Mwnt, Ceredigion - South Wales

Forty years ago, only a handful of people ever found their way to Mwnt. But with the increase in car ownership, visitors began to discover this enchanting spot on the Cardigan Bay coast. The good news is that Mwnt is as pretty as ever, thanks to the foresight of the National Trust in acquiring this stretch of coast and protecting it from any unsympathetic development. Mwnt also lies on one of Cardigan Bay's stretches of protected Heritage Coast.

Mwnt is a perfect little crescent sand of which shelters beneath a grassy headland. For once, the hyperbole of the holiday brochures is accurate: Mwnt really is 'the jewel of Cardigan Bay'. This secluded cove is accessible by a winding network of steps, which unfortunately does not provide access for disabled visitors. However, the views from the cliff top and path ways along the coast are well worth visiting the area. Not only does this beach give a sense of isolation from the bustle of the modern world, it is also home to very friendly bottle nosed dolphins, seals and porpoises, many of whom choose to mix among the swimmers in the bay. For the past 30 years this small corner of Wales has been the summer holiday destination for Rhodri Morgan, the Welsh Government's First Minister. We could describe to you the beauty of this small remote cove and headland, but the First Minister's words are far better than anything we could provide:

Rhodri Morgan, First Minister of Wales
Rhodri Morgan AM First Minister of Wales

"It has a wonderful beach for swimming"

"It's a wonderful location nestling under the mountain"

"ten yards away from us, a dolphin flicked a mackerel six feet out of the water with its bottle nose"

"you may be disturbed as you swim by a dolphin cruising past you"

"It's a wonderful location"

Mwnt is my special place because it has given me since 1946, my children since the late 1960s, and now their The secluded cove of Mwnt children, the best holiday experiences you could ask for.

It has a wonderful beach for swimming. The water is considered cold by some, but it is incredibly clear and you can swim well off shore without the danger of currents taking you where you don’t want to go.

The special charm of swimming in the Mwnt is that you may be disturbed as you swim by a dolphin cruising past you or the head of an Atlantic grey seal popping up a few yards away. The best experience of all in the Mwnt would probably date from Cardigan Island viewed from the clifftops at Mwnt Bay the late 1970s when my son, then about eight years old, and I had clambered out onto the headland and then about ten yards away from us, a dolphin flicked a mackerel six feet out of the water with its bottle nose - turning head-over-heels dozens of times. The dolphin then caught it in his jaws on the way down. I have never even seen that on the David Attenborough programme on the BBC, but my son and I saw it in real life almost within touching distance at the Mwnt.

The Mwnt other charms are the Mwnt itself. The mountain that towers over the beach. When you are feeling energetic, Mwnt, the Mound that dominates the clifftops surrounding the beach you will be tempted to walk up to the top and enjoy the fantastic views it offers out over Cardigan Bay up to Snowdonia and south to Cardigan Island and if you’ve had a few tots of Jameson’s best, the Wicklow Mountains as well!

Take that combination of the beach, a mountain and finally the medieval church, which was used by pilgrims going from Bardsey to St David’s. This was in the days when, if you couldn’t get to Jerusalem, you tried to get to Rome. If you Mwnt parish church couldn’t get to Rome, you tried to get to Santiago di Compostela. If you could do none of those things, then it was over to Bardsey and down to St David’s, the pilgrims way around the Cardigan Bay coast was the next best thing to secure your place in heaven in the next world – not so much Easyjet as Hardshank’spony.com

The Mwnt parish church then, is not really a parish church, more a pilgrim’s church. It's wonderful location nestling under the mountain and above the beach is the third unforgettable attraction of my special place.

Along on a wind-raked headland is the Eglwys y Grog (Church of the Holy Cross), a tiny 13th century chapel on the site of a 6th century monk's cell, a religious settlement dating from the dawn of Christianity in Wales and a stop for pilgrims en route to Bardsey Island in North Wales. The place and the church give a rather touching glimpse of the earliest days of Wales' spartan brand of Christianity - something to ponder as you explore this atmospheric spot. Services are held in the church on the morning and evening of the first Sunday of June, July and August. Once there were darker forces at work in this idyllic spot. Until a few centuries ago, the first Sunday in January was marked with the game Sul Coch y Mwnt (The Bloody Sunday of the Mound) to commemorate the violent defeat of the Flemish landing here in 1155. Mwnt is rich in wildlife, being a regular summer home to dolphins, seals and porpoises.

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