Welcome to my guide to the best things to do in Aberdovey. This beautiful seaside town has an enormous beach and big sky views across the Dovey estuary to the Cambrian Mountains, with spectacular southern Snowdonia on the doorstep.
Aberdovey is a former port and harbour, with some great places to eat and stay, and plenty to discover close by. The Coast Path is one of the highlights, incredibly quiet considering the stunning views you get from there.
Aberdovey has unique advantages if you’re looking for a base to explore Wales. It’s the mid-point of the country, with the wonderful Cardigan Bay coast or the southernmost reaches of the Snowdonia National Park right on the doorstep. It’s also very close to the Cambrian Mountains, the remote uplands of Mid Wales.
Why Visit Aberdovey
Aberdovey is one of the best seaside towns in Wales, with a superb long, wide beach that stretches over four miles to the neighbouring village of Tywyn.
It’s also one of the best places in Cardigan Bay for watersports, and is very popular with sailors, kitesurfers and windsurfers.
The views across the Dovey estuary are breathtaking, with the Cambrian Mountains a short drive away.
Aberdovey also has superb coastal walks, high above the town with elevated views of the estuary, the beaches at Ynyslas and Borth and further down the Cardigan Bay coast.
Aberdovey is also the southernmost extent of the Snowdonia National Park, and is an ideal place to explore this area and the Cambrian Coast as far north as Portmeirion and Porthmadog by train as well as car.
The red kite is the national bird of Wales, a majestic bird of prey that rides the thermals above remote Welsh upland areas, ready to dart downwards to poach anything small that moves.
The bird is flourishing now, and has been brought back from being critically endangered around thirty years ago. Several places in Mid Wales have daily red kite feeding sessions, and you can watch a hundred or so of them swoop onto the ground to pick up meat left for them.
Bwlch Nant yr Arian Forest Reserve on the A44 road east of Aberystwyth runs these daily sessions, and you watch the birds from a nearby hide – an amazing experience.
Where To Stay In Aberdovey
Trefeddian Hotel – great seaside hotel at the north end of town, sublime views over coastline and golf course
Awel y Mor – great 3-star guest house on the seafront
Seabreeze Restaurant with Rooms – two doors down from Awel y Mor, excellent accommodation to match its superb food
Penhelig Arms – pub at the other end of Aberdovey, across the street from Penhelig train station – 5* accommodation and the food’s also fantastic
Things To Do In Aberdovey
1. Aberdovey Beach
The town’s superb beach is the reason most people visit Aberdovey. It’s an outstanding beach, one of the best beaches in Wales, extending over four miles from the Dovey estuary to Tywyn, the next seaside resort just up the coast.
One of the joys of Aberdovey beach is the vast amount of space, especially at low tide. You can bring your fish and chips (from the excellent Walkers around the corner), find a spot on the sands and enjoy the sun, as I did. Or you can head for the corner of the beach, the best spot for kitesurfing.
Aberdyfi beach also has some great traditional favourites like Dyfi Donkeys, which offer rides for kids during the warmer months, and delicious ice cream from The Sweet Shop, across the street from the information centre.
2. Sailing at Aberdovey
Aberdovey is one of the best places on the Cardigan Bay coast for watersports, especially sailing. There’s usually some wind around the estuary, and whenever I’ve visited (seven or eight times) I’ve always seen a few dinghies out in the estuary, and the area is also very popular with windsurfers.
3. Wales Coast Path Above Aberdovey
There are some fantastic walks in Aberdovey, and our favourite is the Panorama Walk track high above the town.
You can also drive a lot of it, and there are plenty of places to stop to admire the Dovey estuary views, looking over to the vast sands of Ynyslas and the expanse of Cors Fochno, which sounds far more evocative than its English name, Borth Bog.
You can also spot Bardsey Island, off the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula, on clear days. This hilly area is especially beautiful in summer, when much of it is carpeted with purple-pink heather. Don’t finish your holiday in Aberdovey without a little foray up there.
4. Visit Llyn Barfog – The Bearded Lake
Yes, you read it right – a bearded lake. This remote upland lake two miles above Aberdovey is called Llyn Barfog (pronounced bar-vog, with a rolled ‘r’), and I was very curious to see what a bearded lake looks like.
I went there at the height of summer, and got my answer straight away. Much of the surface of Llyn Barfog is covered in lilies at this time of year – something you don’t see very often in lakes in Snowdonia.
If you walk any of the Coast Path around Aberdovey, I suggest taking a look here too.
5. Lunch at the Penhelig Arms
The Penhelig Arms is an old standby of mine, somewhere I would stop by whenever working in the Aberdovey area.
The pub is a terrace of old fishermen’s cottages converted into one, and the food has always been superb – gastro-pub food with a Mediterranean twist, plus wonderful salt and pepper calamari, an old favourite of ours from Australia.
You can also stay in the Penhelig Arms, with many rooms offering gorgeous estuary views.
6. Play A Round At Aberdovey Golf Club
One of the most popular things to do in Aberdovey is playing a round on the 18-hole links course just the other side of the dunes from Aberdovey beach.
I visited the course to photograph and film it back in the noughties and it’s a beautiful setting for a course, with a couple of the holes having sea and beach views. The course also cops a fair share of south-westerly winds, so you’ve got to be pretty good to tackle the conditions.
See Also: Aberdovey Golf Club
7. Visit Tywyn
Tywyn is the next seaside town up the coast from Aberdovey. Its beach – a continuation of Aberdovey’s – is the main attraction – is great, with pebbles and groynes as well as plenty of sand. There’s also a large playground just behind the beach, and fish and chips and ice cream, all the British seaside staples you’ll ever need.
I also recommend the Magic Lantern Cinema, which is likely the oldest operating cinema in the UK.
The Talyllyn Railway (see below) starts from Tywyn Wharf, a few minutes’ walk along Station Road from the mainline station.
8. Enjoy A Trip On The World Heritage Talyllyn Railway
The narrow-gauge Talyllyn Railway is one of the Great Little Trains of Wales, a former slate train now carrying visitors through gorgeous south Snowdonia scenery to the former slate quarrying village of Abergynolwyn and onto Nant Gwernol.
The railway, along with Abergynolwyn, is part of the Welsh Slate Landscape UNESCO World Heritage Site. The journey from Tywyn is wonderful, and from Nant Gwernol you can either walk to Dolgoch Falls or Talyllyn Lake (see below).
Talyllyn railway is also renowned for its connection to the Reverend Wilbert Awdry, author of The Railway Series of Books. He volunteered on the Talyllyn Railway, which provided inspiration for some of his books on the Skarloey Railway. If your kids are Thomas the Tank Engine fans, this would be a great day out.
9. Talyllyn Lake
Tallyllyn Lake – also known as Llyn Mwyngil – is one of the most beautiful lakes in Snowdonia. It’s wedged into a steep, narrow valley with the southern slopes of Cadair Idris on the northern side, a magnificent sight.
The main peaks of Snowdonia are the best part of two hours’ drive to the north, so I recommend a stop at Talyllyn Lake for your fix of mountain scenery. The Tynycornel Hotel, across the road from the shore of the lake, is a great spot for a coffee or lunch, and a magical place to spend a few nights.
10. Bird Rock and the Dysynni Valley
The Dysynni Valley is one of the most remarkable landscapes in Wales, a pancake-flat valley floor surrounded by the steep foothills of Cadair Idris. The most intriguing of these is the knobbly Craig yr Aderyn (Bird Rock), on the south side of the valley next to the Abergynolwyn road.
The rock gets its name from the cormorants that nest there. The seabirds must have been nesting on this site for millennia, as it’s now four miles (six kilometres) inland.
The valley has gradually silted up over the centuries, with the sea gradually retreating. The same has happened twenty miles or so up the coast at Harlech, where the Castle was built on a sea cliff but is now marooned a mile inland.
If you continue inland from Craig yr Aderyn you’ll reach Castell y Bere, an atmospheric castle ruin built for Prince Llywelyn Fawr (Llywelyn the Great) around 1220.
See Also: Snowdonia Road Trip – 4 Unforgettable Journeys Around North Wales
11. Llynnau Cregennen
These two lakes high above the Mawddach estuary are among the most beautiful lakes in Wales and, indeed Europe, one of my favourite places in Wales for a great many years.
The twin lakes are in a small plateau area, with the scree slope of Tyrau Mawr to the south and the tidal sands of the sublime estuary to the north. You can reach it by minor road from Dolgellau, minor road from Arthog (on the A493) – you’ll need to open four farm gates on the way up – or you can take the minor road from Llanegryn in the Dysynni Valley.
12. Take The Cambrian Coast Train To Barmouth
Mid Wales isn’t well served by public transport except for one area – the gorgeous Cambrian Coast Railway route, with a branch from Machynlleth to Aberystwyth, and the Machynlleth to Pwllheli section which passes through the likes of Aberdovey, Barmouth, Harlech and Criccieth.
It has been nominated by the Guardian as one of the most beautiful train rides in the world, and it’s a lifelong favourite of mine. The stretch from Machynlleth to Aberdovey is beautiful, running close to the estuary before running between buildings into the town. Aberdovey has two train stations, with one at Penhelig as well.
Once beyond Aberdovey station, you glide past the sand dunes and beaches to Tywyn, glimpse Cadair Idris before crossing the Dysynni river, and pass above the rocky Cardigan Bay shoreline at Llwyngwril.
The best part of the entire journey is the run across Barmouth Bridge, a wooden viaduct over the Mawddach estuary. It’s one of the most beautiful rivers in Wales, and the views inland as you cross the river are breathtaking.
There are more than enough things to do in Barmouth to keep you there all day (especially the superb walks) but you could also continue on the train to Harlech (the train runs right beneath the Castle), Minffordd (for Portmeirion), Porthmadog (for the Ffestiniog Railway) and beyond.
See Also: Best Beaches In North Wales and Travelling Wales By Train – The Complete Guide
13. Visit Machynlleth
It might seem hard to imagine now, but Machynlleth, a few miles inland, was once touted as a possible capital of Wales. Owain Glyndwr convened a Parliament there in 1404 and the House where it was held still stands, near the end of the high street.
The main landmark of Machynlleth (pronounced makh-un-hleth, though I’ve heard someone call it ‘machine lathe’) is the ornate Victorian clock tower, a feature of several towns across Mid Wales (Knighton, Hay-on-Wye, Rhayader).
Mach is also home to a great art gallery, the MOMA Machynlleth, which features a permanent collection of contemporary and 20th century Welsh art and constantly changing temporary exhibitions.
Machynlleth is also very close to the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT). I first visited this place in the mid-80s, and what they were proposing – different ways of generating clean energy – seemed so far off back then. Now, of course, it’s everyday, everywhere. A fascinating place, one of the cradles of the ecological movement in the UK.
14. Take A Drive Up To The Cambrian Mountains
If you decide to stay in Aberdovey, you have an extraordinary range of places within reach. The Cambrian Mountains are the rural heartland of Wales, the ‘Green Desert’ of lakes and mountains and the occasional whirring windfarm.
You can see Plynlimon (Pen Pumlumon Fawr) from Aberdovey, from where it looks like a fairly benign, gentle hill. It’s not a very difficult climb, but tougher than it looks – at 2,467 feet (752 metres) it’s a two-hour climb from Eisteddfa Gurig, on the A44 to the east of Aberystwyth. The views from the top are astounding, particularly north to Cadair Idris.
You can also follow the minor road from Machynlleth up the Dylife mountain road, turning right onto the B4518 which takes you on the ‘big dipper’ road past Llyn Clywedog reservoir. Otherwise, the Devils Bridge area inland from Aberystwyth is gorgeous.
15. Follow In The Footsteps of Owain Glyndwr and Led Zeppelin At Pennal
The village of Pennal, roughly halfway between Aberdovey and Machynlleth, attracts visitors for two very different reasons.
Pennal is strongly associated with Welsh prince Owain Glyndwr as he wrote the significant Pennal Letter there in 1406. It was written to King Charles VI of France, and in it Glyndwr sets out his vision of an independent Wales, free from English rule.
Over 500 years later, members of the band Led Zeppelin sometimes stayed at Bron-yr-Aur cottage in the countryside near Pennal. It’s privately owned and can’t be visited, but you can walk along the footpath outside. Led Zeppelin wrote several tracks there, and it inspired the song ‘Bron-y-Aur Stomp’ from Led Zeppelin III.
16. Dyfi Furnace
There’s a fine old Welsh industrial landmark right on the A487 road down to Aberystwyth. Dyfi Furnace, in the village of Furnace, is a former blast furnace used to smelt iron ore, turning it into pig iron to be used in forges across the border in the Midlands.
It’s a very picturesque spot with a gorgeous waterfall which you can briefly glimpse from the road. It’s operated by Cadw, and admission is free.
17. Discover A Petrified Forest On The Beach At Borth
Borth has one of the best Cardigan Bay beaches, a vast long sweep of sand that culminates in the dunes of Ynyslas a few miles to the north. It’s very popular with caravanners, and near the northern end of the village you suddenly step away from the world of buckets and spades and fish and chips to a brief glimpse of a lost legendary Welsh world.
At exceptionally low (spring) tides the stumps of hundreds of trees are revealed by the receding waters. This is the petrified forest of Borth, believed to be part of the lost land of Cantre’r Gwaelod.
These trees are believed to have been submerged thousands of years ago, and some believe that the sunken land may have extended a few miles out to sea.
18. Look Back At Aberdovey From Ynyslas Dunes
Ynyslas dunes are part of the Dyfi National Nature Reserve, and some British readers may recognise them from a series of short continuity films between BBC programmes in the 2000s.
There is a great boarded walk through part of the dunes, and depending on the season, you may encounter lizards, several species of orchids, otters and wading birds.
You also get a great view of Aberdovey from the estuary, the row of colourful beachfront houses tiny below the hill looming behind. It looks so close, but is a 40-minute drive away via Machynlleth.
19. Ynyshir RSPB Reserve
The Ynyshir RSPB Reserve is a short drive to the east of Ynyslas, and is part of the Dyfi Biosphere Reserve which covers the coast down to Aberystwyth and the Dovey Valley inland. It’s a blissfully peaceful place, and a wonderful spot to appreciate the Dovey estuary landscape.
You can rent binoculars at the site and there are several bird hides around the reserve. When I went I was lucky to spot a lapwing guarding its nest, and there’s also a good chance you’ll see redstarts, redshanks and, in the wooded areas, pied flycatchers.
20. Take A Day Trip To Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is very different to Aberdovey, a cosmopolitan university town by the sea that’s much bigger and busier than its neighbour to the north.
The town grew rapidly in the 19th century and there are plenty of Victorian vestiges to discover, including the Cliff Railway, Camera Obscura and Pier between the town’s two beaches.
North Beach is the better of the two, backed by a terrace of fine Victorian houses, many of which are now hotels or B&Bs.
There are some fine buildings, from the 13th century Castle ruins to the Old College, a 19th century neo-Gothic masterpiece that could easily be a seaside outpost of Hogwarts, the witches’ and wizards’ school in the Harry Potter series.
While there, catch a bus or drive up Penglais Hill to the National Library of Wales, for an insight into the country’s history, literature and language.
See Also: Things To Do In Aberystwyth
21. Spot Red Kites At Bwlch Nant yr Arian Forest Reserve
The red kite is the national bird of Wales, a majestic bird of prey that rides the thermals above remote Welsh upland areas, ready to dart downwards to poach anything small that moves.
The bird is flourishing now, and has been brought back from being critically endangered around thirty years ago. Several places in Mid Wales have daily red kite feeding sessions, and you can watch a hundred or so of them swoop onto the ground to pick up meat left for them.
Bwlch Nant yr Arian Forest Reserve on the A44 road east of Aberystwyth runs these daily sessions, and you watch the birds from a nearby hide – an amazing experience.
Things To Do In Aberdovey – Final Words
I hope that my guide to the best things to do in Aberdovey has helped you learn a lot more about this beautiful corner of Wales.
Aberdovey has a fantastic location close to several very different parts of Wales. Its beach is magnificent, and it’s also very close to some of the best Cardigan Bay beaches.
Aberdovey is also one of the best seaside towns in Wales, and close to several others. And the Cambrian Coast Railway is a more convenient way of reaching them than the car.
If you’re planning to explore inland, take a look at my guide to the Cambrian Mountains, the empty upland heart of Wales.
And if you intend to see more of Snowdonia, Aberdovey is very close to some of the most beautiful landscapes in Wales. Check out my guide to the loveliest lakes in Wales, which includes Llyn y Mwyngil (Talyllyn Lake) and Llynnau Cregennen nearby.
I’ve written extensively about Wales, my home country, and here’s a selection of further articles for you to browse:
By The Seaside
Things To Do In Barmouth – one of my favourite Welsh seaside towns, great beach and incomparable scenery
Things To Do In New Quay Wales – one of the best seaside towns in Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay Beaches – 30 wonderful b beaches along the Cambrian Coast
Things To Do In Tenby – the most beautiful seaside town in Wales, my opinion since I was 8 years old!
Things To Do In Llandudno – the Queen of Welsh Seaside Resorts
Castles And Their Towns
20 Best Castles In North Wales – from the World Heritage Castles of Edward I to the mountain fortresses of the Welsh Princes
Best things to do in Conwy – A stunning UNESCO Heritage town on the edge of Snowdonia National Park
Things To Do In Caernarfon – there’s more to this coastal town than one of the best medieval castles on the planet
Things To Do In Harlech – World Heritage Castle, one of the best beaches in Wales, and much more
Things To Do In Beaumaris – Anglesey’s World Heritage Castle and the beautiful historic town that grew up around it
Things To Do In Criccieth – lovely beach town with a Castle and stunning mountain views
Eryri – Snowdonia National Park
25 Best Things To Do In Snowdonia – hikes, scenic drives, castles, beaches and much more
Betws-y-Coed – A picturesque Welsh mountain town in the spectacular Snowdonia National Park
22 Best Views in Snowdonia – the best viewpoints in this astounding National Park
Snowdonia Road Trip – 4 fantastic itineraries, from one to five days
The Isle of Anglesey
Llanddwyn Island – One of the most special of all Welsh islands
Anglesey beaches & coastline – Home to some of the best beaches in the UK
Best things to do on Anglesey – the largest of Welsh Islands
Llŷn Peninsula
Llŷn Peninsula beaches – from Porth Dinllaen to Portmeirion, some of the best beaches in Wales
Visiting Porthdinllaen – the stunning fishing hamlet with one of the best beach pubs in Europe
Things To Do In Aberdaron – the wondrous Land’s End of North Wales
Things To Do In Portmeirion – a touch of Portofino on the edge of Snowdonia
North Wales Travel Guide – everything you need to know about travelling in North Wales
More Beautiful Places to Visit in Wales
Things to do In The Brecon Beacons – also known as Bannau Brycheiniog, the National Park with the highest mountains in southern Britain
Best Seaside Towns In Wales – Llandudno, Tenby, Barmouth and many more
Churches in Wales – 30 outstanding cathedrals and churches around Wales
Landscapes in Wales – Breathtaking landscapes in Wales you must see
Rivers in Wales – Some of the most beautiful scenery in Wales
Lakes in Wales – Where you find some of the best views in Wales
Landmarks in Wales – famous places in Wales to Explore
Wales Bucket List – 40 Fantastic Places In Wales You Should Not Miss