MWNT AND GWBERT

It takes a bit of work to get to the beach at Mwnt, involving the negotiation of narrow roads and a fair few steps down from the car park, but it is well worth the effort. The beautiful little beach is overlooked by the church of Eglwys Mwnt, a simple whitewashed building built in the 13th or 14th century on a site originally occupied by an earlier 6th century church. The font inside the church is made from Preseli stone and there are ancient pieces of carved wood. Beachgoers frequenting Mwnt are occasionally treated to the sight of dolphins just offshore.

Mwnt - Wales 03. Photo by Dickelbers, via Wikimedia Commons.

The village of Gwbert lies in an elevated position above the mouth of the River Teifi, which marks the southern boundary of the county of Ceredigion. The sand dunes on the estuary to the south of the village support a multitude of plant species. To the north is Cardigan Island Coastal Farm Park, with rare breeds from all over the world. The headland by the Farm Park offers fine views across to Cardigan Island, a small uninhabited island 200 yards offshore, once the home of puffins, but sadly no longer since the island was overrun by rats from a shipwreck and the little blighters ate all the eggs and chicks. However, the island remains a nature reserve, with thousands of nesting sea-birds and also a flock of wild Soay sheep. Below the Farm Park the cliffs are riddled with caves, and these are the haunt of a colony of Atlantic grey seals. If you are lucky enough to be in the area towards the end of a sunny day, the sunsets from the clifftop are spectacular.

Sunset at Gwbert - geograph.org.uk - 196753. Photo by Ian Knox, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of the area.