All walks › Eryri: Rhinogydd and Harlech
Eryri: Rhinogydd and HarlechHarlech Castle and the Dunes
From a castle that once had the sea at its foot, down through dunes to a vast beach, with Eryri filling the skyline behind.
- Distance
- 3.7 mi / 6 km
- Time
- 2 hr 5
- Ascent
- 150 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
Descend from the castle through the town and across the dunes to the beach, returning by the golf links path and the steep street back up. The hill back is genuinely steep.
Worth knowing
- Ffordd Pen Llech in the town was briefly recognised as the steepest street in the world.
- The sea has retreated half a mile since the castle was built; the water gate now looks out over dunes.
- The beach runs for miles and is rarely crowded.
What you’ll see
The castle on its rock, dune systems, the beach, and the whole Snowdon range to the north.
Background
Built by Edward I from 1283, Harlech withstood a seven-year siege in the Wars of the Roses, which is generally taken as the origin of the song.