehead.  The wood was replaced by the newer piece of public art. Mynydd offers spectacular views of the coast line and the pretty neighbouring town of Abersoch.

Have you visited Llanbedrog?

Suz xx