Llŷn Peninsula
Porth Neigwl and Llanengan
Hell’s Mouth, a four-mile crescent of beach open to the south-west, with a medieval church inland that was built on the wealth of a lead mine.
- Distance
- 4.3 mi / 7 km
- Time
- 2 hr 20
- Ascent
- 180 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
From Abersoch, paths cross to Porth Neigwl and along the beach or clifftop, returning inland past Llanengan church. The beach is walkable at most states of tide.
Worth knowing
- Porth Neigwl earned its English name from the number of sailing ships embayed and wrecked here.
- Llanengan church has a fine rood screen and two aisles, unusual for a village this size.
- The best surf beach on the Llŷn, and consistently windy.
What you’ll see
The long crescent of beach, Mynydd Cilan at the eastern end, and the church with its screen.
Background
Llanengan was a pilgrimage stop on the route to Bardsey and was enlarged in the fifteenth century using income from a nearby lead mine.