Abereiddy to Traeth Llyfn

Pembrokeshire is full of amazing photography locations, many of which I’ve yet to explore properly. However, one area that I've been lucky enough to visit many times, and keep getting drawn back to, is this stretch of coast from the tiny village of Abereiddy to the incredible beach at Traeth Llyfn on Pembrokeshire’s northern coast.

This part of the coast is wonderfully undeveloped and usually nice and peaceful, in part thanks to it being a good mile walk from the nearest road to many of the best viewpoints. It therefore tends to be easy to get the best spots to yourself, especially late in the evenings when the beachgoers have packed up for the day.

The beach of Traeth Llyfn is a good place to start, and a fun place to play with some long exposure filters as the waves wash in around the rocks. A mid tide is best for this, as the beach disappears at high tide, while at low tide the rocks are a bit far from the breakers. May to July is a great time of year as the cliffs surrounding the beach face north-west, and therefore catch nice evening light in the high summer months. But moody conditions at other times of year can also be fun.

Finally, if you don't mind a bit of extra walking, its worth parking a mile to the north at the tiny harbour of Porthgain - a great spot for fish and chips, a beer, and even some great photo opportunities of the harbour itself.

Once the sun gets low, or the tide too high, its worth heading back up to the clifftops. The view south down the coast is especially dramatic, with steep cliffs and lovely patterns to the headlands beyond. My favourite compositions are with a telephoto from just above Traeth Llyfn, or a wide angle from the headland above the Blue Lagoon on the Abereiddy side (images above and below, for example).