15 Jan 2026

Got on the Pwllheli bus at Caernarfon and had a chat to the driver before we set off. I told him about my charity walk and he gave me some advice on the best tickets to get. I got off at Glynllifon and got ready for my walk. I have to be honest, I’ve not been looking forward to this one because most of it is along the A499. I haven’t been listening to any music or podcasts on my walks until now, but I made an exception today and listened to some ‘Off Menu’ podcasts by Ed Gamble and James Acaster. I set off from the bus stop along the A499 which is perfectly straight for over 3 miles apart from a very slight deviation north of Pontllyfni.

At Aberdesach, my route entered the Llŷn Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The boundary was marked by an attractive slate marker depicting a chough with its red legs and beak.

The path makes a welcome diversion from the main road at Clynnog Fawr. To be more precise, its the A499 which makes the diversion around the village with the coastal path following the straight line of the original road. The main feature of the village is the large church of St Beuno. It’s on the North Wales Pilgrim’s Way which was inspired by 7th century pilgrims who visited holy sites in North Wales including Holywell, Gwytherin, Clynnog Fawr and Bardsey Island at the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula. It generally follows the same route as the Wales Coast Path along the north coast of the Llŷn. St Beuno’s Church is said to be on the site of a 7th century monastery founded by Beuno.

As I left the village I passed St Beuno’s Well and continued along the A499. It had taken so long to walk this road that the bus I left at Glynllifon had gone to Pwllheli, returned to Caernarfon and was now on its way back to Pwllheli again. The driver recognised me and sounded his horn so I gave him a wave. Shortly after that, I reached the road leading to the village of Trefor.

At the outskirts of the village, the path follows a track on the right to the small harbour. The large quarry above the town was opened in 1850 and a short incline and railway was built to transport the stone to the harbour jetty. If you’re a fan of that strange winter Olympic sport called curling you might be interested to know that this quarry at Trefor is one of only two in the world that supply granite for the curling stones. The main source of the stone is Ailsa Craig in Scotland.

I followed the path around the coast and back inland to a track leading up to Bwlch yr Eifl which is the pass between two of the three mountain peaks collectively known as Yr Eifl. I finished the walk here leaving the climb up to the pass for my next walk. I’d been listening to Jeff Goldblum on ‘Off Menu’ and during the course of the podcast he listed his favourite foods which seemed to include every possible menu item in the world! With a rumbling stomach and by now very hungry I headed back to Trefor to catch my bus to Caernarfon.

9.20 miles