Nefyn to Aberdaron

Day 2 – Nefyn to Aberdaron

The day with the most miles. The day with some stunning scenery (though any day spent walking on the Lleyn Peninsula could be described as that!), and also a day when it is worth bearing in mind before setting out that there are no villages between Morfa Nefyn and Aberdaron, so stopping for a quick coffee or sandwich is not possible unless you have brought your own in the first place.

Navigating could hardly be easier. Basically, keep the sea on your right and, so far as is possible, stay on the cliff tops. Certainly, after passing the golf course at Morfa Nefyn, it is cliff tops for mile after mile. With the weather today far better than was originally forecast, it was a glorious day for walking, and the waterproofs stayed in the bag, to be replaced by sun screen and hat!

Whilst the navigation is easy, there are areas to watch out for. At times, the path seems dangerously near the cliff edge. I'm sure it's quite safe really, but all the same, be aware that this is not necessarily a walk for sufferers of vertigo. Also, there are places where the path drops down onto the beach. Make sure that you drop at the correct point, otherwise it can be very hard to get back up without having to retrace your steps. The beach where you do need to head down onto is Traeth Penllech. This was reached after a good morning's walking, and it made a perfect place for a bite of lunch. To say it was a nice day in August in the middle of the school holidays, the place was virtually deserted. I don't want to spoil the secret, but, dear reader, if you want un-crowded beaches, head to the Lleyn Peninsula. You'll be spoilt for choice.

The sea looked so inviting that after the sandwich I decided to have a paddle and refresh the tired feet before heading on. It was glorious. Only in the water up to the ankles, but it did the trick nicely. Also, as the beach was deserted, it was perfectly safe to leave my bag and other stuff on the beach whilst paddling – there was no-one else around, nobody there to nick anything.

The walk in the afternoon was a bit more complicated, after getting back onto the cliffs, the path heads onto the road at Porth Widlin. Unfortunately, the cliff tops are no longer safe from this point on, hence the excursion inland. There are still some spectacular views to be had though as the route takes you to the Welsh Lands End. At the end of the peninsula, the next stop is Ireland. It is quite significant that in this coastal walk, whilst still keeping the sea on my right, I had now turned round and the sea was to the south of me for the first time. In some ways it felt like being on the home run, but it's not. The next couple of stages might take me a little nearer home, but then it really begins to get to the stage where a lot more advance planning is required.

Aberdaron is a lovely little place near the end of the peninsula. I am only sorry that after walking 25+ miles I was too tired to appreciate it, and also that I didn't really have long enough to spend any time there before the bus took me back to Pwllheli.

That night I visited friends from Birmingham who were having a holiday on Anglesey. It was my first time on the island for 23 years – it will not be that long before I go back.