Llyn Peninsula Day1

A very late posting due to WiFi problems ……


G has a reunion planned for today - meeting up with two school friends, one of whom he probably hasn’t seen for 50 years! 

We decided a while ago that we’d continue on from Porthmadog and have a night away in Aberdaron - though the way I’m feeling this week means I’d be tempted to cancel had we not already paid for the room! As it happens, I’m so glad we’ve come.  It’s the most beautiful day to explore the Llyn Peninsula, bright sunshine disguising the unseasonal chilly air. 

We stop off at Plas Glyn-y-Weddw, a delightful neo-gothic mansion which is also the oldest art gallery in Wales. Last time we visited the new Sea Urchin cafe was only visible as an architectural plan; now it has been built, a beautifully organic structure which contrasts harmoniously with the old mansion building. Designed by Matthew Sanderson, it’s beautiful inside and out, providing views of the stunning Llanbedrog Bay while its exterior frame gleams with a colony of 89,000 individually punched and pressed 89,000 ‘acorn barnacles’. More info here:

https://www.oriel.org.uk/en/news/2023/new-cafe-is-now-officialy-open


Then it’s on to Aberdaron itself, and our beachside hotel where our room affords stunning views of the near-deserted bay. Although I’ve lived by the sea for all but four years of my life, I always long for views like this. 

We’re just next door to  St Hywyn’s church, built in the C11th as the final resting place for pilgrims heading to Bardsey Island - you may have seen it in the recent BBC Pilgrimage series. We wander round and it’s an absolute delight, clear windows giving it an airy light, and decorated with wild flowers and scallop shells. - symbols of pilgrimage. 

Back in the hotel, there’s a tasty meal followed by a retreat to our room, listening to the sound of the waves …. 

Inevitably, it’s a set today.   I feel I’ve become really poor at selecting my main images - if I ever had that skill - but in the end I’ve gone with an evening view across the sands at Aberdaron.  
The first four extras are of Plas Glyn-y-Weddw, then two of 
Llanbedgog Bay, with the final two of St Hywyn’s church.