About the author: David Angel, is a Welsh photographer, writer, and historian with 30+ years of experience, and previously Art Director for Visit Wales. His work is regularly featured in the BBC, the Guardian, and Condé Nast Traveler. He is fluent in English and Welsh.
Three sandy beaches, rows of gorgeous painted houses on the hill and the biggest dolphin pod in Wales just down the coast. This is my guide to the best things to do in New Quay Wales, one of the jewels of the Cardigan Bay coast.
It’s one of the best seaside towns in Wales, one that has enchanted me enough to return 20-30 times over the years.
New Quay is also believed to be the inspiration for Dylan Thomas’ play for voices, Under Milk Wood, with the fictional village of Llareggub partly based on New Quay.
In my New Quay guide I’ll show you all the best things to do in the town and the surrounding area. New Quay is also a great base for trips along the coast and inland towards the Cambrian Mountains. Enjoy!
Good to know: Don’t confuse New Quay Wales with Newquay Cornwall – the Welsh New Quay is a lot smaller, so are its beaches. It’s also written as two words rather than one.
Things To Do in New Quay Wales
1. New Quay Harbour
One of the first things to do in New Quay Wales is to head for the harbour, the heart and hub of this small town. Walk along the harbour wall, with views north up Cardigan Bay in one direction and back to Harbour Beach in the other.
In season (late April to September) the harbour is a wonderful sight, full of small pleasure boats, with the long streets of colourful painted houses on the steep hillside behind.
The harbour is often busy with fishing boats, and you’ll usually see stacks of crab and lobster pots piled up against the sheds on the harbour wall.
Good to know: New Quay harbour is also the departure point for most boat trips to see the famous New Quay dolphins, who frequent the nearby Ceredigion coastline.
2. Harbour Beach New Quay
Spending an hour or two relaxing on Harbour Beach is another of our favourite things to do in New Quay Wales. It’s a gorgeous beach with soft golden sand, best appreciated in the warmer months when you can expect boats in the harbour.
It’s also sheltered from the prevailing south-westerlies, so the water is mostly calm. It’s one of the best beaches on the Cardigan Bay coast, ideal for kids to have a paddle.
It’s a gorgeous place to linger for a while, and the view from it is as fine as the view of it from the harbour wall.
TIP: It’s also very close to all amenities, including a couple of chip shops. So you can enjoy fish and chips on the beach – and there’s no better way to spend a British summer day.
3. Dolau Beach
Dolau Beach is the smaller, quieter New Quay beach, just the other side of the harbour, no more than two minutes’ walk away.
This lovely curve of fine sand is no more than 50 metres end to end but in several visits, mostly on busy summer weekends, it always seems to have plenty of space.
Good to know: Unlike at Harbour beach, dogs are allowed.
4. Traeth Gwyn Beach
Traeth Gwyn – whose name means ‘white beach’ is where you should head if you’re looking for things to do in New Quay Wales with dogs.
This long curve of sand stretches over a mile from the edge of town to the tiny church at Llanina, just across the bay, and at low tide there’s lots of space for dogs to frolic and run for hours.
The vast Haven Quay West Holiday Park sits just above the beach, along whose length you can amble at low tide.
5. Fish and Chips at The Lime Crab
From Barmouth to Barry Island, Tenby to Tywyn and indeed Llandudno to Llangrannog, fish and chips by the beach is an essential part of the Welsh seaside experience. And New Quay has several options, only one of which I can personally vouch for – the Lime Crab.
It’s a small take-away with the giveaway long line of customers outside. And with good reason – they serve some of the best fish and chips (pysgod a sglodion) we’ve encountered anywhere in the UK.
The batter on the fish is exactly as it should be, crisp and light, and the chips are cooked just a little longer than at many chippies, veering towards golden brown. Perfection. They also serve a seafood platter and a great range of other seafood treats including calamari, which you don’t always see on the menu.
The food is so worth the wait – then walk 50 metres or so in either direction to one of the beaches,and enjoy. One of the best things to do in Wales.
Discover 18 more Welsh dishes in our Welsh Food guide
6. Dylan Thomas Trail
The Dylan Thomas New Quay connection is very strong, with the poet and writer having lived there for around six months between 1944 and 1945. He lived in a bungalow called Majoda – which he described as a ‘wood and asbestos pagoda’, albeit one with magnificent views of Cardigan Bay.
The original bungalow has been replaced by a more modern one, though in 2007 a replica of the original was built on adjacent land as part of the set of The Edge of Love, part of which was set and filmed in New Quay.
This film slightly embellishes Thomas’ relationship entanglements, with focus on his wife Caitlin and first lover, Vera.
The Dylan Thomas trail around New Quay takes you around some of his old haunts, including the Blue Bell pub. It’s likely that New Quay was at least partly the inspiration for Llareggub, the village where his play for voices Under Milk Wood was set.
The village’s name may look Welsh with its characteristic double-l, however written backwards it reads ‘bugger all’. A house in the town – pictured above – is named after it.
7. Black Lion Pub
The Black Lion Hotel is a grand Georgian building at the top of the hill, and it’s one of the best places to stay in New Quay Wales. It has some superb spacious rooms, some overlooking Cardigan Bay.
The terraced beer garden is another great place to while away a few hours on a summer evening, with those awesome views up the coast, where you can sometimes make out some of the greatest landmarks in Wales – the peaks of Snowdonia – in clear weather. Very good bar meals too.
There are several other fine public houses around New Quay as well.
8. Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre
Before venturing out dolphin watching in Cardigan Bay, it’s well worth a brief visit to the small Marine Wildlife Centre just above the Harbour Beach.
There is a small aquarium showcasing a variety of smaller sea creatures that you wouldn’t typically encounter on a Cardigan Bay boat trip. Additionally, you’ll find extensive information about the bottlenose dolphins, porpoises, and Atlantic grey seals that have made these waters and coastline their home.
These fascinating marine species are frequently spotted during dolphin watching tours in Cardigan Bay.
9. Dolphin Watching Boat Trips
Dolphin watching in Cardigan Bay is one of the main things to do near New Quay Wales. Bottlenose dolphins can frequently be seen in the waters of Cardigan Bay, usually a few miles around the headland to the west of New Quay.
Good to know: New Quay is the best place for dolphin watching in Wales, with a resident population of over 200 dolphins usually in the area between Cardigan Island to the south and New Quay to the north. Summer is the optimum time for seeing them, usually in the waters around New Quay.
Several operators run dolphin watching Cardigan Bay boat trips along the coast. The longer you spend aboard, the greater your chances of seeing dolphins – so the one-hour trips have a 50% success rate for seeing them, while the 2-hour dolphins New Quay cruises give you an 80-90% chance of seeing them.
The New Quay dolphin boat trips cost in the region of 25 GBP per person per hour, so the 2-hour trip usually works out at around 50 GBP per head.
Things to do in New Quay Wales – Around the Town
1. Cwmtydu and Ceredigion Coast Path
New Quay is the starting point for possibly the best walk on the Wales Coast Path in Ceredigion. The first part of the walk takes in dramatic folded cliffs, eventually reaching tiny Cwmtydu, a remote cove believed to have been used many times by smugglers.
It then passes Llangrannog (see below), before continuing past several superb beaches, eventually taking you to the quiet coastal village of Aberporth.
The New Quay to Aberporth walk is 13 miles – 22 km – long, and is packed with climbs and descents.
Good to know: The T5 bus helpfully links Aberporth and New Quay, so you can walk one way and bus it back to base.
2. Llangrannog
The coastline around the village of Llangrannog offers one of the best family days out in Wales. It has two sublime beaches – one of which is accessible at high tide – and some outstanding coastal walking, either north towards Ynys Lochtyn headland and south towards Tresaith and Aberporth.
Many Welsh people know the area well as it’s the long-term home of the Urdd, a Welsh-language youth organization, which holds seasonal camps there.
3. Aberaeron
Aberaeron is only four miles up the coast and shares New Quay’s penchant for pastel shades and vivid colours, but they are quite different in feel.
Aberaeron is Wales’ first planned town, built as a small port on the River Aeron and a hub for the shipbuilding industry in the early 19th century. It soon became wealthy, reflected in the many Georgian houses around Alban Square and the Harbour, one of the most picturesque in Wales.
The town has two pebble beaches, on either side of the estuary. The Harbour or beaches are great places to sit with an ice cream on a summer’s evening, and the Harbourmaster Hotel has also served consistently excellent food for over twenty years.
Good to know: It’s also well worth visiting Llanerchaeron, an elegant Georgian villa designed by John Nash which is now in the care of the National Trust.
4. Cambrian Mountains
The chances are you’ll pass through part of the Cambrian Mountains en route to New Quay, and seeking out some of their wilder parts is a wonderful way to spend some of your days out in Mid Wales.
The country town of Tregaron is a great place to start, partly as it’s the endpoint of the Abergwesyn Pass, a slow, steep, narrow, winding 20-mile scenic epic drive best done without your caravan in tow!
Another short drive from New Quay takes you to the ruins of serene Strata Florida Abbey and on to the Teifi Pools, remote series of lakes in the wild uplands of what is often called the ‘Green Desert of Wales’.
Love Welsh landscapes? Check out our guide to 22 of the most beautiful landscapes in Wales
5. Aberystwyth
The university town of Aberystwyth is one of the best places to visit in Wales, an unexpected mecca of minority cultures with two beaches sandwiched between two steep headlands.
The wide promenade of North Beach is lined with flags of regions and nationalities from Sardinia to the Basque Country and more. You can explore the beaches and Pier and admire the stunning Gothic Revival Old College, or the view across Cardigan Bay which occasionally reveals Bardsey Island on the horizon.
Aber is a metropolis in comparison with anywhere else within 50 miles or more, and there are more places to eat (try the Ultracomida delicatessen) to choose from than anywhere else on the Mid Wales coast.
It’s a place that can really get under your skin, as evidenced by the many students who stay on there for good.
See Also: Things To Do In Aberystwyth
6. Mwnt Beach
Mwnt is one of the most popular beaches in Cardigan Bay, a small sandy cove backed by a cliff with a simple, beautiful whitewashed stone church just above.
It’s in isolated countryside around 5 miles (8 km) north of Cardigan.
Good to know: Driving is the easiest way to get there, but the 552 coastal bus also goes there twice a day from New Quay.
7. Aberporth
Aberporth, 15 miles (25 km) down the coast towards Cardigan and Pembrokeshire, is a wonderful seaside village with headlands either side of a broad golden estuary beach.
It’s much smaller and more low-key than New Quay, but with a couple of cafes and beach bars catering for visitors.
Insider tip: Combine a couple of hours or so at the beach with a walk along the Ceredigion Coast Path to nearby Tresaith beach for one of the most enjoyable days out in West Wales you could find.
8. Welsh Wildlife Centre, Cilgerran
This small wildlife centre in the Teifi Marshes near Cardigan is one of the best places to visit near New Quay with kids. The wetland area is ideal for birdwatching, with otters, kingfishers and tawny owls among many resident species. The largest creatures you’ll see are the water buffalo. There is also a willow maze and adventure playground, and a fine glasshouse visitor centre with a café.
If you’re visiting from New Quay, you could easily fit in Cilgerran Castle, Cardigan or Mwnt Beach on the same day.
9. Cardigan Castle
Cardigan Castle dates back around 900 years, but is the newest castle in Wales in one sense – it’s only been possible to visit it over the last five years or so. Prior to that it was in private ownership for many years, its medieval outer walls propped up by buttresses for decades.
The Castle – the birthplace of Wales’ most important cultural festival, the Eisteddfod – has since been restored and re-opened.
It’s not the most compelling fortress you’ll ever see, but the grounds are a delight, with a Georgian mansion (where you can stay) and Regency-era gardens.
If you want your castles a bit more military in appearance, head a few miles up the River Teifi – one of the loveliest rivers in Wales, to stout and sturdy Cilgerran, one of several highly impressive Pembrokeshire Castles.
10. St Dogmaels Abbey
St Dogmaels – Llandudoch in Welsh – is one of the hidden gems of Wales. Just across the river from Cardigan (Aberteifi), it’s a beautiful small village centred around the 12th century and later ruins of an abbey church and complex.
The Abbey probably dates back to the 6th century, the Golden Age of Celtic Christianity, and was likely founded by St Dogmael himself.
The Abbey was home to members of the Norman Tironensian Order, and remained in operation until Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536.
Follow further in the footsteps of the Welsh saints in our guide to Things To Do In St Davids Wales
Getting to New Quay Wales
New Quay isn’t the easiest place in Wales to reach by public transport, though it’s straightforward by car. It’s around a 2-hour drive from Cardiff via Carmarthen and Lampeter, or an hour and 20 minutes from Swansea, joining the same route.
The Ceredigion coast bus service, the T5, is very good, with hourly services between Aberystwyth and Cardigan and services from Aberystwyth to Haverfordwest run every two hours, Mondays to Saturdays. If you’re not driving, the main challenge is getting to the Cardigan Bay coastline in the first place.
The train network in Wales is limited, and the nearest it gets to New Quay is Aberystwyth, 20 miles (32 km) up the coast.
If you’re travelling from the Midlands in England you can catch the train from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth (every two hours except Sundays), then take the scenic T5 bus down the coast to New Quay.
The Transport for Wales website has up-to-date timetable and fare information.
A lifeline exists in the form of the once-daily Cardiff to Aberaeron bus, which takes you within five miles (8km) of New Quay, Ceredigion. Change there for the short ride on the T5 along the coast to New Quay.
Things To Do In New Quay Wales – Final Thoughts
I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to New Quay, and taken some inspiration from it.
New Quay is a gorgeous beach town, somewhere you could linger for days, even weeks. It’s the sort of place many return to year after year, something I have done myself.
If you like New Quay, check out my guide to the best seaside towns in Wales. It includes several towns within easy reach of New Quay, including Aberystwyth and Aberdovey.
Further afield, check out my guide to the best things to do in Barmouth, a wonderful seaside town in southern Snowdonia. I also suggest looking at my guide to the best Cardigan Bay beaches, which includes the other Ceredigion beaches near New Quay.
If you plan to explore some of the stunning Welsh scenery, then take a look at my guide to the Cambrian Mountains. This empty wilderness makes a wonderful escape from the world. It’s one of my favourite landscapes in Wales, and if you have time, the Elan Valley reservoirs are among the most beautiful lakes in Wales.
Finally, New Quay is one of the few places in Wales that isn’t close to a Castle. However, it’s within a short drive of some of the most intriguing castles in South Wales, particularly the Pembrokeshire Castles a short drive down the coast.
About the Author: David Angel, a Welsh photographer, writer, and historian, has over 30 years of experience exploring and photographing Wales. As former Art Director and Commissioning Editor for Visit Wales, he has explored every corner of this extraordinary country, climbed its mountains, and walked hundreds of miles along the breathtaking Welsh coastline and landscapes. He now uses a lifetime of experience to write comprehensive guides to help people like you discover and explore the best of Wales. He is a native English speaker and fluent in Welsh.