If you read last week’s blog, you’ll know that we recently spent a week exploring the county of Ceredigion in West Wales. And if you didn’t read last week’s blog, you’ll probably be able to gather from the title of this post and the first sentence that we recently spent a week exploring the county of Ceredigion! I’m really excited to share the walks we did in the second half of our visit, as it includes all of my favourites from the trip (probably helped significantly by the fact the weather was a bit more on our side).
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Cenarth Falls
Initially, the Wednesday of our trip was looking like a total write off, with heavy rain forecast non-stop from 8am to 8pm. However, when we got up on Wednesday morning, it was threatening but still dry – so we dashed out the door to do a quick walk around Cenarth Falls, a nearby waterfall.
The route we followed was from our ever-relied on Pocket Mountains guide, a circular walk of around 2km. Short enough to squeeze in before the rain came! We cut a bit off the start and parked at the falls themselves, where parking is £3 all day. This is a wonderfully easy route, making use of the very well maintained boardwalk running along the river from the falls, and almost entirely flat. I was surprised at how quiet it was (although we did go at 9.30 in the morning), and thrilled when I saw my first ever kingfisher zipping along the river! We also loved the impressive old watermill that you pass soon after setting off.
If you want a totally flat walk, you can simply turn around at the end of the board walk and retrace your steps. We stuck to our route though, which climbs up through a small wood to return along a quiet road. I don’t think it really makes much difference apart from the fact the road was completely deserted and we didn’t see another soul, plus the slight climb from the river.
Dog friendly rating – 3/5. We kept our dogs on leads all the way around here, as the boardwalk is raised up above the river banks, and we could see that letting them off so close to the river would be far too tempting. The walkway is quite narrow which might cause issues if you visit at a busier time, and the return is along a country lane, but there are no stiles or livestock to worry about.
Mwnt
We returned back to our cottage, prepared to wait out the rain. However, after lunch it looked like it might be easing off, so we raced back to the car and drove over to the coast. Our aim was to visit the headland at Mwnt, which with its pretty white washed church is probably one of the most photographed places in Ceredigion.
When we arrived, we could see an enormous black cloud following quickly behind us, so we scrapped Plan A of doing a two and a half hour walk from our Pocket Mountains book and instead just walked up the headland of Foel Y Mwnt. Parking is pay and display or free for National Trust members, so remember you membership card! There is a clear path which circumnavigates the headland, which all in all took us about twenty minutes.
Foel Y Mwnt is supposed to be a fantastic place to watch for marine life in Cardigan Bay. Sadly we didn’t spot any of the resident dolphins, but we did get a nice view down over the beach. Even in the most minging weather the sea was still a fantastic shade of turquoise. It surprised me that we saw as many people as we did on this walk (a grand total of six), but then again I think this is one of Ceredigion’s most famous landscapes.
Dog friendly rating – 3/5. We kept our dogs on their leads here as it seemed like the kind of place where a sheep might pop up unexpectedly, and unfortunately the dog restriction on the beach at Mwnt is in full force over summer and meant we couldn’t go down there. However, there are no stiles on this walk and we still found it very quiet (probably due to the weather!).
Pumlumon
We finally got a properly sunny day on the Thursday of our trip, and we didn’t waste the opportunity to head for the hills. While not home to any particularly famous peaks, the Cambrian mountains (hiding place of Owain Glyndwr’s rebellion) edge into the north west of Ceredigion. Our Pocket Mountains guide included an 8km circular route up Pumlumon, so we set off bright and early to climb up to the highest point in Ceredigion.
I was surprised by how easy this walk was: starting from a car park by a farm (£5 parking all day), we set off up a track which climbed steadily, before branching off on a grassy path which we followed all the way to the top, which it felt like we reached in next to no time and with minimal effort. The views were brilliant, taking in the surrounding coast and countryside, and we could even see the Brecon Beacons silhouetted to the south!
From the summit, it’s an even more gradual descent, easily navigable by following a fence line most of the way to the bottom. We both really enjoyed this walk, and it only took us about three hours from start to finish, including a stop at the top for something to eat and photos.
Dog friendly rating – 3.5/5. This is a great half day dog walk and is guaranteed to quieten your dog down in the evening! We kept ours on leads as although there is no road walking, there are sheep throughout. There is one ladder stile to navigate to get to the summit, although the rungs are flattened which meant both of ours managed to climb over this without assistance from us. The final thing to note is that while there is water at the start of the walk, this soon disappears so you might need to take extra for your dog on a hot day.
Nant Yr Arian
Pumlumon actually took us less time than we were expecting, which meant we had time to stop off at Nant yr Arian which was on our way back to the cottage. There are three way marked walking trails to choose from as well as some mountain biking trails. We arrived just before 3pm, which coincides with the daily red kite feeding which takes place here. It was fantastic seeing trees completely full of red kites waiting for the feast!
We did the short loop around the lake, as we were setting off late and also wanted to see the red kite feeding. It was much better than our previous experience of red kite feeding, being completely free to visit (apart from parking fees) and being along a lovely walking trail, rather than in a field behind someone’s house!
The short kite discovery trail is fully accessible and suitable for wheel chairs and pushchairs, and is mostly flat. There are information boards scattered along the trail with interesting facts about red kites, and if you visit at feeding time you’ll have some close up views of kites from all over the trail.
We saw more people on this walk than any other during the week, but they were all gathered to watch the kite feeding and I suspect if we’d done one of the other trails or arrived earlier, it would have been much quieter. A great little stop to squeeze in on the same day as Pumlumon!
Dog friendly rating – 4/5. We kept leads on due to the number of other people about and not wanting them to have dogs underfoot. Despite this, it was a lovely dog walk with no dog obstacles or livestock, and I’d love to return one day and explore the two longer trails.
Cwmtydu and Castell Bach
All too soon it was the end of the week and we were packing up the car to drive home. We managed to squeeze in one last walk after we said goodbye to our cottage, stopping off at Cwmtydu for a quick walk along the coast as it was on our way home. This was another short linear route from our Pocket Mountains guide, starting from the pretty village of Cwmtydu and following the Ceredigion coast path to the Iron Age fort and beach at Castell Bach.
There is honesty box parking (£1) on the edge of the village, or you can park considerately for free by the beach in Cwmtydu. After a short but steep climb up the steps by the beach, we followed the coast path for a short way to reach the cove at Castell Bach. Be sure to follow the surfaced path and don’t be lured away by the earthy path like we were – this doesn’t go anywhere and we walked right through a wasps nest and got mobbed!
According to our Pocket Mountains book, the plateau above Castell Bach is grazed by semi wild ponies, but we sadly didn’t catch a glimpse of them. We did however spot a seal bobbing in the bay which was pretty cool. When we got to the beach, there was a sign up saying that there was a seal pup down there, so we didn’t got onto the beach with the dogs just in case it was still lingering somewhere out of sight – you can guarantee they’d find it even if we couldn’t.
This short walk was such a pleasure (especially on the way back, where we managed to avoid the wasps nest), and definitely competes with Pumlumon for the epithet of ‘walk of the week’. It took us about an hour to walk there and back, including much inspection of the cool rocks on the beach, and is definitely worth a visit if you’re ever in Ceredigion.
Dog friendly rating – 3/5. Both beaches on this walk (Cwmtydu and Castell Bach) are dog friendly all year round, but please keep your dogs off the beach if there are seals on there. Cwmtydu beach is even sometimes called Seals Bay, which gives a good indication of your chance of spotting one! The walk along the coast path has lots of steep drops, so we kept leads on to be cautious: it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Where we stayed
We stayed at Mulberry Cottage, a beautifully decorated and very comfortable holiday cottage on the border between Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire. The cottage had everything we needed and was clean and spacious, and the peaceful surroundings with ponies grazing in the fields behind us were absolutely wonderful.
Dog friendly rating – 5/5. I absolutely can’t fault the cottage on the dog friendly front – the owner was so understanding about the diarrhoea incident and was happy for us to replace the carpet. There is also a large, properly secure garden which Merry didn’t manage to escape from once! All the floors downstairs are tiled or laminate, and there is plenty of space for both humans and dogs to stretch out. Both of ours loved the dog bed that was tucked into the corner by the sofa. As an added bonus, dogs are allowed on the sofas downstairs and throws are provided to use in the event that you want to let your dog on the furniture. Not forgetting the large tin of gravy bones on top of the fridge!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our adventures in Ceredigion – if you never want to miss a post, you can subscribe using the button below:
