We have several stunning dog-friendly beaches here on the Llyn Peninsula. Here is our brief guide to our local beaches where you can enjoy the sand and waves. There are other dog-friendly beaches here on the Llyn Peninsula, but these are eight of our favourites.
Pwllheli Glan-Y-Mor Beach
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ABERERCH BEACH & AFON WEN: A Mix of sand and shingle, the quiet, rural beach curves around a bay and slopes gently into the water. The Afon Wen (River Wen) and the Afon Dwyfor enter the sea in the bay. Abererch is our favourite beach to walk to, not only because it's our closest. The dunes line the beach making it a pretty stretch, and the freedom to roam towards Pwllheli town makes it a great route, with a welcome ice cream stop at Glasu (opposite the train station in Pwllheli) before walking back. The Marina at the end of the beach is also a great place to take in the sights and sounds of the hundreds of boats and yachts moored here. This beach is vast and quiet despite being next to a large caravan site.
Abererch Beach
PWLLHELI SOUTH BEACH: A shingle beach stretching from Gimblet Rock along the promenade and towards Llanbedrog, a stunning beach but more sheltered than some on the list. We like to walk from Pwllheli South Beach along the coastal path to Llanbedrog, where there is the dog-friendly Aqua Beach Cafe for a drink or lunch before walking back. There is pay and display parking all along the beachfront.
PWLLHELI GLAN-Y-MOR: Located at the back of the Marina, it starts a little muddy around the harbour but soon becomes sandy and runs three miles to the Penychain headland. Dogs are not allowed on a small section of the beach in front of the promenade from the 1st of April to the 30th of September. The rest of the beach is dog-friendly all year. If you walk from Aberech Beach, you join Pwllheli Glan-y-Mor Beach. This beach is in a naturally sheltered bay and offers an excellent space for paddleboarding and sailing. There is a car park at Plasheli (Marina) next to Pwllheli South Beach, and the Marina has a cafe and vending machines.
Llanbedrog Beach
LLANBEDROG BEACH: A National Trust beach with a large car park (free for National Trust members) also has a range of amenities that make it easy to use—a dog-friendly beach cafe (Aqua), disabled access and toilets. One of the signature features of Llanbedrog is its colourful seaside beach huts dotted along the coastline. The bay here is sheltered, making this an excellent beach for swimming and paddleboarding. The beach does get very busy in the summer peak season, but it's vast, and if you are happy to stroll a little way down the beach, you will find it quiet.
Aqua Beach Bar at Llanbedrog
ABERSOCH BEACH: This is a beautiful sandy beach with colourful beach huts. There is a dog ban on the northern part of the beach from the jetty by the car park to the river mouth. The dog ban is in force between the 1st of April and the 30th of September; the rest of the beach is dog-friendly all year. Abersoch Beach is a short walk from the small town centre, with many cafes, pubs and shops. Two beach cafes and toilets and companies offer board hire, coaching and classes. In the school holidays, Abersoch gets very busy, and you may experience queues to get into the town and limited parking.
Abererch Beach
CRICCIETH BEACH: There is a seasonal dog ban on most of the beaches in Criccieth between the 1st of April and the 30th of September. However, there is a long stretch of dog-friendly beach at the eastern end of the beach, beyond the car park and Dylans (also dog-friendly - booking highly recommended!). There is good parking (pay and display) all along the beachfront in Criccieth and a car park near Dylans. You can walk towards Black Rock from Dylans for a pretty walk with views across the bay towards Harlech.
Criccieth Beach
WHISTLING SANDS: For our winter guests, Wishisting Sands Beach is spectacular. Dogs are not allowed on this beach in the summer between the 1st of April & the 30th of September. A National Trust beach with a good-sized car park (free for National Trust members), the scenery makes this beach worthwhile.
Porth Lago
PORTH LAGO: Frequently voted as one of the prettiest beaches in the UK. This beach is exceptional, accessed via a working farm on the tip of the Llyn Peninsula. There is a pay and display machine in the farm yard, and you pay here before driving along a track and into a field on the headland overlooking Porth Lago. The beach is a steep walk down, but you can access the Coastal Path from here and walk the most stunning stretch of the North Wales Coastal Path. Porth Lago is one of my favourite spots to bring a picnic. I don't attempt to carry a complete picnic down onto the beach, but sitting on the headland overlooking Porth Lago is the stuff of Instagram dreams! Busy in the peak summer but often very quiet out of high season.
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For more information on the many beautiful beaches local to us here at Ysgubor Degwm, check out our guide here.