Check out our hidden beaches in North Wales to enjoy stunning views and great wildlife!

1. Hell’s Mouth (Porth Neigwl) Abersoch

Location: About 11 minutes drive from Abersoch at the Llyn Peninsula

hidden beaches in north wales Image Source: Flicker Porth Neigwl Robert J Heath

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Hell’s Mouth (Porth Neigwl) is located approximately 11 minutes drive time from the town of Abersoch.

Abersoch is a popular tourist town famous for sailing and its Watersports centre. There’s certainly plenty to do and see in Abersoch!  It has beautiful restaurants, some nice shops and lovely sandy beaches. At times, due to its popularity, Abersoch can become a little over-crowded and quite busy. This is when you can take advantage of Hell’s Mouth as a retreat for some quiet time and one of the top hidden beaches in North Wales!

Hell’s Mouth is a secluded beach just perfect for body boarding and surfing. You’ll find free parking no more than 372 steps away from the beach. It really is a great place to visit to simply get away from it all!  Be aware though that there are no facilities such as toilets, cafe’s or shops there. That said, you’ll sometimes find a mobile catering van open for business in the car park. Here you can opt for a nice cup of tea on those colder wintery days, or maybe an ice cream when the sun decides to come out to play!

Hell’s Mouth is a great place to visit with your dogs too. Your pooch will have plenty of space to run around with some freedom but, naturally, it’s important to make sure that you’re a responsible dog owner at all times. This ensures that other visitors can enjoy their time too!

This is a beautiful secret beach consisting mainly of sand but with a few pebbles here and there. You’ll find some sand dunes and cliffs to enjoy as well!  With a 4 mile stretch of unbroken shoreline, you might even be lucky and catch a glimpse of seal pups sunbathing on the beach. Or, perhaps you might see a dolphin at play in the sea!

2. Porth Iago Abersoch

Location: About 27 minutes drive from Abersoch

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With so many glorious beaches to visit in the Llyn Peninsula, we decided to include Porth Iago in our top 4 best kept secrets of North Wales guide!

This glorious hidden gem is only 27 miles from Abersoch and Porth Iago is a sheltered beach set in a wonderful picturesque bay. It’s perfect for swimming, sun bathing and fishing and if you like sea fishing, Porth Iago is a beautiful spot to spend a couple of hours. Fish regularly caught on the rocks are bass, pollock, gurnard and plaice, so why not spend a few hours sitting on the rocks, basking in the sun, catching your own supper!

Dogs are allowed on the beach but care must be taken as farm vehicles are working on the fields at all times. There is a pay and display car park located above the beach, which is accessible via a private farm track down a sandy steep path. Again, there are no facilities such as toilets or a cafe at this beach, so do remember to take plenty with you – perhaps a nice picnic to enjoy on the rocks!

By the way, if the weather allows – and if you have the energy –  why not take a short walk over to the Porth Ferin beach? It’s small but sandy definitely a hidden gem of North Wales!

3. Porth Wen Anglesey

Location: About 8 minutes from Amwlch

© Public Domain

The lovely Porth Wen beach is accessed via a steep path which can get quite slippy on wet days. The beach is covered in shingles and, at low tide, there are rocks and rock-pools which are perfect habitat for crabs and small sea life. Porth Wen is a also great bay for fishing and dog walking.

To the left of Porth Wen beach is an old abandoned brickworks site. This disused Victorian workplace used to produce fire bricks from quartzite, which were used mostly to line steel-making furnaces.  The brickworks site is on private land so sadly there’s no access to these buildings! However, you will be able to take in fantastic views of them from the Wales Coastal Path.  Worth a thought too that these bricks were transported all around the world by sea!  From the Coastal Path you should be able to see the natural rock arches, the chimney’s, the factory buildings, the kilns and also the harbour where the bricks were exported from.

There are no facilities near Porth Wen and there’s very little parking but this lovely area is definitely worth a visit. Don’t forget your binoculars to get a close up view of the brickworks!


RELATED ARTICLE: Best North Wales Dog Walks!


4. Angel Bay (Penrhyn Bay) Llandudno

Location: 10 minutes drive from Llandudno

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If you enjoy observing wildlife in their natural habitat then Angel Bay is definitely for you!  This stoney beach is located along a walkway which takes you around the little orme. If you are extremely lucky, you’ll see grey seals playing in the bay or even sunbathing on the beach.  Many visitors have reported seeing seals at Angel Bay, with one visitor claiming to have seen up to 140 seals at one time!  Dolphins have also been spotted swimming in the sea, with many birds including gulls, razorbills, fulmars and cormorants regularly visiting the bay.

There are a number of different walks around Angel Bay. Why not take your walking boots to Angel Bay and climb the hill side to enjoy the amazing views towards Colwyn Bay shore?  This is a great place to take dogs walking too and it’s a great location for supervised kids to run around and have fun!  Again, be mindful that there are no facilities at Angel Bay and, unfortunately, there is very little parking. So be prepared and remember to take a picnic!

So if you’re considering walking the Wales Coastal Path to enjoy the stunning scenery, then the short divert over to Angel Bay is definitely worth it!

We hope our pick of the four hidden beaches in North Wales has given you tempting ideas for some great ‘get away’ days!   Enjoy!