KEY TOWNS OF PEN LLYN

Pwllheli
A busy market town, Pwllheli is a town full of seaside character. The marina, Hafan Pwllheli is one of the country’s leading ports of call for yachtsmen and its facilities and attention to detail has earned it European Centre for Excellence in Sailing status. Around the marina are businesses that go with providing a comprehensive service for boat owners. Apart from racing and events, the marina offers a good base for cruising Cardigan Bay or to Anglesey or Ireland. Pwllheli has two beaches – South Beach which is mainly shingle and Glan-y-mor. Pwllheli’s weekly market on Wednesdays is worth a visit and is now one of the busiest in Britain.

Porthmadog
A bustling harbour town of Porthmadog, in the crook of the elbow between the Cambrian Coast and the Llyn Peninsula, would never have come about but for the enterprise of one man.
Tremadog, now just a picturesque adjunct to Porthmadog, was originally intended as the main town for the area. It was built by William Madocks in the mistaken belief that the ferry link to Ireland would go from Porth Dinllaen. Both towns were supposedly named after the Welsh Prince Madog, who some say sailed from the nearby Ynys Fadog to America in 1170 – but the similarity between the names enabled Madocks to commemorate his own name whilst ostensibly remembering that of the exploring prince. Porthmadog is rich in maritime history and offers visitors a number of craft shops and restaurants. The harbour opened in 1824 and became a busy slate harbour in 1836 when the Ffestiniog railway was built across the Cob. At first the line was operated by gravity with horses travelling down on the train by truck to haul the empty wagons back until steam engines were introduced in 1863. Now a tourist attraction, the Ffestiniog Railway is one of the finest and oldest narrow gauge railways with the little engines chugging their way through stunning scenery and making light of the steep gradients.

Criccieth
Criccieth is a town of character, history and nostalgia. The Victorian villas that sit beside the sea are very little altered from when they were built. The sand and shingle beach with its stunning backdrop of sea, estuary and mountain peaks is unrivalled and unchanging.
Synonymous with the seaside at Criccieth is Cadwalader’s ice cream. To the older North Walians ‘a Cadwalader’s’ is almost synonymous with ‘a vanilla cone at Criccieth’. A product that was begun by a local fishmonger and his ice, the brand is still going strong and expanding. Despite opening many outlets throughout Wales, there are aficionados who will still swear that the vanilla tastes best in Criccieth.
Less than two miles away is Llanstymdwy. It contains two houses associated with David Lloyd George who is buried a short distance away by the banks of the River Dwyfor.

Abersoch
Abersoch is a delightful village with its small harbour which has developed into a centre for boating enthusiasts and surfers.
Just off the coast are two small islands, known as St Tudwal’s after the saint who found a chapel there in the 6th century. Little remains of the Augustinian Priory and the islands are left to the birds, the lighthouse and those who venture across the bay.
Abersoch grew into a popular holiday resort at the end of the 19th century and Abersoch now ranks as one of the country’s major dinghy sailing centres. The three mile long Porth Neigwl (Hell’s Mouth) two miles to the southwest is one of the country’s best surf beaches – but beware of the undertow.
Abersoch is a lively place, well supplied with good places to eat, art galleries and water sports.

Nefyn
A quiet seaside town with a proud maritime history on the coast of the beautiful Llyn Peninsula: although a popular holiday resort, its current claim to fame is being the birth place of the latest chart topper ‘Duffy’.
For the golfer, lies one of the most beautiful golf courses in Britain - or at least one with some of the most beautiful views. There are many lovely coves with tiny hamlets to explore.

This information has been provided by Llyn Visitor
www.coastalholidays.net

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