Nant Gwrtheyrn Beach (Porth y Nant)

The pebble beach at Nant Gwrtheyrn extends along a remote section of the Llyn Peninsula. The backdrop varies from gently sloping grass to some fairly imposing cliffs. The landscape here is also heavily scarred by what were once large scale quarrying operations.

Just above the beach are a number of ruins of abandoned industrial buildings dating back to the turn of the early 1900s. Rather than detract from the landscape they add to the feeling of remoteness and scale of the place.

Further beyond the beach is the village of Nant Gwrtheyrn itself, now a Welsh language centre. The village was abandoned in the early 1940s when the quarries shut down and there are still a few derelict properties on the hillside overlooking the beach.

It is said that a ghostly couple haunt the beach at Nant Gwrtheyrn with their ethereal forms walking the beach hand in hand. The story of Rhys and Meinir is one of a wedding day hide and seek game gone wrong. The tradition was for the bride to hide, but no one found here. Rhys went mad looking for her until one night while out in a storm he sat down by an old oak tree. Lightning struck the tree, splitting it open to reveal a skeleton in a wedding dress. As happens in these stories, Rhys died of grief on the spot. Now the couple happily haunt Porth y Nant.

There is a road down to the village, but it is not for the faint-hearted. Once known as “Screw Hill” it is not only steep but contains 6 hairpin bends. In the past it was unsurfaced,  but it was paved relatively recently. From the village there is a track down to the beach.