Llanbedrog
- Beach: Llanbedrog beach is owned by the National Trust (so National Trust members enjoy free parking). It is a lovely beach, with a row of iconic colourful beach huts. And even if you’re not in the mood to enjoy a spot of sunbathing, sailing or relaxing in the little ice cream shop and cafe, it’s a great place for a short hike. Take sensible shoes with you and you could walk up to the top of the headland to visit the Iron Man sculpture (by local artist Simon Van de Put) and take in those glorious coastal views.
- Pubs: The village has two lovely pubs. The Ship Inn, is a half mile walk from Stone Cottage. At the other end of the village is the vibrant Glyn Y Weddw Arms, known locally as ‘the Glynnie’, which is a favourite of both locals and visitors to the area. The Glynnie is conveniently located too – just a short walk up the hill from Llanbedrog beach.
- Access to the tip of the Llyn Peninsula: Re-fuel in the local garage before you go exploring the stunning headland, with its numerous beaches, coastal walks, cliffs, and immerse yourself in the wild, rugged scenery. You can even visit the historic and spiritual Bardsey Island, a sacred place where many thousands of saints are buried.
- Art gallery, tea rooms & amphitheatre: Oriel Plas Glyn Y Weddw is a beautiful dower house (i.e. a modest country manor house) built in 1836 for Lady Love Jones Parry. It has since been converted into an art gallery and cultural centre, with adjoining tea rooms. It also has its own outdoor amphitheatre. Visit www.oriel.org.uk for details.
- Church: the beautiful, Grade II listed medieval church, the Church of St Pedrog, is well worth a visit. It is located on the bank of a small stream, a stone’s throw from Llanbedrog beach, Plas Glyn Y Weddw and the Glyn Y Weddw Arms.
- Chapels: if protestant chapels are more your thing, there are three such chapels in the village.
- Clay Pigeon Shooting School: If you want to try something a little different, Bob Valentine clay pigeon shooting school is a short walk from Stone Cottage. Booking required.
- Shop: You can stock up on food, magazines, beer, wine, etc at Londis.
- Pharmacy: H L Taylor Pharmacy is located at the heart of Llanbedrog village in every sense. Stop by for any essentials, including sun tan lotion of course….
Abersoch
- Abersoch is a well known, vibrant, seaside village. As well as a host of beaches, it boasts various pubs, restaurants and shops. A tourist hub, which is only a 7-9 minute drive away from Stone Cottage, Abersoch provides dinghy sailing and other watersports such as windsurfing and jet-skiing. There are too many attractions to list, so feel free to visit the very useful abersoch.co.uk website for more information about what’s going on, places to visit, details about the beaches you can visit, etc. Oh, and be sure to visit the excellent Turtle Photography in Abersoch, to see some photos taken by a brilliant local photographer. You can even buy prints of various sizes, so you can take a little piece of your holiday home with you.
Rhyd Y Clafdy
- Rhyd-y-Clafdy is a very small village, but look closely and you’ll find two gems: (i) a lovely, traditional pub Tafarn Tu Hwnt I’r Afon (meaning ‘the pub on the other side of the river’), which is known to all simply as ‘the Twnti’, which serves up pub grub with a warm welcome; and (ii) a top class seafood restaurant, Twnti Seafood, which is perfect for special occasions.