To return home by public transport from the end of the walk at Cardigan, use one of the regular buses to Carmarthen for trains or National Express coaches to London, the Midlands and further north.
See Appendix C for website details and telephone numbers of travel organisations.
For those travelling by air, Manchester and Birmingham International Airports are the best arrival points, both linked to the national rail network.
Getting around
Public transport along the walk is generally quite good. Regular buses and trains link most of the settlements along the coast, making it possible, with careful planning, to use public transport either at the start or end of a day’s walk.
A train leaves Tywyn on the Talyllyn Railway (Day 6)
Between New Quay and Cardigan, Ceredigion County Council’s coastal Cardi Bach bus can collect and set you down at convenient locations within a defined zone, and can be booked in advance. For a timetable go to www.ceredigioncoastpath.org.uk/cardi-bach.html or telephone 0845 686 0242.
There are railway stations at Porthmadog, Minffordd, Penrhyndeudraeth, Llandecwyn*, Talsarnau*, Tygwyn*, Harlech, Llandanwg*, Pensarn*, Llanbedr*, Dyffryn Ardudwy*, Tal-y-bont*, Llanaber*, Barmouth, Morfa Mawddach*, Fairbourne, Llwyngwril*, Tonfanau*, Tywyn, Aberdyfi, Machynlleth, Dovey Junction, Borth and Aberystwyth.
The stations marked * are request stops.
Accommodation
Appendix B lists places with accommodation (and type of accommodation available) at the time of writing, and Appendix C lists the tourist information centres relevant to the coast path. A useful website is www.visitwales.co.uk; for information specific to the Ceredigion Coast Path visit www.discoverceredigion.co.uk. An online search for hotels, guest houses and B&Bs in specific towns and villages is also a good way of finding somewhere to stay. For people who prefer to carry their accommodation on their backs, there are many official campsites (which are primarily caravan sites) along the coast; the list at Appendix B includes camping options. There are only two youth hostels convenient to the route in this guide: one at Borth and one at Poppit Sands (west of St Dogmaels).
Cab-a-bag scheme: luggage transfer
A luggage transfer scheme operates along the Ceredigion Coast Path, enabling walkers to forward larger bags from one overnight stay to another and carry a light pack for the walk itself. See the ‘Walking’ section at www.discoverceredigion.co.uk for further details.
What to take
As some sections of the walk are quite rough and rocky, and those across fields can be muddy at times, hiking boots rather than trainers are recommended. Always carry suitable wet-weather clothing, including lightweight overtrousers for rainy days and for when the walk goes through wet vegetation. A compass is unlikely to be needed (except on the hill alternative between Tal-y-bont and Barmouth) but do carry a charged mobile phone, noting that coverage can be very patchy. While there are frequent places offering refreshment, it is important to carry ample food and drink, especially in hot weather. And do not forget to take high factor sun cream.
Bright seafront houses at Borth (Day 9)
Visitor attractions
You may wish to build an extra hour or so, or an extra day as appropriate, into your walking schedule to visit one or more of the following attractions (listed here in the order in which you will encounter them):
The eclectic mix of buildings at Portmeirion (Day 1)
Welsh Highland Railway, Porthmadog – runs from the end of March to the end of October www.festrail.co.uk
Ffestiniog Railway, Porthmadog – runs from February to December www.festrail.co.uk
Portmeirion tourist village – open all year from 9.30am–7.30pm www.portmeirion-village.com
Harlech Castle – open March, April, May, June, September and October 9.30am–5.00pm; July and August 9.30am–6.00pm; November, December, January and February 10.00am–4.00pm (11.00am–4.00pm Sunday)
Fairbourne Steam Railway – runs from the end of March to the end of October, with limited days in February www.fairbournerailway.com
Talyllyn Railway, Tywyn – runs from the end of March to the end of October, with limited days in February, November and December www.talyllyn.co.uk
Owain Glyndŵr Centre, Machynlleth – open from March to the end of September 10.00am–5.00pm; and from October to the end of December 11.00am–4.00pm www.canolfanglyndwr.org
Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth – open seven days a week, from Easter to the end of October, 10.00am–5.00pm www.cat.org.uk. (There are regular buses from Machynlleth.)
Ceredigion Museum, Aberystwyth – open Monday to Saturday, from April to September 10.00am–5.00pm; and from October to March 12 noon–4.30pm www.ceredigion.gov.uk
Vale of Rheidol Railway, Aberystwyth – runs from April to the end of October, with limited service in February and March www.rheidolrailway.co.uk
Dylan Thomas Trail, New Quay (see www.newquay-westwales.co.uk/trail)
St Dogmaels Abbey, St Dogmaels – open all year 10.00am–4.00pm (11.00am–3.00pm Sunday). There is an adjoining Coach House museum and café.
Using this guide
The route is divided up into day walks, each ending at a place with accommodation. The suggested sections are not written in tablets of stone and, based on the information in the appendices, you may opt to cover shorter or longer distances.
For each day walk an information box gives details on the walk’s start and finish points, length, amount of ascent and descent, overall time it might take, OS maps required, any opportunities for refreshments along the way, public transport and accommodation. Timings are based on the speed of a walker of average fitness, allowing for rest and refreshment stops and for the nature of the terrain. You will need to add in extra time should you wish to visit one or more of the attractions en route, such as Harlech Castle or a narrow gauge railway.
Each route includes extracts from the appropriate OS Landranger map. A number