CONTENTS
- Date, Distance & Duration
- Map of Route
- Tide Times & Weather
- Llanrhystud to Aberystwyth kayak
- Logistics
- Pubs & Restuarants
- Dangers & Issues
- Kayak/s used
- Kayaking the Wales Coast
- Summary
1. DATE, DISTANCE & DURATION
17 September 2020.
8 miles paddle.
Launch from Llanrhystud about 12:30. Landed at Aberystwyth about 17:30. 45 minutes lunch stop. 4 hours 15 mins paddling.
2. MAP OF THE ROUTE
3. TIDE TIMES & WEATHER
It was a warm, sunny day with lightish winds of about 9mph from the North West and highs of about 20 Celsius.
4. LLANRHYSTUD TO ABERYSTWYTH KAYAK
I launched from the beach at Llanrhystud at about 12:30pm and started paddling Northwards up the Cardigan Bay coast.
Llanrhystud has a long pebble beach backed by 2 caravan parks (Morfa Farm and Pengarreg).
Large cliffs planed upwards from the Northern end of Llanrhystud beach.
Due to the gentle curve of Cardigan Bay, as I paddled Borth from Llanrhystud I could just about make out Aberystwyth almost miles up the coast. From this distance, Aberystwyth just looked like a white-grey blur on the coast.
Gazing back Southwards towards , the Southern half of Cardigan bay curved away to the horizon.
This section of the the middle of Cardigan Bay is dominated by large cliffs which gradually become more striking as the you go Northwards up the coast.
As I approached 14:00, I spotted a nice pebble beach nestling under the cliffs which looked like a good place to stop for a lunch break.
I was about a third of the way along the 8 miles route. The going seemed to be a bit slow partly due to the outgoing tide running Southwards against me but mainly due to the wind which seemed to be coming down the coast and hence against me.
Soon after I set off again after my lunch stop, I started to come across seals bobbing around in the water near the shore.
I noticed that there were also several seals on the rocks who eyed me suspiciously as I paddled past on my way Northwards.
There suddenly seemed to be seals everywhere. I realised I must be passing by a colony of them and had witnessed a similar phenomenon when paddling near Cemaes Head just South of Cardigan when I was similarly surrounded by countless seals.
Although I hadn’t deviated from my course and was happy to view the seals as I passed by, a number of them seemed to be launching off the rocks and swimming over towards me.
Rather foolishly with hindsight, I started to get worried that they were going to attack me for having encroached upon their bit of coast. As I paddled Northwards away from them, I at one point noticed 4 seals swimming alongside to the right of me and 2 more on my left!
After my close encounter with the seals, I carried on paddling up the coast and was now almost half way along the 8 miles route.
The towering mast of the Blaenplwyf Transmitting station seemed to serve as a beacon by which I could gauge my progress up the coast. It’s situated about half way between Aberystwyth and Llanrhystud.
As I gradually made progress up the coast, the outline of my destination of Aberystwyth became clearer to see.
I could now make out the builtins of Aberystwyth quite clearly and could even see the stone column of the Wellington Memorial on the top of Pen Dinas Hill to the South of the town.
About a mile South of Aberystwyth, I noticed a large seal out to sea off to my left. When it saw me, it came steaming over to have a closer look at my kayak before submerging like a submarine under the waves.
Just South of Aberystwyth, I passed Tanybwlch Beach below with Pendinas Hill which is the location of remains of the largest hill fort in Ceredigion.
As I noticed that the tide was now coming in and was making a difference to my progress by helping to push me Northwards up the coast, although only by about 1mph.
As it came up to 17:30, I came in to land at the South beach at Aberystwyth where I’d left my car parked up that morning. The remains of Aberystwyth castle and the colourful beachfront houses were a wonderful backdrop as I glided onto Aberystwyth’s Beach.
5. LOGISTICS
We far prefer doing one way, liner kayaks rather than having to double back and do a circular route where possible.
At Aberystwyth South beach, there is a convenient car park on the South beach where I left my car. It was free at the time of doing this kayak in September 2020 but may have changed since then.
https://traws.cymru/en/services/FCYM/T1?date=2023-06-26&direction=inbound
You can also get the T5 Traws Cambria bus from Aberystwyth to Llanrhystud (or vice versa) and this runs every 1-2 hours, see the link to the timetable below.
https://traws.cymru/en/services/RBRO/T5
At Llanrhystud, the beach is about 2/3 of a mile down a road from the village, so if you use the bus, you will need to carry/wheel your kayak down this road to the beach.
The road down to Llanrhystud beach is quite narrow but there is a gravel walkway alongside it.
If you were not using the bus then you can park at the free car park at Llanrhystud beach.
6. PUBS & RESTAURANTS
Aberystwyth is blessed with a number of good pubs. Below are just a few of our favourites.
The Ship & Castle, Aberystwyth
The Ship & Castle is a great, traditional pub in the High Street not far from the South Beach and the harbour with a good range of beers and ciders.
The Glengower, Aberystwyth
‘The Glen’ is a lovely pub on the promenade on Aberystwyth’s North beach. It is a great place to have some drinks and food on the terrace out the front watching the sun setting over Cardigan Bay.
The Glengower has a nautical themed decor inside, with lots of interesting naval paintings and maps and also many photos from Aberystwyth’s past.
Inn On The Pier, Aberystwyth
The Inn on the Pier has a great outside terrace towards the end of the pier with great views over the North Beach and out across Cardigan Bay.
7. DANGERS & ISSUES
As with any sea kayak, you need to check the weather and sea swell forecast before going.
We usually use www.surf-forecast.com which is linked below.
https://www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/Aberwystwyth-Beach/forecasts/latest/six_day
If you create a free account with surf-forecast.com then you can view the forecast for an extended period ahead. We generally only go sea kayaking if the ‘Wave Height & Direction’ indicator is under about 0.8 meters and the wind is less than about 20 knots. The best conditions tend to be when the wind is from the South or West since the sea is usually calmer then.
While Cardigan Bay is of course tidal, the tide is nowhere near as much of an issue as it is with other section of coast we have paddled, such as the South East Wales Coast. The tide runs South to North in Cardigan Bay when it’s coming in. When it’s going out, it runs North to South.
If you are landing at/launching from the North Beach at Aberystwyth instead of the South Beach then note that there is a rocky outcrop on the South side of Aberystwyth Pier which goes out a few hundred meters.
You just need to be aware of it and make sure that you do not damage your kayak on them when the tide is a bit low (especially if you are using an inflatable like I was!).
8. KAYAK USED
I did this paddle in September 2020 when all of the Kayak Crew were still using Pro Aqua inflatable kayaks.
The Pro Aqua kayaks were sold by Clas Ohlson but they have been discontinued for a while we believe.
We have since progressed to higher grade inflatable kayaks which either have full drop stitch construction such as the Aquatec Ottowa and Story Division 1 or are hybrid kayaks with drop stitch floors but tubular sides such as the Itiwit X100.
9. KAYAKING THE WALES COAST
This 8 miles paddle on Cardigan Bay was part of our undertaking to kayak the 870 miles or so around the entire Wales coast.
This is a huge undertaking and this adventure has taken us to parts of our coastline that we had never been to before. We have a page on our website with blog posts of all of our Wales Coast paddles.
We also have a playlist on our Youtube channel with videos of all of our Wales Coast paddles.
10. SUMMARY
I greatly enjoyed this solo paddle on a stunning section of the Wales Coast.
Cardigan Bay is always a pleasure to paddle, being one of the most unspoiled parts of the Wales Coast which is richest in wildlife including seals, dolphins, porpoises and sea birds.
Whether you paddle Llanrhystud to Aberystwyth or vice versa, I can highly recommend this section of Cardigan Bay.
Aberystwyth is one of my favourite towns on the Welsh Coast and where I went to university (many year ago!) and it’s in particular a superb location to end a paddle and then go for a few beers afterwards.
If you have any questions about this or any other of our kayaking trips then comment below or email us on info@kayakcrew.co.uk
If you are planning to paddle this part of Cardigan Bay then you can download our PDF guide to kayaking this coastline via the link below which is packed with useful practical information.