Sights in Aberystwyth
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Marine Terrace
A stroll along Marine Terrace, the walkway overlooking North Beach, is the most genteel pursuit on offer and one that harks back to the town's erstwhile halcyon days as a Victorian resort. When you reach the bottom of the 1.5-mile prom, it's customary to kick the white bar, although the locals can't seem to explain the rationale behind this ritual.
North Beach is lined by faintly shabby Georgian hotels, albeit with a couple of notable exceptions. The top-heavy Royal Pier lumbers out to sea under the weight of its cheerfully tacky amusements arcade. North Beach is also the main swimming beach as South Beach has few facilities, although both beaches have lifeguards and an…
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Constitution Hill
At the northern end of North Beach is Aberystwyth's headland, 430ft Constitution Hill . From the wind-blown balding hilltop there are tremendous, long coastal views - 60 miles from the Llŷn to Strumble Head - and you can spot 26 mountain peaks including Snowdon. The site has been redeveloped in recent years with new children's attractions, including gold panning and go-karts. The erstwhile Victorian tearooms have been rebuilt in line with environmental considerations and the resulting Consti Café is a café by day and licensed steakhouse three nights per week. It also features displays of the wildlife you can spot on a, ahem, constitutional around the hill. One relic of…
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National Library of Wales
Sitting proudly on a hilltop half a mile east of town, the National Library is a cultural powerhouse, holding millions of books in many languages. The Hengwrt Room is where it displays all of the really important stuff, such as the 12th-century Black Book of Carmarthen (the oldest existing Welsh text) and the 13th-century Tintern Abbey Bible. Other galleries display an ever-stimulating set of changing exhibitions.
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Ceredigion Museum
Houses entertaining exhibitions on Aberystwyth's history – everything from old chemist furnishings to hand-knitted woollen knickers and a wall devoted to the Little Britain TV series.
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Aberystwyth Arts Centre
One of the largest arts centres in Wales, Aberystwyth Arts Centre has excellent opera, drama, dance and concerts (all of which can also be booked at the tourist office), plus a bookshop, an art gallery and a good, albeit slightly uncomfortably stylish, café. The cinema in particular shows a good range of world and foreign-language cinema. The centre is half a mile east of the town centre.
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Bwlch Nant yr Arian
Part of a forestry commission block, Bwlch Nant yr Arian is a picturesque piece of woodland set around a lake, ringed with mountain biking and walking tracks. The main drawcard, however, is the red kite feeding which takes place at 2pm daily (3pm daylight saving time). Even outside of mealtime you'll quite often see the majestic birds of prey circling around. You can watch all the action from the terrace of the attractive turf-roofed visitor centre and cafe.
It's 9 miles east of Aberystwyth on the A44.
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