On the southern edge of Eryri National Park (Snowdonia), Tywyn may not be the prettiest town on the Welsh coast, but the setting is hard to beat. Spread out across a wide belt of coastal plain, it is flanked by craggy hills, lakes, old slate mines, forests and spectacular river valleys.
If you want pretty, head four miles south to Aberdyfi (or Aberdovey), a charming harbour town on the northern shore of the River Dyfi Estuary, where narrow, hilly streets slope down to a waterfront big on sailing, fishing, watersports and summer regattas.
The two towns are linked by a scenic coast road (and footpath) that skirts the Aberdovey Golf Club’s championship links and hugs the dunes on Cardigan Bay.
On Tywyn’s seafront, cafés and caravan parks are strung along a windy prom, overlooking the Irish Sea and a stretch of surfy beach. In the old town – a mile inland – you will find a row of time-warp shops, chapels, ancient St Cadfan’s Church (honouring the 6th-century Welsh saint, and home to a stone with the earliest known inscription of the Welsh language) and a few surprises: a dragon-red cinema, a “weeping” statue, home-made honey ice cream and the celebrated Talyllyn Railway, recently reopened for the season (until the end of October).
