Date walked: 10th October 2013

Distance walked: about 11 miles

Cumulative total of miles walked along The Wales Coast Path: 442

OS map required: Explorer 198: Cardigan and New Quay

This part of The Wales Coast Path comes within the Ceredigion Council’s area. Their Coastal Access Officers can be emailed at  countryside@ceredigion.gov.uk

I had with me a copy of Liz Allan’s little booklet on the Ceredigion Coast Path (published 2009). This has some interesting  background but no specific information about facilities. Also Mike Salter kindly sent me his booklet “The Ceredigion Coast Path” last updated in  2012 and obtainable directly from him at mike@castlesalter.co.uk  priced £4.75 inclusive of posting . Illustrated with black and white photos, this publication is also brief and lacks detailed information about facilities but also has (sometimes different!) background and historical information than Liz Allan’s booklet even though it is not as well presented.

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Having walked the wrong way from Penbryn yesterday (going anti-clockwise clearly put me out of sorts), today I was heading north to New Quay. I started off a little weary, not having had the best of nights under a sweltering duvet and overly firm synthetic pillows. Note to self: NEVER go on holiday again without my own bedding.

It was quite a long climb up from Penbryn’s car park to close to the mast that is situated on the side of the hill, but the view back towards Aberporth was worth the effort despite it reminding me of the static caravan invasions that have taken place on this stretch of coast.

View looking south from above Penbryn to Aberporth, photographed from The wales Coast path by Charles Hawes

Bright and breezy view towards Aberporth

I found that I had better views of the coves and cliffs than on yesterday’s walk.

Bay between Penbryn and Llangrannog on The Wales Coast Path in Ceredigion, photographed by Charles Hawes

I couldn’t find a name for this bay, sorry

Yesterday I was quite hard on Ceredigion Council’s failure to open several miles of the Coast Path. Today I was immediately impressed by how much work they had been doing here.A whole new section of path had relatively recently been carved out from the hillside and a bridge provided for the gully crossing.

Newly established path and footbridge near Llangrannog, photographed from The Wales Coast Path in Ceredigion by Charles Hawes

Even involving volunteers these bridges and works don’t come cheap.

Once crossed and after the climb on the other side it was an easy stroll down to a fine view of Yns Lochtyn.

View to Yns Lochtyn photographed from  The Wales Coast Path near Llangrannog by Charles Hawes

A particularly nice jutty out bit, don’t you think?

Tucked into a bay before this headland, the village of Llangrannog was being assaulted by violent waves being whipped into a frenzy by the stiff wind,

Beach at Llangrannog, ceredigion,photographed from The wales Coast path by Charles Hawes

You might just make out two dots in the sea – The Bathers

much to the pleasure of two wet-suited men who were whooping with excitement as their surf boards shot them towards the beach. Llangranngog has a shop, pub – The Pentre Arms- , (ok food, nice beer- we ate there last night) toilets and two cafes, but it was too early for me to sample any of these facilities. I hoped that this might be the only railway carriage conversion of the day.

Railway carriage conversion in Llangrannog, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

I suppose this is marginally nicer to look at than a bungalow

Above Yns Lochtyn the path rounds the hill (Pendinas Lochtyn) on top of which was an ancient fort (and some other not so ancient building). And then it shoots up the side of said hill: my strategy for such steep climbs is to go as slow as I like but never stop.

Yns Lochtyn, Ceredigion, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

Time to catch your breath before a big climb round the corner

There was a fab view from the top giving me my first sighting (just) of the Lleyn peninsular and a hint of Snowdonia . And some sheep.

Sheep above Yns Loctyn in Ceredigion, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

We, like sheep….(I think they are smiling)

The fabulous view was quickly replaced by the sight of the Urdd (pronounced by me, “Ugh” or “Yuk” ) complex (incorporating a dry ski slope) and built for Yooth.

View of Urdd complex, photographed from The Wales Coast Path in Ceredigion by Charles Hawes

I couldn’t beilve it when I read that this place was just for Welsh speakers.

Shortly after this sprawling site, an elegantly carved slate sign mounted on a large lump of the same announces that this next section of the path was only opened in 2008.

Slate plaque at Urdd, Ceredigion,commemorating the opening of the next section of the Walaes Coast Path, photographed by Charles Hawes

Wouldn’t this look nicer without all the funders notices below it?

The path has been excavated from the steep hillside and provides dramatic and sometimes quite scary views to the coves and cliffs below.

View along the Wales Coast Path in Cerdigion from near the Urdd centre towards Cwmtydu

it does get quite wild and isolated for a couple of miles.

For the first time in the 400 or so miles that I had so far walked along the Wales Coast Path I felt some discomfort at this hillside being scarred for my benefit and some responsibility for the domestication of what would otherwise have remained a wild and remote place.

Exposed roots of bracken along the WalesCoast Path in Ceredigion between Urdd and Cwmtydu, photographed by Charles Hawes

Bracken roots exposed by the cutting of the path into the hillside.

It was, nevertheless, a deeply enjoyable mile and a half’s continuous climb. High above the path a building gets an even better view out to the sea but I don’t know its purpose or function.

View along the Wales Coast Path in Cerdigion from near the Urdd centre towards Cwmtydu

A fabulous stretch but is it OK to have made it at all?

Just before reaching the highest point I stopped for a coffee from my flask and took time to take in the wonderful views in both directions.

View to Ynys Lochtyn from near the highest point of the Ceredigion Coast path near Cwmtydu, photographed by Charles Hawes

Yns Loctyn again – from higher up.

It would be far too steep to take the shortest way down to the beach at Cwmtydu, so the path heads inland though a little wood before reaching the settlement to join a minor road, affording a view of the ubiquitous caravan site nestling (ok, i’m being ironic)  in the valley’s bottom.

caravan Park at Cwmtydu, photographed from The wales Coast path in Ceredigion by Charles Hawes

Maybe I should try and love caravan parks.

Cwmtydu is not going to win a pretty village prizes but I did note that it had toilets, at least one Bed and Breakfast and a café. And it has a fine pebbly beach that was being washed by equally rough seas that were lashing down on Llangrannog’s.

Contorted strata of rocks at the beach at Cwmtydu, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

I do feel a bit bad that I bought nothing from the cafe (use it or lose it).

And it boasts a fine example of a restored lime  kiln  (used amongst other things as fertiliser by local farmers) by the side of the car park.

Restored lime kiln by the beach at Cwmtydu, Ceredigion, photographed from The Wales Coast path by Charles Hawes

There are dozens of these near the path so I thought it was about time I included a good pic of one.

It had been a pretty dull day up until now but as I passed the mini island opposite the site of an Iron Age fort known as Castell Bach the sun emerged, casting shadows on this perky breast-shaped lump which showed its layered rock formation to great effect.

conical island opposite Castell Bach in Ceredigion, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

I suppose you might say “conical” but it kept saying “breast” to me.

Close up view of conical island opposite Castell Bach in Ceredigion, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

Here’s a better view of the wonderful rock formations.

A descent to a little pebble beach fed by a small stream (Cwm Soden) was followed by a steady climb up to the cliff tops once more. One more drop at Coybal was followed by a  climb back up to a very ugly little brick-built building with an odd stone annex and below it the altogether less offensive little whitewashed Cardigan Bay Lookout.

brick building near the cardigan Bay Lookout, photographed from the Wales Coast path near New quay by Charles Hawes

Function over form: did no one think if they could have made this more attractive/

The lookout was last used by coastguards in the 1960’s. An explanatory board inside reproduces some interesting snippets of the log book of observations.

Cardigan Bay Lookout, near New Quay, photographed from The Wales Coast path in Ceredigion by Charles Hawes

Lightroom did a fantastic job of correcting my verticals and horizontals with this pic.

Rounding the headland before New Quay one is faced with a choice of routes. A very precarious one that offers a narrow path above steep drops to the sea, the other a rather safer inland detour.

New Quay Head and The Wales Coast path in Ceredigion, photographed by Charles Hawes

I think that may be Aberystwyth ahead.

The wind was still very stiff, so I naturally took the more dangerous option passing more wonderfully jointed cliffs before New Quay and its bay (and its caravan sites) appeared.

view over New Quay from near New Quay Head, photographed from The Wales Coast path in Ceredigion by Charles

New Quay and its caravan parks. What more could you want?

New Quay looks better from a distance than it does close to.  It isn’t the best of introductions to find as you descend the path a fish factory sited on the cliff top.

Fish factory below New Quay Head, photographed from The Wales Coast Path by Charles Hawes

The trailer was obviously sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government

The front gardens of the row of houses along the road that leads into town are unlikely to impress Britain in Bloom.

Penbryn_to_New_Quay_-39

And many of its shops and houses could do with a lick of paint.

Penbryn_to_New_Quay_-40

I did, however, in the interests of supporting the local economy, have a great bag of chips from one of the harbourside chippies. I reckoned that we could find the necessary supplies we required of wine (I’d set my sights low) and chocolate, although I wasn’t sure about decent bread and was happy enough with my view over the harbour as I waited for my lift back home to arrive (thank you, Anne).

New Quay Harbour, Ceredigion, photographed by Charles Hawes

Hey, its a nice enough harbour, so I won’t knock it.

I’ll finish on a highlight of the day.

Cardigan Bay, photographed from The wales Coast path by Charles Hawes

Clouds casting shadows on the sea near New Quay.

 

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