Harlech is located in Gwynedd, North Wales. Nestling in the foothills of Snowdonia the town sits on the edge of the Bay of Cardigan looking westward toward the Llyn peninsula, The town is renowned for it's medieval fortress, Harlech Castle, built by the English King Edward 1 in the 13th Century in  his attempt to subdue the rebellious Welsh, The Castle dominates the small town and can be seen for miles around standing sentinel over the North of Cardigan Bay.
After almost a thousand years the sea has abandoned the Castle and has left it stranded high and dry on its rocky promontory almost a mile from the present shoreline. I must confess that I have lived in North Wales all my life yet until 2006 I had not visited the beach in Harlech. What a mistake ! It is a truly fantastic beach and could have saved me quite a few road miles when we were taking the children to the beaches in the West of Wales. I now have to admit that the beach and shoreline are Harlech's main attraction, stretching from the beautiful Glaslyn estuary in the north to Llandanwg in the south. Mile after after mile of golden sand and clean seas with a backdrop of fantastic sand dunes some reaching 30 feet (10m) in height.
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Harlech beach and its surrounding dune area is one of the finest examples of a natural dune system in Britain and has been designated a NNR (National Nature Reserve), SSI (site of Special Scientific Interest) never mind being an FCPA (Fabulous Children's Play Area) !
Between the dunes and the town of Harlech are the championship links of the Royal St. David's Golf Club. What more could the fortunate golfers (or visitors) wish for ..... sun, sea, sand, historic Castle and fantastic scenery in which ever direction they choose to look.

Access to the beach is well signposted off the A496 and found below the Castle next to the railway crossing. (There is a Pay and Display Car Park a few hundred yards down the lane, and a very good Fish and Chip shop and Grocery store at the entrance to the lane.) It is then just a short walk to the beach along a path cutting through the golf course and the sand dunes.

But Harlech has more to offer the tourist than the Castle and the beach.

Cwm Bychan and the Roman Steps:

A few miles south of Harlech is the delightful village of Llanbedr. From here you can follow the signs for Cwm Bychan. Llyn Cwm Bychan is a naturally formed lake (Llyn) that holds brown trout and a fish known locally as "the red bellied char". This fish is related to the trout, but have been isolated in the lakes high in the mountains so long they have lost their desire to migrate. It is a beautiful location and views of the tumbling River Artro on the ascent are a pleasure to behold. Cwm Bychan is about 7 miles up into the mountains. As you get near to the Cwm the roads are very narrow and you have to respect other road users as often it is difficult to pass and therefore a fair amount of reversing may be required.
There is a Car Park (fee payable) at the far end of the lake. From here there is a path leading to the Roman Steps. Various theories place the Steps in the period of the Romans, or more likely Medieval times for the transportation by packhorse of wool from the Bala area to the seaport of Pensarn. A third theory places the path as just a path for the convenience of farmsteads in the valley. The path runs through the Rhinog National Nature Reserve, an area of some 990 acres.

Please click on the pictures below for more scenes of Harlech and the Glasfryn Estuary
© All pictures copyright Bernard Wellings

View of Harlech Beach Dunes looking south toward Shell Island	Bird life on the Glaslyn estuary 3 miles north of Harlech
Harlech Sand Dunes, important Nature Reserves and nice places to play.	High and dry on the beautiful Glaslyn Estuary near Harlech