All walks › Eryri: Rhinogydd and Harlech
Eryri: Rhinogydd and HarlechMorfa Harlech
One of the largest and most active dune systems in Britain, still growing seaward, with an enormous beach and Eryri filling the northern skyline.
- Distance
- 4.3 mi / 7 km
- Time
- 2 hr 20
- Ascent
- 30 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- There and back
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
Boardwalks and paths cross the dunes to the beach, which can be walked north as far as the estuary. Soft sand in the dunes.
Worth knowing
- The dunes are still accreting, which is unusual; most British dune systems are eroding.
- Ground-nesting birds in the dunes; keep dogs on leads in spring and summer.
- The beach runs for miles and is rarely busy even in August.
What you’ll see
Dune ridges and slacks, orchids in early summer, the beach, and the whole Snowdon range north.
Background
The sea reached Harlech castle when it was built in 1283; the dunes have since pushed the shoreline half a mile west.