All walks › Cardiff and the Vale
Cardiff and the ValeLlantwit Major and the Heritage Coast
Layered cliffs and a wave-cut platform below a town whose church housed one of the earliest centres of learning in Britain.
- Distance
- 4.3 mi / 7 km
- Time
- 2 hr 25
- Ascent
- 170 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 the beach, take the coast path east towards Col-huw and Tresilian, returning inland by field paths through the town.
Worth knowing
- St Illtud’s church holds a remarkable collection of early medieval carved stones and is free.
- The wave-cut platform at low tide is a huge expanse of flat rock, full of fossils.
- The cliffs are actively eroding; keep back from the edge and away from the base.
What you’ll see
Stratified Lias cliffs, the wave-cut platform, the Iron Age fort at Col-huw, and the church stones.
Background
Illtud founded a monastic school here around 500 AD which taught, by tradition, Samson, Gildas and David.