Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
in 1925. The main reasons to visit the Lleyn are great food and glorious solitude.
Aside from small coastal centers like
Pwllheli,
Criccieth,
and
Abersoch,
there's
very little here—in an utterly splendid way. The peninsula is crisscrossed by
small roads and walking trails, where out of season you'll be unlikely to meet anyone
at all.
The Lleyn's main tourist center of
Porthmadog
is a terminus for two of Wales's
“great little trains,” the
Ffestiniog Railway
(see below) and the
Welsh Highland
Railway
(p. 730).
Essentials
GETTING THERE
A slow, local rail line connects Pwllheli, Porthmadog, and
Criccieth with Aberystwyth (via Machynlleth) and Shrewsbury and Birmingham, in
England. Buses also pull into Porthmadog every hour from Bangor. Porthmadog is
well connected by road with Caernarfon and Snowdonia, via the A487. The main
peninsula roads, the A499 and A497, converge at Pwllheli.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Tourist Information Centre,
High Street,
Porthmadog (
&
01766/512981;
www.visitsnowdonia.info), is open from Easter to
October, daily 9:30am to 5pm. Off-season hours are Monday to Saturday 10am to
3:30pm. In Pwllheli, there's a seasonal
Tourist Information Centre,
at Min y Don,
Station Square (
&
01758/613000
), usually open 5 days each week (currently
closed Fri and Sun, but exact days change).
Exploring the Lleyn Peninsula
The peninsula takes its name from an Irish tribe, the Celtic Legine, or Laigin, who
didn't have very far to go from home to invade the country of fellow Celts. They were
followed by missionaries and pilgrims in the Christian era.
Now in ruins,
Criccieth Castle
(
&
01766/522227
), built as a Welsh strong-
hold, commands a fine view of Tremadog Bay. During its years as an active fortress,
it changed hands—Welsh to English and back and forth—until it was finally sacked
and burned in 1404 by Owain Glynd wr, never to rise again as a fortification. Admis-
sion is £3.10 for adults, £2.70 for seniors, students, and children 5 to 15. A family
ticket goes for £8.90. It's open April through October, daily from 10am to 5pm, and
November through March, Friday and Saturday 9:30am to 4pm and Sunday 11am to
4pm. Outside those hours, the castle exhibition is closed, but you can still enjoy the
view from the site (10am to 4pm only).
About 2 miles west of Criccieth in Llanystumdwy, is
Highgate,
the boyhood home
of David Lloyd George, prime minister of Britain between 1914 and 1918, and also
the
Lloyd George Museum
(
&
01766/522071
), designed by Clough Williams-
Ellis of Portmeirion resort village fame (see below). The museum outlines the states-
man's life, with displays illustrating his political career. Admission is £4 for adults, £3
for seniors and children 5 to 15, and £10 for a family. From May to September, it's
open daily 10:30am to 5pm (closed weekends in May and Sun in June); in October,
hours are Monday to Friday 11am to 4pm. Lloyd George's grave is nearby, on the
banks of the River Dwyfor.
The pretty port-resort of
Abersoch
is the best base for exploring the farther-
flung, emptier reaches of the peninsula. Surfers should make straight for
Porth
Neigwl,
“Hell's Mouth” beach; for a surf report, check
www.westcoastsurf.co.uk/
surfreport.htm
. Serious bird-watchers and solitude-seekers, on the other hand,
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