Single-storey. Three bedrooms: 2 x double, 1 x twin. Shower room with walk-in shower, basin, heated towel rail and WC. Kitchen/diner with plinth heater. Sitting room with electric fire
The small village of Clynnog Fawr nestles between the foothills of Snowdonia and the unspoiled north coast of the Llyn Peninsula. It has grown up around the mediaeval church of St Beuno, one of the most important pilgrimage sites for travellers journeying to Bardsey Island. The village benefits from a petrol station and convenience store. Nearby a stony beach, a haven for beachcombers, is a few minutes’ walk away. The small village of Trefor is nearby and is surrounded by sea and mountains, overlooking Caernarfon Bay, and enjoys a harbour with stone breakwater pier and sheltered sandy beach that the Wales Coastal Path runs past, or the more adventurous can enjoy a regular surf outside the breakwater. Nearby, in the village of Llithfaen, are the Welsh Language and Heritage Centre and restaurant. The pretty coastal town of Nefyn sits atop sweeping cliffs, and is home to a fine, two-mile stretch of sandy beach, along with a good selection of shops, pubs and restaurants, and the award-winning golf club is popular with families and couples alike. Clynnog is also within reach of the amenities of the popular towns of Pwllheli, Abersoch, Caernarfon, Portmerion and Bangor. The coastline around this region is dotted with castles and coves, while fishing, sailing and watersports are all available. The start of the Snowdonia National Park is five miles away, with its dramatic scenery and abundance of superb walks. With its proximity to such a wide range of destinations, this area makes a superb base for a break in North Wales.
Gwynedd is a mountainous county with much of the east covered by Snowdonia National Park. To the west is the Llyn Peninsula which is flatter and has some of North Wales’s most beautiful coastlines.
The lagoons, wetlands, grasslands and reedbeds of Spinnies Aberogwen nature reserve near Bangor attract a wonderful variety of birds all year round but in particular during spring and autumn migrations. In the summer look out for kingfishers, little egrets, and grey herons in the reeds as they hunt for small fish, while in winter, water rails, great-crested grebes, and snipe, are joined by dunlins, lapwings, and redshanks looking for shelter. The reserve has a hide as well as bird feeders giving you the opportunity to see the wildlife up close.
Just south of Porthmadog is Traeth Glaslyn nature reserve made up of salt marsh, willow woodland, and grassland and a haven for wildlife and birds including teals, wigeons, curlews, black-tailed godwits. There is a hide here too, but please note at high tide the reserve can become submerged so check tide times before you go.
Another wetland reserve is the RSPB’s Arthog Bog in the Mawddach Valley. It may be small but it’s crammed with wildlife. Visit in spring for the opportunity to see summer migrants such as sedge warblers, whitethroats, and cuckoos. In autumn, flocks of redwings and fieldfares arrive for the winter. There’s a good chance to see goldfinches, linnets, and siskins feeding on seeds all year round.
For woodland birds head to Nantporth nature reserve, overlooking the Menai Strait and home to blackcaps, treecreepers, nuthatches, and jays. It’s also a good place to spot carrion crows, ravens, and jackdaws which often flock to the foreshore.
Also in the Menai Straits, is Traeth Lafan or Lavan Sands, an intertidal sandbank that is important for waterfowl in particular oystercatchers, as well as ringed plovers, knots, greenshanks, and turnstones.
Although ospreys can be spotted all over Gwynedd, for fans of these magnificent birds of prey a trip to Bywyd Gwyllt Glaslyn Wildlife is a must. A pair of ospreys has been breeding at the site since 2004 and in spring, visitors can watch on camera as the parents deliver fish to feed their chicks at the nest. There are also viewing platforms, hides, and scopes, and volunteers on hand to answer any questions you might have.
