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A three-day road trip down the Ceredigion coast of Cardigan Bay, from Aberystwyth to Cardigan. It's about 40 miles on the A487 and the lanes that drop off it to the sea, so there's plenty of time for beaches, harbours and walks. The coast is quiet outside July and August.
Spend the morning in Aberystwyth: the promenade, the castle ruins and the cliff railway up Constitution Hill. Drive south through Llanrhystud and Llanon, where lanes lead to shingle beaches, and arrive in Aberaeron, a Georgian harbour town with streets of brightly painted houses. Stay the night.
New Quay is a fishing harbour on a steep hillside where Dylan Thomas lived during the war. Dolphin Survey Boat Trips run from the harbour, and every trip adds sightings to a long-running study of the bay's bottlenose dolphins. In the afternoon, go to Llangrannog, a small village in a cove between headlands. Walk the coast path north to Ynys Lochtyn, the headland and tidal island owned by the National Trust.
Tresaith has a sandy beach with a waterfall that drops straight onto the sand. Further south, Mwnt is a small cove below a whitewashed medieval church, often with dolphins offshore. Finish in Cardigan: Cardigan Castle hosted the first recorded eisteddfod in 1176, and has been restored with gardens and a restaurant named after that year. Just inland, Cilgerran Castle stands on a crag above the Teifi gorge, and Poppit Sands at the mouth of the estuary is the place to watch the sun go down.
Welcome to Aberystwyth - a beautiful and lively seaside town on the Mid Wales coast. Enjoy stunning natural beauty, cultural attractions, unique shopping and dining, and a range of accommodation options. Easily accessible by railway, bus, or car, Aberystwyth is the perfect destination for your next…
Aberaeron is one of Wales's most stylish coastal towns. It is on the Ceredigion coast and the Wales Coast Path is accessible from the town. Sited at the mouth of the river Aeron, the harbour operated as a port in the 19th century and steam ships continued to visit until the 1920's.
A visit to New Quay is all about sandy beaches that extend in an arc around the bay, the harbour where boat trips will take you dolphin spotting in Cardigan Bay, and the great Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas enjoyed a few pints in the local.
Dolphin Survey Boat Trips based in New Quay on the Mid Wales Coast, operate a choice of Boat Trips from 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours or all day.
Originally a hidden village above the old port, Llangrannog is now a popular beach and together with Cilborth immediately to the north, provides a favourite destination for families on days out, beach holidays and with surfers.
The small village of Tresaith, just to the east of Aberporth, overlooks this attractive sandy beach; popular for sailing and surfing; there are rock pools to explore and even a waterfall.
Mwnt, about 4.5 miles from Cardigan, is named after the conical hill (Foel y Mwnt) that rises above this popular beach. It is an ideal place to spot bottlenose dolphins, basking sharks and porpoises in the distance!
The Castle was erected in the 12th century and was the home of the first National Eistedfod in 1176. It was the overall winner of Channel 4's Great British Buildings Restoration of the Year
1176 – a one-of-a-kind dining experience waiting for you at Cardigan Castle. 70-seat restaurant is surrounded by beautiful grounds and 900 years of history.
Picturesque remains that include a pair of highly defensible round towers dating to the first half of the thirteenth century. Earlier Norman origins.
| From | To | Distance * (metric) |
|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth (52.41246,-4.08311) | Aberaeron (52.24305,-4.2654) | 20.32 |
| Aberaeron (52.24305,-4.2654) | Cei Newydd | New Quay (52.21322,-4.3637) | 6.73 |
| Cei Newydd | New Quay (52.21322,-4.3637) | Dolphin Survey Boat Trips (52.21446,-4.35846) | 0.34 |
| Dolphin Survey Boat Trips (52.21446,-4.35846) | Llangrannog & Cilborth Beaches (52.16069,-4.47251) | 8.84 |
| Llangrannog & Cilborth Beaches (52.16069,-4.47251) | Tresaith Beach (52.1362,-4.51684) | 3.67 |
| Tresaith Beach (52.1362,-4.51684) | Mwnt Beach (52.13833,-4.63434) | 7.23 |
| Mwnt Beach (52.13833,-4.63434) | Cardigan Castle & Gardens (52.08182,-4.66083) | 5.89 |
| Cardigan Castle & Gardens (52.08182,-4.66083) | Cardigan Castle | 1176 Restaurant (52.08182,-4.66083) | 0 |
| Cardigan Castle | 1176 Restaurant (52.08182,-4.66083) | Cilgerran Castle (Cadw) (52.05671,-4.63486) | 2.98 |
| Total Distance * | 55.99 miles | |
| Estimated Journey Time | 1.8 hours | |
* Approximate distance by road
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