katygriff has been thanked 2 times for this contribution
"I have had a second home in Wales now since I was 7 years old. I can still remember my parents buying a caravan at a site in mid Wales and as a kid I was so excited as it gave me a chance to make some new friends and I felt there was more of a sense of freedom with animals and a park being on the site. As a kid though I really wanted to be by the beach as I am sure everybody does so we went exploring at the local beach which was Aberdyfi which I am still in love with now.
Aberdyfi or Aberdovey as it is more commonly known is situated in Mid Wales and is a beautiful little seaside town. To get there you have to drive through the most wonderful scenery and roads with trees either side and fields beyond. We get there by travelling through a town called Machynlleth so f you want directions type these two places into the internet and you will come up with a detailed route.
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The Beach:
Let's get to the important part first which is the beach and it is great. The sand is golden and is pebbly in parts but overall you can feel good enough to just take your shoes off and have a walk around. One side of the beach is where the pier is and the other side has massive sand dunes which are quite fun to go walking around but mind your feet as it can get quite pebbly and the sand dunes are sharp.
The sea shore is lovely with a nice blue sea and you can often see jellyfish and crabs in the sea if you look closely. People do tend to paddle there but there are quite a lot of water sports available so not many go actually swimming. The sea always seems clean enough but I have seen way too much wildlife in there to go swimming.
Across the beach you can see another beach which is ynyslas which is around 18 miles away (driving not swimming). It is nice but ynyslas is known more as a windy beach where as Aberdovey gets a lot of the sun so when the weather gets nice as you can imagine parking can become a pain.
The beach is quite long but you can walk from end to end and the scenery is just stunning with obviously the sea one side and then behind you are lovely seaside houses which are all colours of the rainbow and massive hills so it really is lovely. Dogs are allowed on one side of the beach but they are frowned upon at the end by the pier.
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The Pier:
The pier at Aberdovey is wonderful with a variety of activities. At one side you have a shop which sells swimming and basic beach materials and then you can rent things like jet skis from here. Then you will see lots of people constantly around the pier doing one of my favourite activities which is crab fishing. You can buy nets and meat from the shop and try and catch crabs into a bucket and throw them back into the sea when you have finished. Then at the other side of the pier you will find a large grassy area where people have picnics and a pub which is always full. Dogs are welcome on the pier.
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Shopping:
Aberdovey is a seaside resort so as you can imagine there are quite a few shops which sell things like buckets and spades and crab fishing supplies. These are nice and really give you a good feel of being at the beach. The shops are literally over a road from the beach so very close and you can buy ice-cream from here too of which there is nothing better on a hot day.
Then there are some really nice shops. Some are touristy so you can buy novelty frames and key rings but what I suggest is that you walk down some of the side streets as you will find some little gems. One shop I love and I can't remember what it is called but it sells some lovely prints of surrounding areas which I love and I keep meaning to buy a big one for my house.
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Eating:
There area a few pubs and restaurants around which all serve food but some only do so at specific times so it might be worth finding out when you can go when you arrive there. I have eaten at three different ones that are all nice but my favourite isn't a pub or restaurant. When I come to the beach there is only one thing I fancy which is chips and as at all beaches there is a nice fish and chip shop on the sea front. I will warn you though that it is always busy so you do have to wait a while but the food is that good it is so worth it.
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Parking:
Parking can be a pain here because it is one of the nicest beaches for miles around and when the sun is out so are all the people so you do find that the car parks get pretty full. There is a big one which usually gets filled up first and you can't miss it as it is one road that goes through Aberdovey and it is just there right by the beach. If you carry on a little there is another one on the left which houses a lot more cars and usually you can park on the street as well so you should find a space.
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Other Things:
There are a few other things to tell you about Aberdovey. The first is that if you walk along the sand dunes away from the pier you will come upon a small pitch and putt golf course which is quite nice to do. Here you can also find the tennis courts which we have been to loads of times so usually you can spend a few hours in this little area for about a fiver each.
There are walks around which are all signposted in the town. My personal favourite is walking up the hill behind the beach which if you as anybody there they will show you where it starts. There is a small gazebo there which you can get to and you have spectacular views over the beach.
Also Aberdovey does have quite a few events which can be found on the following web page http://www.aberdovey.org.uk/ . The best event I have been to was a lantern parade which I think is towards the end of the year and they have a big barbeque and lots of things going on and it is just really nice to see.
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Verdict:
I love Aberdovey and I have done since I was 7 years old. It is one of those beaches that you can go to again and again and never get bored and I don't think I ever will. Whenever I take friends to Wales we always come here and everybody has a great time as there are loads to do and it is a fun place to go.
I am going to give Aberdovey a massive five stars out of five for being brilliant and if you are ever in mid Wales I suggest you go. It is near to a lot of towns so there is always somewhere to go and it easy to find. I recommend!
Thanks for reading.
xxx"
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Sounds a delighful spot. Many thanks for the review.
