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Cardigan Bay - a great sweep of remote grandeur
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Along the sea, a 40 mile sweep of glorious coastline of Cardigan Bay. Inland, one of the most sparsely populated areas in Britain.
The beauty of the cliffs is occasionally broken by a town or one of the ubiquitous caravan sites. The cliffs and coves remain to be admired.
Inland the sweeping moorland is the home to an astonishing collection of birds - from skylarks to red kites, merlins, peregrines, golden plovers, red grouse, kestrels and teal.
A narrow gauge railway runs from the coast to Devil's Bridge, one of Wales' most popular tourist attractions.
A gazetteer of places along the Cardigan coast follows.
Aberaeron
In the 19th century, the port of Aberaeron had a busy ship-building industry, but today it is fishing and tourism that sustain the town.
For the tourist, there are two bathing beaches, a sailing centre, magnificent walks within easy reach. The beauty of the Aeron Valley and the Teifi Valley (with its salmon and trout fishing) is not far distant. Here you can also watch fishermen paddling coracles, the traditional small craft made by stretching canvas over a wicker frame.
Aberystwyth
Although a resort town, Aberystwyth has also the original building for the University College of Wales and is the home of The National Library of Wales.
The University College of Wales is spread across many buildings in the town, and many of them can be visited by asking at the porters lodges.
The Notional Library of Wales contains something like 2 million books and 4 million Welsh records. It took from its inception in 1873 until 1955 to be completed. It contains among other treasures, the Black Book of Carmarthen, which dates from the 12th century, and the White Book of Roderick.
If you just want to enjoy the resort, then there are sand and pebble beaches, public gardens, and the ruins of a castle.
Borth
A small village, with a main street of quaint cottages, right on a pebble beach. Beyond are miles of sand. Should you be interested in rare bog plants, then just inland is Borth Bog, home to many rare species.
Cardigan
Cardigan Castle did not survive the Civil War, was partly blown up in 1645, and all that now remains is odd bits of the structure. There is an interesting medieval seven arched bridge over the River Teifi in the town.
And just outside Cardigan is a wildlife park with many birds and animals.
Devil's Bridge
Why should this be one of the most visited of all natural attractions in Wales? The answer is that there are three bridges built close together across a deep gorge . The 12th century Devil's Bridge is the lowest of the three. Combine the bridges, with the gorge and with a series of dramatic waterfalls, one over 300 feet high, and there is the answer to the popularity.
Lampeter
An attractive central Wales market town on the River Teifi. It is the home of an important seminary for Church of Wales ministers - St David's College.
New Quay
Tucked away, but worth a visit, the houses at New Quay rise in terraces from the sandy beach and small harbour. The 300 foot high New Quay Head looms above it all. The town is pretty, and the views from the head breath taking.
Tregaron
From its position, on the Teifi in mid Wales, you will not be surprised to learn that Tregaron is a pony trekking centre.There are plenty of mountains and open moorland to take the ponies on.
A peculiarity is the Bog of Tregaron, being 4 miles long makes it the largest in England or Wales, and it is still growing!
