Awe-inspiring views along the coast of Wales

On the old-fashioned harbour wall of Abergwaun Lower Town in Pembrokeshire, a pleasing sculpture of a shoal of herrings mounted on a large Preseli boulder pays tribute to the traditional craft of herring fishing that was once the backbone of Abergwaun’s economy. Herrings were also the mainstay of the local diet. The sculpture is by John Cleal, who was an Abergwaun resident for many years.

Find out more about the Pembrokeshire Coast.

Near Castellmartin (Castlemartin) in Pembrokeshire the splendidly architectural looking arch in this slim limestone promontory was caused by natural wave erosion over millennia. The coast path gets you close enough to see the Green Bridge of Wales clearly, with the waves pounding at its feet. There’s another extremely impressive example, the Church Doors sea arch, at Skrinkle Haven between Tenby and Freshwater East.

Y Borth Beach on the Ceredigion coast is a beautiful sandy stretch backed by grass-tufted dunes. Nothing too unusual about that, in this part of the world. But it has an oddity – the remains of a 4,000-year-old forest, which was preserved by the nearby peat bog. At low tide, the stumps are exposed like strange sculptures. Just watch your toes when you’re wading.

Find out more about Ceredigion and Cardigan Bay

Geologists love this rugged stretch of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast. Around 300 million years ago, a continental collision caused its limestone cliffs to be pushed up out of the sea and contorted into striking formations of stacked rock. This is one of the best places in Wales to hunt for Jurassic fossils including giant brachiopods and ichthyosaurus bones. 

Find out more about the Glamorgan Heritage Coast

The steep, grassy clifftop banks of Sgomer look beautiful in spring, when their clumps of wildflowers burst in to bloom. But it’s the seabirds which nest here which make the scene truly extraordinary. A constant relay of puffins fly into their burrows with colourful beaks laden with sandeels, while countless others socialise, spar or just potter about.

The grand sweep of Llandudno’s Victorian seafront looks marvellous from ground level as you stroll along the Promenade. But it’s even better from above. Take the Great Orme Tramway, the cable car or your own two feet up to the summit of the Great Orme headland, a Site of Scientific Interest, for some awe-inspiring views of this graceful seaside town.

Find out more about Llandudno and Colwyn Bay

Jump into a helicopter from a charter company for unforgettable views of the Penrhyn Gŵyr coast, a National Landscape. Swoop over long, lovely Rhosili Bay when the tide is extremely low in spring or autumn and you’ll see the jagged outline of a shipwreck, its wave-worn timbers dug into the sand.

Find out more about Penrhyn Gŵyr and Bae Abertawe (Swansea Bay)

St Govan's Chapel, built in the 14th century, blends perfectly with the cliff walls and stacked boulders which surround it. It commemorates Saint Govan, a 6th century Irish Celtic hermit who lived here in a cave. Legend suggests Govan was Gawain, King Arthur’s Knight of the Round Table, who spent his later years in retreat. 

Of all the pretty harbours and bays in Pembrokeshire, Dinbych-y-pysgod (Tenby), with its neat array of pastel-coloured Georgian houses, is one of the loveliest. Many artists have been inspired by this view, including Augustus John, who was born here in 1878. He and other artists are celebrated at the Tenby Museum and Art Gallery.

Presiding over the waters of Penmon Sound between Dinmor Point and Puffin Island on Ynys Môn's east coast, this stocky, black and white lighthouse looks particularly dramatic on a stormy day. It was built in the 1830s after the Rothsay Castle, a paddle steamer braving the voyage from Liverpool to Beaumaris, ran aground in the strait.