Llyn Peninsula

The Llyn runs about fifty kilometres southwest from Snowdonia, and its distance from main routes has kept it quiet and kept Welsh as the ordinary spoken language in most of its villages, with some of the highest proportions of Welsh speakers anywhere. A coast path runs the whole way round, past beaches at Porthdinllaen, where the Ty Coch pub sits directly on the sand, and Porthor, whose sand squeaks underfoot because of the shape of its grains. Bardsey Island lies across a fierce tidal sound at the tip and was a medieval pilgrimage destination said to hold the graves of twenty thousand saints, with three pilgrimages there counted as equal to one to Rome; boats cross in settled weather. Nant Gwrtheyrn, a former quarrying village in a steep valley, is now a Welsh language centre.

What you actually see

• Bardsey Island - a pilgrimage island across a tidal sound at the tip.
• The squeaking sand - Porthor beach, whose grains sound underfoot.
• Ty Coch at Porthdinllaen - a pub reached only by walking along the beach.
• Nant Gwrtheyrn - a quarry village turned Welsh language centre.

When to go

May to September for the beaches and boats; Bardsey crossings depend entirely on weather and the sound is rough. The peninsula is quiet outside summer and many businesses close from October.

Honest expectations

Roads are narrow and slow, and getting between beaches takes longer than distances suggest. Bardsey trips cancel often and landings are not guaranteed. Second-home ownership and its effect on Welsh-speaking communities is a live local issue and visitors should be aware of it.

Nearby

Porthmadog and Portmeirion lie east; Snowdonia rises behind the peninsula.