2 Feb 2026
[Will add some photos soon]
Had to walk over 2 miles from the council houses bus stop (tai cyngor) east of Aberdaron to get to the start at Porthor. I walked from the National Trust car park to the small headland at the south end of the beach. From here I could see Holyhead Mountain on Anglesey looking like an island because the lower land around it was over the horizon. From here the path goes SW along the coast passing Mynydd Carreg with a large stone structure on the summit. A large vein of the red-brown semi-precious stone jasper was found here and quarried. A bit further on I saw a stile into a field and didn’t spot a path marker telling me to turn right. A reached the end of the field and discovered that the path was the other side of the field boundary which I couldn’t see any way to cross. There was no alternative to retracing my steps which added another half mile to my walk unfortunately.
My navigation problems didn’t end there. I reached a marker post indicating I bear left but I saw a bridge down a slope to the right which looked to be the more obvious way to go. The path marked on the map was a bit ambiguous so I followed the sign and ended up in some sloping fields with no obvious path back to the coast. I retraced my steps back to the marker post which I ignored this time and walked down to the bridge which turned out to be the correct way. Even more time had been used up and I started to get concerned that it might be getting dark before I got to Aberdaron.
Continued on, gaining height as the path climbed the shoulder of Mynydd Anelog. No steps on this mountain, just a smooth continous path. (Sorry! I just couldn’t resist that). I heard my phone beep and when I checked I was greeted with the message ‘Welcome to Ireland’ and some advice about roaming charges. The coast of Ireland is only about 54 miles away from this point but that’s a long way for a cell phone signal. I could possibly have connected to a passing Irish Ferry. I had a quick lunch, aware that time was passing by, and continued on past the rugged coastline at Porth Llanllawen to the highest point on today’s walk at Mynydd Mawr. Through binoculars I could make out the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland and the snow topped peak of Snaefell on the Isle of Man beyond Holyhead Mountain.
The path descends from the summit along a concrete path near the remnants of a WW2 radar station and lookout post. Bardsey Island is just off the coast and I turned south-east here along beautiful coastline and then north-east towards Aberdaron. There were a lot of steps down to Porth Meudwy and up again on the other side which was hard work but I had to press on because time was running out. I eventually saw the houses of Aberdaron as the light started to fade a bit and got to the beach after hopping across a small stream. I managed to get to the village before it got dark. Phew!
8.57 miles