Aberdaron
The Tŷ Newydd Hotel on the beach at Aberdaron
Aberdaron Location within Gwynedd
Area	47.71 km2 (18.42 sq mi)
Population	965 (2011)
• Density	20/km2 (52/sq mi)
OS grid reference	SH173268
Community	Aberdaron
Principal area	Gwynedd
Preserved county	Gwynedd
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	PWLLHELI
Postcode district	LL53
Dialling code	01758
Police	North Wales
Fire	North Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
UK Parliament	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
List of places UK Wales Gwynedd 52°48′29″N 4°42′36″W / 52.808°N 4.710°W / 52.808; -4.710

Aberdaron (Welsh pronunciation: [abɛrˈdarɔn]) is a community, electoral ward and former fishing village at the western tip of the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It lies 14+3⁄4 miles (23.7 km) west of Pwllheli and 33+1⁄2 miles (53.9 km) south west of Caernarfon, and has a population of 965.^[1] The community includes Bardsey Island (Welsh: Ynys Enlli), the coastal area around Porthor, and the villages of Anelog, Llanfaelrhys, Penycaerau, Rhoshirwaun, Rhydlios, Uwchmynydd and Y Rhiw.^[2] It covers an area of just under 50 square kilometres.^[3]

Y Rhiw and Llanfaelrhys have long been linked by sharing rectors and by their close proximity, but were originally ecclesiastical parishes in themselves. The parish of Bodferin/Bodverin was assimilated in the 19th century. The village was the last rest stop for pilgrims heading to Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli), the legendary "island of 20,000 saints". In the 18th and 19th centuries it developed as a shipbuilding centre and port. The mining and quarrying industries became major employers, and limestone, lead, jasper and manganese ("Mango") were exported. There are the ruins of an old pier running out to sea at Porth Simdde, which is the local name for the west end of Aberdaron Beach. After the Second World War the mining industry collapsed, and Aberdaron gradually developed into a holiday resort.^[4] The beach was awarded a Seaside Award in 2008.^[5]

The coastal waters are part of Pen Llŷn a'r Sarnau Special Area of Conservation (Welsh: Ardal Cadwraeth Arbennig Pen Llŷn a'r Sarnau), one of the largest marine designated sites in the United Kingdom.^[6] The coast itself forms part of the Aberdaron Coast and Bardsey Island Special Protection Area (Welsh: Ardal Gwarchodaeth Arbennig Glannau Aberdaron ac Ynys Enlli),^[7] and was designated a Heritage Coast in 1974.^[8] In 1956 the area was included in Llŷn Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (Welsh: Ardal o Harddwch Naturiol Eithriadol Llŷn).^[9][10] Conservation Areas have been created in Aberdaron, Bardsey Island and Y Rhiw;^[8] and the area has been designated a Landscape of Historic Interest.^[11]

Aberdaron means "Mouth of the Daron river", a reference to the river (Welsh: Afon Daron) which flows into the sea at Aberdaron Bay (Welsh: Bae Aberdaron).

The river itself is named after Daron, an ancient Celtic goddess of oak trees, with Dâr being an archaic Welsh word for oak. As such, the name shares an etymology with Aberdare and the Dare river (Welsh: afon Dâr).^[12][13]

The area around Aberdaron has been inhabited by people for millennia. Evidence from the Iron Age hillfort at Castell Odo, on Mynydd Ystum, shows that some phases of its construction began unusually early, in the late Bronze Age, between 2850 and 2650 years before present (BP).^[14] The construction was wholly defensive, but in later phases defence appears to have been less important, and in the last phase the fort's ramparts were deliberately flattened, suggesting there was no longer a need for defence. The Bronze and Iron Age double-ringed fortification at Meillionnydd was intensively occupied from at least the 8/7th to the 3rd/2nd century BCE, and was also deliberately flattened.^[15] It appears that Aberdaron became an undefended farming community. Ptolemy calls the Llŷn Peninsula "Ganganorum Promontorium" (English: Peninsula of the Gangani); the Gangani were a tribe of Celts also found in Ireland, and it is thought there may have been strong ties with Leinster.^[16]

The church at Aberdaron had the ancient privilege of sanctuary. In 1094 Gruffudd ap Cynan, the exiled King of Gwynedd, sought refuge in the church while attempting to recapture his throne; he escaped in the monastic community's boat to Ireland.^[17] He regained his territories in 1101, and in 1115 Gruffydd ap Rhys, the exiled prince of Deheubarth, took refuge at Aberdaron to escape capture by Gwynedd's ruler. Henry I of England had invaded Gwynedd the previous year, and faced by an overwhelming force, Gruffudd ap Cynan had been forced to pay homage and a substantial fine to Henry.^[18] The King of Gwynedd, seeking to give up the exiled prince to Henry, ordered that the fugitive prince be dragged from the church by force, but his soldiers were beaten back by the local clergy; Gruffydd ap Rhys escaped under cover of night and fled south to join up with his supporters in Ystrad Tywi.^[19]

Following the conquest of Gwynedd, in 1284, Edward I set about touring his new territories. He visited the castles at Conwy and Caernarfon. Court was held at Nefyn, at which his new subjects were expected to demonstrate their loyalty; and he visited Aberdaron on his way to Bardsey Abbey.^[20]

The medieval townships of Aberdaron were Isseley (Bugelis, Rhedynfra, Dwyros, Anhegraig, Cyllyfelin, Gwthrian, Deuglawdd and Bodernabdwy), Uwchseley (Anelog, Pwlldefaid, Llanllawen, Ystohelig, Bodermid, Trecornen), Ultradaron (Penrhyn, Cadlan, Ysgo, Llanllawen), and Bodrydd (Penycaerau, Bodrydd, Bodwyddog). These locatives predate the idea of the modern ecclesiastical parish. Some were or became hamlets in themselves, whereas others have subsequently been divided – for example the modern Bodrydd Farm is only a part of the medieval township.

After the English Civil War, when the Parliamentarians under Oliver Cromwell introduced a strongly Protestant regime, Catholicism remained the dominant religion in the area. Catholics, who had largely supported the Royalist side, were often considered to be traitors and efforts were made to eradicate the religion. The persecution even extended to Aberdaron, and in 1657, Gwen Griffiths of Y Rhiw was summoned to the Quarter Sessions as a "papist".^[21]

Agricultural improvement and the Industrial Revolution came to Aberdaron in the 19th century. The Inclosure (Consolidation) Act 1801 was intended to make it easier for landlords to enclose and improve common land, introduce increased efficiency, bring more land under the plough, and reduce the high prices of agricultural production. Rhoshirwaun Common, following strong opposition, was enclosed in 1814; while the process was not completed in Aberdaron, Llanfaelrhys and Y Rhiw until 1861.^[22] On the industrial front, mining developed as a major source of employment, especially at Y Rhiw, where manganese was discovered in 1827.^[23]

During the Second World War, Y Rhiw played a vital role in preparations for the Normandy landings. A team of electronic engineers set up an experimental ultra high frequency radio station, from where they were able to make a direct link to stations in Fishguard and Llandudno. The system employed a frequency that the German forces were unable to either monitor or jam, and was used in the 1944 landings.^[24]

Aberdaron, Bardsey Island, Bodferin, Llanfaelrhys and Y Rhiw were civil parishes in the commote of Cymydmaen within Cantref Llŷn, in Caernarfonshire.^[18] Following the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, parishes were grouped into "unions": Pwllheli Poor Law Union was created in 1837.^[25] Under the Public Health Act 1848 the area of the poor law union became Pwllheli Rural Sanitary District, which from 1889 formed a second tier of local government under Caernarfonshire County Council. Y Rhiw was absorbed into the smaller Llanfaelrhys in 1886;^[26] and under the Local Government Act 1894 the four remaining parishes became part of Llŷn Rural District (Welsh: Dosbarth Gwledig Llŷn). Bodferin, Llanfaelrhys, and parts of Bryncroes and Llangwnnadl, were amalgamated into Aberdaron in 1934.^[27] Llŷn Rural District was abolished in 1974, and Bardsey Island was absorbed into Aberdaron to form a community within Dwyfor District in the new county of Gwynedd;^[28] Dwyfor was abolished as a local authority area when Gwynedd became a unitary authority in 1996.^[29]

The community now forms an electoral division of Gwynedd Council, electing one councillor; William Gareth Roberts of Plaid Cymru was re-elected in 2008.^[30] Aberdaron Community Council has 12 elected members, who represent three wards: Aberdaron De (English: Aberdaron South), Aberdaron Dwyrain (English: Aberdaron East) and Aberdaron Gogledd (English: Aberdaron North). Ten Independent councillors and one from Plaid Cymru were elected unopposed in the 2008 election.^[31]

From 1950, Aberdaron was part of Caernarfon parliamentary constituency.^[32] In 2010, the community was transferred to Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency. In the Senedd it has, since 2007, formed part of the Dwyfor Meirionnydd constituency, represented by Dafydd Elis-Thomas of Plaid Cymru, who until 2011 was the Presiding Officer of the assembly.^[33] The constituency forms part of the electoral region of Mid and West Wales.^[34]

Aberdaron stands on the shore of Bae Aberdaron (English: Aberdaron Bay) in a small valley at the confluence of the Afon Daron and Afon Cyll-y-Felin, between the headlands of Uwchmynydd to the west, and Trwyn y Penrhyn to the east.^[17] At the mouth of the bay stand two islands, Ynys Gwylan-Fawr and Ynys Gwylan-Fach, which together are known as Ynysoedd Gwylanod (English: Seagull Islands).^[4] Gwylan-Fawr reaches 108 feet (33 metres) in height. The Llŷn Peninsula is a marine eroded platform, an extension of the Snowdonia massif, with a complex geology including Precambrian rocks.^[9] The coastline is rocky, with crags, screes and low cliffs; heather-covered hills are separated by valleys occupied by pastures.^[7]

To the east, Mynydd Rhiw, Mynydd y Graig and Mynydd Penarfynydd form a three-mile-long (five-kilometre) series of hog-back ridges of igneous rock that reaches the sea at Trwyn Talfarach. Above 800 feet (240 m) the ridges are topped by hard gabbro. At its northern end Mynydd Rhiw rises to 997 feet (304 m) and is a Marilyn. The outcrop of Clip y Gylfinhir (English: Curlew's Crag) looming above the village of Y Rhiw. Mynydd Penarfynydd is one of the best exposures of intrusive, layered, igneous rock in the British Isles.^[23]

East of Y Rhiw is an extensive low-lying plateau between 65 and 100 feet (20 and 30 m) and above sea level.^[35] The coastal rock is softer here, and the sea has been free to erode the rock and boulder clay to form sand, resulting in the spacious beach of Porth Neigwl (or Hell's Mouth).^[36]

West of Aberdaron, four peaks rise above the rocky shoreline at Uwchmynydd. Mynydd Anelog stands 627 feet (191 m) high, and another Marilyn, Mynydd Mawr at 525 feet (160 m), Mynydd y Gwyddel rises to 295 feet (90 m) and Mynydd Bychestyn is 330 feet (100 m) above sea level.^[37]

Bardsey Island lies two miles (three kilometres) off Pen y Cil, where there is another Marilyn; Mynydd Enlli. The island is 5⁄8 mile (1 km) wide and 1 mile (1.5 km) long. The north east rises steeply from the sea to a height of 548 feet (167 m).^[38] The western plain, in contrast, comprises low, and relatively flat, cultivated farmland; in the south the island narrows to an isthmus, connecting to a peninsula.^[39]

The coast around Aberdaron has been the scene of many shipwrecks. In 1822, the Bardsey Island lighthouse tender was wrecked, with the loss of six lives; and in 1752, the schooner John the Baptist, carrying a cargo of oats from Wexford to Liverpool, was wrecked on the beach at Aberdaron.^[40] The sailing ship Newry, with 400 passengers bound from Warrenpoint to Québec, was wrecked at Porth Orion in 1880. The crew abandoned the passengers, leaving just the captain, ship's mate and one sailor, assisted by three local men, to lead 375 men, women and children to safety.^[41] A great storm swept the country on 26 October 1859 and many ships were lost: nine were wrecked at Porthor, seven of them with complete loss of life.^[42] On the south coast, vessels were often driven ashore at Porth Neigwl by a combination of south westerly gales and treacherous offshore currents.^[43] The Transit was lost in 1839, the Arfestone the following year, and the Henry Catherine in 1866.^[42] The bay earned its English title, "Hell's Mouth", from its reputation for wrecks during the days of the sailing ship.^[43]

Aberdaron is noted for low levels of air pollution. The Gwynedd State of the Environment Report in 2004 found levels of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide very low, and particulates to be low.^[8] It is one of the few sites in the United Kingdom for golden hair lichen, a striking bright orange lichen that is very sensitive to air pollution.^[44] The climate is relatively mild and, because of the Gulf Stream, frosts are rare in winter.^[45]

Being situated at the west coast of the UK, Aberdaron has a distinct maritime climate, with mild winters and cool summers. That is not to say that extremes cannot occur. In fact, some extraordinary temperature extremes have been recorded:

• On 2 August 1995, Aberdaron equaled the highest ever August minimum temperature in Wales, at 22 °C, after recording the record high temperature for the village of 29.2 °C on the same day.^[46]
• On 20 December 1998, the maximum temperature at Aberdaron was below average at 5 °C. The very next day, the highest January temperature ever observed in the UK was recorded there, at 20.1 °C. Yet the average temperature for that day was just 6.4 °C.^[47]
• On 9 July 2009, Aberdaron equaled the lowest ever temperature for the UK for July, at -2.5 °C.^[48]
• All of the record lows except for November and December were recorded in 2009, and they were all below freezing.^[49]

Despite the fact that Aberdaron can have quite extreme weather, the number of frosts per year is very low, at around 7.2 days per year. This is comparable with coastal areas of Devon and Cornwall. The region, England NW and Wales N, averages 52.3 days, with December alone exceeding the average yearly amount of frost for Aberdaron. The village is generally quite windy throughout the year, particularly in Autumn and Winter. Sunshine amounts are lower than the UK average. Rainfall is well below the Wales average.^[50]

Sheep have been raised in the Llŷn Peninsula for over a thousand years, and Aberdaron has produced and exported wool for many years. The main product locally was felt, produced by soaking the cloth in water and beating it with large wooden paddles until the wool formed a thick mat which could be flattened, dried and cut into lengths.^[52] There were two fulling mills on the Afon Daron, in addition to three corn mills,^[17] and lichen was gathered around Y Rhiw, from which a grey dye was extracted.^[52] Arable crops consisted mainly of wheat, barley, oats and potatoes.^[19] The field boundaries date back several centuries and are marked by walls, cloddiau and hedgerows: important habitats for a variety of wildlife.^[53]

Wrecking and smuggling supplemented local incomes. In 1743 John Roberts and Huw Bedward from Y Rhiw were found guilty of the murder of two shipwrecked sailors on the beach at Porth Neigwl on 6 January 1742, and hanged; Jonathan Morgan had been killed by a knife thrust into the nape of his neck, and Edward Halesham, described as a boy, had been choked to death.^[54] A ship claimed to be from France unloaded illicit tea and brandy at Aberdaron in 1767, and attempted to sell its cargo to the locals;^[40] a Revenue cutter discovered salt being smuggled at Porth Cadlan in 1809; and a schooner en route from Guernsey to Scotland was reported to have offloaded lace, tea, brandy and gin at Y Rhiw in 1824.^[55]

During the 19th century good-quality limestone and a small amount of lead ore were quarried in the village.^[18] Jasper was mined at Carreg;^[56] granite was quarried at Porth y Pistyll;^[57] and there was a brickworks at Porth Neigwl.^[58] The main source of income, however, was herring fishing.^[17] A regular shipping service was operated to Liverpool, exporting pigs, poultry and eggs; the vessels returned laden with coal for the neighbourhood.^[19] Limestone was also imported and offloaded into the water at high tide, then collected from the beach when the tide went out. Lime was needed to reduce the acidity of the local soil, and lime kilns were built on the beaches at Porthor, Porth Orion, Porth Meudwy, Aberdaron and Y Rhiw to convert the limestone to quicklime.^[59] There was shipbuilding at Porth Neigwl,^[60] where the last ship, a sloop named the Ebenezer, was built in 1841;^[61] and at Porthor, which came to an end with the building of a schooner, the Sarah, in 1842. Aberdaron's last ship, the sloop Victory, had been built in 1792,^[62] and the last ship to come out of Porth Ysgo had been another sloop, the Grace, in 1778.^[63]

The outbreak of the First World War resulted in a great demand for manganese as a strengthening agent for steel. Ore had been discovered at Y Rhiw in 1827, and the industry became a substantial employer in the village;^[23] over 113,000 long tons (115,000 tonnes) of ore were extracted between 1840 and 1945, and in 1906 the industry employed 200 people.^[64]

Tourism began to develop after 1918. The first tourist guide to the village was published in 1910 and extolled the virtues of "the salubrious sea and mountain breezes";^[65] in addition to the two hotels in the village, local farmhouses took in visitors, which provided an extra source of income.^[66]

At the 2001 census, 59.4 per cent of the population were in employment, and 23.5 per cent were self-employed; the unemployment rate was 2.3 per cent; and 16.0 per cent were retired.^[67] Of those employed, 17.7 per cent worked in agriculture; 15.8 per cent in the wholesale and retail trades; 10.7 per cent in construction; and 10.5 per cent in education.^[68] Those working from home amounted to 32.3 per cent; 15.2 per cent travelled less than six miles (ten kilometres) to their place of work; and 23.6 per cent travelled more than 25 miles (40 km).^[69] The community is included in Pwllheli and Llŷn Regeneration Area and was identified in the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2005 as the electoral division in Gwynedd with least access to services; and was ranked 13th in Wales.^[70] An agricultural census in 2000 recorded 33,562 sheep, 4,380 calves, 881 beef cattle, 607 dairy cattle, and 18 pigs; there were 310 acres (130 ha) of growing crops.^[71]

Aberdaron had a population of 1,019 in 2001,^[1] of which 20.6 per cent were below the age of 16, and 18.7 per cent were over 64 years of age.^[72] Owner occupiers inhabited 53.7 per cent of the dwellings; and 21.7 per cent were rented; 19.6 per cent were holiday homes.^[73] Central heating was installed in 62.8 per cent of dwellings; but 2.4 per cent were without sole use of a bath, shower or toilet.^[74] The proportion of households without use of a vehicle was 14.3 per cent; but 40.9 per cent had two or more.^[75] The population was predominantly white British; 97.8 per cent identified themselves as such;^[76] 71.9 per cent were born in Wales; and 26.9 per cent in England.^[77] The 2011 census revealed that 73.5% of residents identify themselves as Welsh speakers.

It is sometimes referred to as the "Land's End of North Wales", or in Welsh Pendraw'r Byd (roughly "far end of the world").^[90]

Two stone bridges, Pont Fawr (English: Large Bridge) and Pont Fach (English: Small Bridge), built in 1823, cross the Afon Daron and Afon Cyll y Felin in the centre of Aberdaron. Beyond the bridges the road opens up to create a small market square.^[17] The Old Post Office was designed by Portmerion architect Clough Williams-Ellis.^[90]

Y Gegin Fawr (English: The Big Kitchen) was built in the 13th century as a communal kitchen where pilgrims could claim a meal on their way to Bardsey Island.^[91] Aberdaron was the last place on the route for rest and refreshment and pilgrims often had to wait weeks in the village for a chance to cross the treacherous waters of Bardsey Sound (Welsh: Swnt Enlli).^[90]

1 mile up the road towards Porth Meudwy, you will find Cae y Grogbren (English: Gallows Field), near which is a large red rock. In the Middle Ages, the abbot from the monastery on Bardsey Island visited the rock to dispense justice to local criminals; if they were found guilty, the wrongdoer would be hanged and thrown into Pwll Ddiwaelod (English: The Bottomless Pool). The pool is a kettle lake, formed at the end of the Ice Age, when blocks of ice were trapped underground and melted to form round, deep pools.^[92]

Above the village, on the Afon Daron, stands Bodwrdda, an early 16th-century stone-built house, which had a fulling mill adjacent; two large brick-built wings were added later, giving an imposing three-storey facade containing 17th-century windows. To the south, Penrhyn Mawr is a substantial late-18th-century gable-fronted farmhouse.^[93]

The National Trust maintains a visitors' centre at Porth y Swnt,^[94] which was opened in 2014.^[95]

Bardsey Island, two miles (three kilometres) off the mainland,^[96] was inhabited in Neolithic times, and traces of hut circles remain. During the 5th century the island became a refuge for persecuted Christians,^[97] and a small Celtic monastery existed.^[98] Saint Cadfan arrived from Brittany in 516 and, under his guidance, St Mary's Abbey was built.^[99] For centuries the island was important as "the holy place of burial for all the bravest and best in the land". Bards called it "the land of indulgences, absolution and pardon, the road to Heaven, and the gate to Paradise",^[97] and in medieval times three pilgrimages to Bardsey Island were considered to be of equivalent benefit to the soul as one to Rome.^[100] In 1188 the abbey was still a Celtic institution, but by 1212 it belonged to the Augustinians.^[101] Many people still walk to Aberdaron and Uwchmynydd each year in the footsteps of the saints,^[90] although today only ruins of the old abbey's 13th-century bell tower remain.^[101] A Celtic cross amidst the ruins commemorates the 20,000 saints reputed to be buried on the island.^[102]

The island was declared a national nature reserve in 1986,^[103] and is part of Aberdaron Coast and Bardsey Island Special Protection Area. It is now a favourite bird-watching location, on the migration routes of thousands of birds. Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory (Welsh: Gwylfa Maes ac Adar Ynys Enlli), founded in 1953, nets and rings 8,000 birds each year to understand their migration patterns.^[104]

Bardsey Island Trust bought the island in 1979,^[39] after an appeal supported by the Church in Wales and many Welsh academics and public figures. The trust is financed through membership subscriptions, grants and donations, and is dedicated to protecting the wildlife, buildings and archaeological sites of the island; promoting its artistic and cultural life; and encouraging people to visit as a place of natural beauty and pilgrimage.^[105] When, in 2000, the trust advertised for a tenant for the 440-acre (180 ha) sheep farm on the island, they had 1,100 applications.^[106] The tenancy is now held by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds;^[107] and the land is managed to maintain the natural habitat. Oats, turnips and swedes are grown; goats, ducks, geese and chickens kept; and there is a mixed flock of sheep and Welsh Black cattle.^[108]

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society has been working on cetaceans in the region. Several species, most notably bottlenose dolphins, can be observed from the shores.

Porth Ysgo, owned by the National Trust, is reached by a steep slope from Llanfaelrhys, 3+1⁄4 miles (5 km) east of Aberdaron, past a disused manganese mine in Nant y Gadwen.^[90] The mine employed 200 people in 1906; the ore was used as a strengthening agent for steel. The mine closed in 1927, and produced 45,644 long tons (46,376 t) in its lifetime.^[109] Where the path from Ysgo reaches the beach, a waterfall, Pistyll y Gaseg, tumbles over the cliff. At the eastern end of the bay is Porth Alwm, where the stream from Nant y Gadwen flows into the sea.^[110] The south-facing beach is composed of fine, firm sand.^[111]

To the west, King Arthur's last battle against his arch enemy, Mordred, was supposedly fought in the fields around Porth Cadlan. Offshore lies a rock, Maen Gwenonwy, named after Arthur's sister.^[112]

Lladron Maelrhys are two large stones on the border between Llanfaelrhys and Y Rhiw. It is claimed that, years ago, thieves broke into St Maelrhys Church, intent on stealing money. Caught in the act, they fled for their lives but were caught as they approached Y Rhiw, and killed on the spot; the stones mark their burial place.^[113] Another version claims that as they crossed the parish boundary they were turned to stone for their sacrilege.^[114]

Porthor (English: Whistling Sands) is a cove 3+1⁄4 miles (5 km) north of Aberdaron that has smooth white sand; when dry, the sand whistles, or squeaks, underfoot.^[115] The crescent-shaped beach is backed by steep cliffs of relatively hard rock, from which the cove has been sculpted by the rough seas. The bay is the centre of a National Trust estate comprising 420 acres (170 ha) of shoreline, headland and farmland, and including Mynydd Carreg and Mynydd Anelog.^[116]

On the hill summits that dot the headlands are heather and gorse, shaped by the prevailing wind; thrift and wild thyme thrive on the acidic soil. The cliffs are a stronghold of the chough, and a nesting place for razorbills and guillemots. On the lower rocks, in reach of the waves, are plentiful lichens, seaweeds, sponges, limpets and barnacles.^[117]

To the south are Dinas Bach and Dinas Mawr, twin peninsulas formed from weathered pillow lavas 600 million years old, thought to have been early fortified sites from the Iron Age. Kittiwakes, cormorants and shags can be seen on the cliffs, while farm birds such as the yellowhammer frequent the gorse.^[116] On Mynydd Anelog, experimental plots have been marked out to monitor different methods of managing heather to discover the best way the habitat can be conserved for the future.^[116]

North of Porthor is Porth Iago, a south-facing narrow inlet and rocky cove, which has a small beach and steep cliffs.^[38]

Rhoshirwaun lies two miles (three kilometres) northeast of Aberdaron, and was formerly a marshy area.^[93] It provided fuel from peat cuttings, pasture for animals and accommodated squatters, mainly fishermen, who had encroached on the common with the tacit acceptance of the community. An inclosure act was drawn up in 1802, designed to remove all squatters who had been there less than 20 years. Resistance to the evictions was fierce and was only suppressed by a contingent of dragoons. The act was finally applied in 1814; new roads were built across the moor; boundaries were established; allotments allocated; and wetland reclaimed.^[118]

Castell Odo, on Mynydd Ystum, is one of Europe's earliest Iron Age Settlements, standing 480 feet (150 m) above sea level. The hillfort, 165 feet (50 m) in diameter,^[119] has visible traces of eight circular huts; pottery found on the site dates from 425 BC.^[90] Legend has it that a giant, Odo Gawr, is buried under a cairn of stones on the summit; nearby is a huge rock known as Carreg Samson, supposedly thrown from Uwchmynydd by Samson. The holes in the rock are said to be the imprint of his fingers; a pot of gold reputedly lies underneath.^[40]

To the east of the village, Felin Uchaf is an educational centre exploring ways of living and working in partnership with the environment. Developed on a redundant farm, it provides residential courses in rural skills and sustainable agriculture. A traditional Iron Age roundhouse has been built on the site.^[120]

Uwchmynydd, 1+3⁄4 miles (3 km) southwest of Aberdaron, has a long history of human settlement. Mesolithic flints have been found in the area, and a Neolithic stone axe was discovered on Mynydd Mawr. Hut circles are visible on the summits, and part of a Roman anchor was recovered off Trwyn Bychestyn.^[37]

At Mynydd Mawr the picnic site has views which, on a fine day, take in Cardigan Bay, Bardsey Island and the Wicklow Mountains; at night, South Stack Lighthouse is visible in the distance.^[90] A road to the summit, owned by the National Trust, was built during the Second World War to provide access to the heights, where men were posted to give early warning to Liverpool of Luftwaffe air raids.^[121] The former Coastguard lookout point, manned for almost 80 years before becoming redundant in 1990, provides views over Bardsey Sound to the island. The hut contains an exhibition to the natural history of the area, and a mural created by local children.^[122]

The headland at Braich y Pwll is the only known location on the British mainland of the spotted rock rose,^[44] which produces bright yellow petals that last only one day.^[122] The coast here has open grass heath land and mountain, giving way to rugged sea cliffs and coves. There is a profusion of wildlife, and it is an ideal vantage point to watch the spring and autumn bird migrations. Choughs, peregrine falcons, kestrels, puffins, stonechats, guillemots and Manx shearwaters can be seen, and dolphins, porpoises and seals can be spotted in the water.^[90]