Aberdaron to Abersoch

THE LLEYN PENINSULA COASTAL PATH Bardsey Island CHAPTER 5 ABERDARON TO ABERSOCH The Coastal Path for Walkers Distance 18 miles (30km) Height gain 2400ft (732m) The route from Aberdaron to Abersoch has improved over the years. There used to be fairly restricted access to the cliff edge in several places, but work by Gwynedd council and the Welsh assembly has opened up some areas Follow the green lane until it emerges on to a road. of land which were previously private. In particular the section from Hells To the left is a large swampy area with a pond. Turn right Mouth to Abersoch has benefited, and it is now one of the best sections of and walk along the road until the tarmac disappears and the whole walk.. degenerates into two unmade tracks. Take the left-hand of these (SE) along a green lane to a gate. Go through the gate and carry straight on along the line of a wall. (Ignore ABERDARON the stile near the gate which leads off to the left.) Soon a Aberdaron is a small, pleasant village well served by stile is reached over a fence. Ignore this stile and continue hotels, guesthouses and cafés, opened up to tourists along the fence for 100yd or so until the cliffs above Porth by the advent of the motor car. Many of the resorts Parwyd are seen. Turn right now and follow the tops of of the Lleyn were served by the railways which were the cliffs back towards the starting point. developed in the 19th century, but the line never Stay near the clifftops with fine views over Bardsey reached as far as Aberdaron, despite its title as ‘The and the rocks below until eventually a stile is reached. Land’s End of Wales’. Cross over and stay parallel to the clifftop to reach a Thomas Pennant, a prolific writer and traveller further two stiles at the base of Mynydd Gwyddel. The through Wales in the 18th century, merely describes it ascent of Mynydd Gwyddel is recommended as it pro- as a ‘poor village’. Even 100 years later it scarce gets a vides excellent views of the end of the peninsula. From its mention in the Guide to Wales of 1878. However, by summit there is a broad track leading back to the car park- 1919 the Red Guide to Wales described Aberdaron as ing area. For those who don’t want the extra climb, one ‘the remotest and quaintest village on the Lleyn’, and should bear right after the two stiles and keep Mynydd noted that a motor bus ran twice daily from Pwllheli. Gwyddel on the left. Follow the fence up the shallow val- Despite Pennant’s remarks the area has a his- ley to arrive back at the car parking area. tory going back into the mists of time. Just 2 miles 124 125 THE LLEYN PENINSULA COASTAL PATH ABERDARON TO ABERSOCH – THE COASTAL PATH FOR WALKERS northeast of the village is Castell Odo (187285), rising later). In later times the church was used as a place of to nearly 500ft and site of the earliest Iron Age set- sanctuary. In 1095 Gruffudd ap Cynan escaped from tlement in North Wales. The inhabitants constructed the Normans at Chester and arrived at Aberdaron where wooden huts and a palisade for defence, and there the church elders hid him and later got him on a boat are traces of 10 circular huts. Various pieces of pottery to escape to Ireland. have been found, the oldest dating from 425BC. We can surmise that the village was still popular in the 6th century AD as it marked the final stage of the pilgrims’ route. It was the last holy site before reach- ing Bardsey, and the church was important in its own right. It is likely that there has been a building here since the 6th century, but the present-day church is a mixture of various architectural eras. There is a late Norman door of the 12th century, and the north nave dates from the same period. The church was enlarged in the 15th century by the addition of the south nave. The church fell into disrepair in the mid 19th century, but was renovated before the ravages of time did too much damage. The church is jointly dedicated to St Lleuddad, the second abbot of Bardsey, and St Hywyn (or Henwyn). The latter arrived from Brittany in the 6th century, and was one of the first saints of Bardsey. He was reputed to be a cousin of St Cadfan, the first abbot, and related to St Maelrhys (of whom more Gruffudd must have made his peace with the Normans, for Map continues on p.128 the next time he is involved with a sanctuary problem the roles are reversed. In 1115 Gruffudd ap Rhys, a prince from South Wales, fled to escape the treachery of the original Gruffudd ap Cynan who proposed to deliver the young prince into the clutches of King Henry I. The prince sought sanctuary in Aberdaron church, but orders were given for him to be forcibly removed. The local clergy then made such a fuss at this proposed 127 ABERDARON TO ABERSOCH – THE COASTAL PATH FOR WALKERS violation that the soldiers would not carry out their orders. Under cover of darkness the young prince escaped by boat back to South Wales. The oddest inhabitant of Aberdaron seems to have been one ‘Dick of Aberdaron’, sometimes spelt ‘Dic’. Dick’s The beach at full name was Richard Robert Jones, born some Aberdaron time in the 1780s. Despite being from peas- ant stock Dick had a remarkable talent for learning languages, and eventually was able to use upwards of 15 different tongues. Such talent was hardly needed in Aberdaron at the time, and Dick drifted along the North Wales coast, eventually arriving in Liverpool. Here he could con- verse with foreign sailors, but his skills never seemed to provide him with a suf- Map continued ficient income. from p.127 He appears to have been something of an eccentric, wandering around in unusual baggy clothing, and according to some writers sporting a French horn around his neck, which he used to attract attention before addressing the crowds in some unknown dialect. He died around 1844 and is buried in the churchyard at St Asaph. 128 129 THE LLEYN PENINSULA COASTAL PATH ABERDARON TO ABERSOCH – THE COASTAL PATH FOR WALKERS Leaving Aberdaron From the bridge in the centre of Aberdaron walk NE along the B4413 road, passing by the post office. Ahead it climbs steeply, and the right of way leaves the road on the right about 100yd from the junction over a low wall (see photo-diagram Leaving Aberdaron). Two stone steps appear next to a telegraph pole and lead onto the narrow track. Over the stone steps the line then bears left and contours the hillside above a small caravan site. The vegetation is considerable, so that the track gets narrower as the summer progresses! Soon a stile is reached which is clambered over to then veer right to another stile. This leads into the meadows alongside the pleasant river. Note: This particular section of path – although clearly designated as a right of way – has been the subject of some changes over the years, and there appears to be some confusion about the exact line. Gwynedd CC are committed to ensuring that the coastal path is free of obstructions and easy to follow, so this area may benefit from upgrading and waymarking in the future. Whatever the final outcome of such upgrades the line of the path is easy for it merely follows the river through the meadows until a substantial footbridge over the river is seen (183267). Cross the bridge and carry on up a narrow gully to a gate and a stile. Go over the stile to the left and proceed up the narrow track with gorse on the left. The area is often boggy, and occasional planks provide relief from the worst of the mud. Soon a gate and stile are reached which give access to a lane. Turn left. Walk along the road for just over 0.5 mile until a cot- tage (Ty Bychan) is seen on the left. On the opposite side of the road is a stile leading into a field (sketch map 5.1). Climb over the stile and walk alongside a grassy bank to another stile. Over the stile turn left along a sunken lane through gorse to reach another stile giving access to a farm lane. Ignore the turns in the lane and carry on in the same direction to walk across the front of the farmhouse, Carys Will, to a gate. Through the gate bear right and then 130 131 THE LLEYN PENINSULA COASTAL PATH ABERDARON TO ABERSOCH – THE COASTAL PATH FOR WALKERS that King Arthur’s last battle against his arch enemy Mordred was fought in the fields around Porth Cadlan. It has to be said that one can find the supposed traces of King Arthur’s last battle at a number of sites around the western seaboard of England and Wales. However, this area does have some evidence to connect it with Arthur. First, Arthur’s last battle was the Battle of Camlan. This name is a derivative of an old Welsh word Cadgamlan meaning ‘rout’. The word can also be shortened to Cadlan. Secondly, ‘Cadlan’ is taken by some to mean ‘battle site’. Finally, there is a large rock just offshore at Porth Cadlan called Maen follow the field boundary which soon turns Gwenonwy, ‘Gwenonwy’s left to reach a stile.

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