Evening light on Mount Tryfan above Llyn Ogwen in Snowdonia National Park.

©Helen Hotson/Shutterstock

Llŷn Peninsula

Jutting into the Irish Sea from the rumpled massif of Snowdonia, the Llŷn (pronounced 'khleen' and sometimes spelt 'Lleyn') is a green finger of raised and rumpled land some 30 miles long and averaging 8 miles wide. This peaceful and largely undeveloped region has isolated walking and cycling routes, Iron Age forts, beaches, a scattering of small fishing villages and 70 miles of wildlife-rich coastline (much of it in the hands of the National Trust, with almost 80% designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Over the centuries the heaviest footfalls have been those of pilgrims heading to Bardsey Island.

Attractions

Must-see attractions for your itinerary

Portmeirion Village
Llŷn Peninsula
Set on its own tranquil peninsula reaching into the estuary, this fantastical collection of colourful buildings with a heavy Italian influence was…
Braich-y-Pwll
Llŷn Peninsula
The rugged, ethereally beautiful extremity of the Llŷn Peninsula is where medieval pilgrims set off to reach the holy island of Bardsey; one glimpse of…
Oriel Plas Glyn-y-Weddw
Llŷn Peninsula
A diverse collection of work by contemporary Welsh artists – all available for purchase – is only part of the attraction of Wales's oldest gallery. It's…
St Hywyn's Church
Llŷn Peninsula
Stoically positioned above a pebbly beach, St Hywyn's Church has a left half dating from 1100 and a right half that was added 400 years later to…
Porth Dinllaen
Llŷn Peninsula
Porth Dinllaen is on a tiny thumb of land jutting north into the Irish Sea from Morfa Nefyn. Offering a lovely, sheltered beach, today it is owned in its…
Lloyd George Museum
Llŷn Peninsula
Tiny Llanystumdwy, 1.5 miles west of Criccieth, was the boyhood home of David Lloyd George. The video, photos, posters and personal effects at the museum…
St Beuno's Church
Llŷn Peninsula
St Beuno (died 640) was to North Wales what St David was to the Welsh south (another St Beuno's sits further up the coast at Clynnog Fawr, where his…
Criccieth Castle
Llŷn Peninsula
Ruined Criccieth Castle, perched on the seafront's most prominent headland, offers views stretching along the peninsula's southern coast and across…