Aberffraw is
located on the west coast of Anglesey , North Wales, UK. It's a
small town 
with not much going for it ......unless you count miles of
sand dunes, glorious coastal walks and one of the best beaches in Anglesey
....yes the beach has such a reputation that the locals travel from miles
around to relax or play on Aberffraw beach.
The estuary of the Afon Ffraw fronts the village forming a safe harbour
for small fishing boats and a playground for sea kayaks and canoes. A
short walk over the ancient hump backed bridge takes you through the
wide expanse of dunes to the glorious golden sands of Aberffraw beach.
But Aberffraw is more than just a seaside resort. In the early medieval
period it was the home of the court of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although
today there is little to show of the palace of the Welsh princes the
Coastal Heritage Centre at Llys Llywelyn remembers the past glories of
this small village.
From the 6th to the 13th Centuries, North Wales was ruled by the Royal
Family of Gwynedd. After early Norman incursions into Wales, Aberffraw
came to replace Deganwy as the most important of the Royal Courts. The
golden age of Aberffraw was under Llywelyn
ap Iorwerth (1173 - 1240),
who was recognised as ruler of all Wales.
To the east at Llangadwaladr, some 1.5 mile from Aberffraw, is to
be found the 12th Century Llangadwaladr Church, itself built on the
more ancient site of the burial ground of the Kings of Gwynedd.
Set in the north wall of the churchyard is the Cadfan Stone that commemorates
King Cadfan who died in 625 A.D. "the wisest and most renowned of all
Kings"
A short walk to the west of Aberffraw brings you to the old church of
Llangwyfan also known as St Cwyfans Church. The church sits high and
dry on a small island overlooking Porth Cwyfan. The beach at Porth Cwyfan
is worth a visit itself being one of the best rock-pooling beaches I've
seen in a long time. But if you fancy visiting the 12th Century Church
of St
Cwyfan be aware that
the sea can cover the causeway at high tide!
The only bad words I can say about Aberffraw are that the pub has just
closed down (2008). It is a fine looking pub just off the village square
and looked very inviting on a warm summers evening. Hopefully our "new
reformationists" in
the government will not last too long and it might become economical
once again to run a country pub.
