Aberdyfi

There is endless information on the internet on what draws people time and time again to Aberdovey and the area. So, to be a little bit different, this page is about why it is special to us:

It’s the slower pace that really strikes you and the little details that change you down a gear or two. The simple distraction of watching a sea-gull swooping up in the air and dropping a mussel shell to try to crack it on a rock. The realisation that the seascape you looked at just half an hour ago has now changed, not only by tide, but in colour and mood. Being mesmerized by the boats nodding and dipping along the shoreline, then laughing at the antics of the Outward Bound students, trying desperately to hold their handmade raft together.

The relaxed, friendly atmosphere which infects and calms you. People taking time to smile, stop and talk for a moment. Children catching crabs beneath the jetty and then the obligatory crab race down the slipway on their release. A walk on the soft sands, with a meander up through the dunes alongside the golf course. Strolling along the Roman Road to Picnic Island to watch the cormorants diving for fish beneath the water, then watching and waiting to see where they will come up.

A train trip along the beautiful Dyfi estuary to Machynlleth market, to buy a few locally-made wares, maybe catching a glimpse of the rare Osprey on the way. To the north, the coastal railway to Porthmadog, with magnificent mountains on one side and never-ending sea to the other. The Blue Lake, a secretive and special place in the hills, and then a walk down the Morfa Mawddach to the lovely pub by the rickety, wooden, toll bridge. A drive back, past the spectacular Talyllyn Lake which nestles at the foot of Cadair Idris, with a stop to see Dolgogh Waterfalls. A landscape like nowhere else, combining the softness of South Wales and the ruggedness of North Wales.

Seasons change and each brings it’s own charm to Aberdovey. Summer months transforming it to a vibrant sea-side village, with families enjoying traditional holidays of sand castles and locally-made ice-creams. Those in between months being more tranquil, with couples taking pleasure in the beautiful Snowdonia mountains and coast. Even the winter months have their delights – What could be better than a walk along a deserted sandy beach, then maybe a break at one of the welcoming, water-front hostelries for a bite to eat and to warm your toes by the fire?

Something for everyone and one of Wales’ best kept secrets……. but maybe that’s why it’s so special to us!

Marcus Vergette has installed a Time and Tide

bell beneath the jetty in Aberdyfi, which rhythmically rings out with the waves of the high tides.

This is partly to commemorate the legend of “The Bells of Aberdyfi”, which tells of the submerged kingdom of Cantre'r Gwaelod. It is said that the bells of this lost kingdom can sometimes be heard ringing from beneath the estuary waters on still nights.

More information can be found here www.timeandtidebell.org/aberdyfi/

WALES COAST PATH - Meirionydd from CREADCyf on Vimeo.

Wales is the first country in the world where it is possible to walk the entire length of it's coastline, a phenomenal 870 miles in total!

The Old Lifeboathouse actually sits on the southern tip of the North Wales Meirionnydd section of this Wales Coatal Path.......... Simply step out of the door and explore to the north or south of this stunning coastline.