Cerdded Cymru - The Welsh Walks Guide

Aberystwyth Edition


Walks Menu    Aberystwyth Walks    Historical and Cultural Highlights (7 miles)

Summary 
Distance: 7 miles Grade: C+
Starting place: 
At the bandstand on the promenade.
Starting place map reference:  SN583820
Parking place: 
Find a parking place in Aberystwyth.
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1000 feet
500 m
Image courtesy of Ordnance Survey, © 2024 Microsoft Corporation

Route description

Leg 1:     Start of leg GR: SN583820   
From the Bandstand walk along the promenade past the Pier then past the old University building on your left with its two statues in front (recognise anyone?). Then walk on a further couple of minutes until just off a minor road junction you see a flight of steps into the Castle grounds.

Leg 2:     Start of leg GR: SN580816   
At the road junction ascend the two flights of steps and then keep right to arrive at the base of the War Memorial.

Leg 3:     Start of leg GR: SN579816   
From the War Memorial walk over the wooden bridge to-wards the castle tower. Go onwards into the grassed area which is the castle Keep. Within this area you will see the 12 standing stones, one for each of the then Welsh counties, erected when the National Eisteddfod was held in Aberystwyth in 1916.

Leg 4:     Start of leg GR: SN580816   
Continue along the footway out of the castle keep. When you pass out through the castle wall turn right at the toilets and follow the tarmacked path through the gap in the relatively modern wall until you meet the road.

Leg 5:     Start of leg GR: SN579814   
Carefully cross the road to reach the promenade, turning left along the promenade with the early twentieth century three storey houses of South Parade across the road on your left. Proceed to the end of the terrace.

Leg 6:     Start of leg GR: SN580813   
Follow the access road down the short hill and follow the road and subsequent path around the small circular inlet until you pass the brick built pumping station and come up against the whitewashed brick wall of Rimmer's Wine Bar

Leg 7:     Start of leg GR: SN582814   
At the white washed wall turn left and follow the short alleyway the few yards until it meets a road. Turn right along the road until after just 30 m. or so you meet the main road at Trefechan Bridge.

Leg 8:     Start of leg GR: SN583814   
Turn right at the road to cross Trefechan Bridge using the right hand pavement. Take care as the pavement is narrow. Look for the pedestrian gap on your right at the end of the bridge.

Leg 9:     Start of leg GR: SN583813   
Turn right to go through the pedestrian gap and walk down into a boat storage area. Look to your left and walk the few yards to the old oast house (or hop kiln).

Leg 10:     Start of leg GR: SN582813   
Walk on from the oast house past the Aberystwyth Justice Centre. Veer right on to the walk way which goes along the side of the Marina with apartments and their front lawns on its left. Walk along this path past the Aberystwyth Yacht Club to the lane.

Leg 11:     Start of leg GR: SN581808   
Turn right along the lane passing a World War 2 'pillbox' on your right and then walk down to the bridge over the canalised Afon Ystwyth (just before its confluence with the Afon Rheidol)

Leg 12:     Start of leg GR: SN580807   
After looking around from the bridge about 90 yards beyond it and immediately after the first private driveway on the right look for an entrance to a signposted footpath. Follow the footpath until you emerge out on to a lane opposite the bungalow named Belvedere.

Leg 13:     Start of leg GR: SN581806   
Turn right along the lane and after about 150 m., passing palm trees on your left, you will arrive, on your left, at the signposted footpath into the Pen Dinas Nature Reserve.

Leg 14:     Start of leg GR: SN581805   
Follow the footpath around Pen Dinas hill. The climb is steepish at first but then levels out to follow the contour. Walk along, admiring the view, through a metal gate,until you come to a wooden 'kissing gate' just short of the Pen Parcau houses. Watch out for dog dirt on this section.

Leg 15:     Start of leg GR: SN588800   
Immediately in front of the wooden kissing gate turn sharp left on to a bare earth path. Follow this path to the top of Pen Dinas with its monument to the Duke of Wellington

Leg 16:     Start of leg GR: SN584802   
From the top of Pen Dinas retrace your steps down the hill until you arrive back at the wooden kissing gate.

Leg 17:     Start of leg GR: SN588800   
At the kissing gate turn left and follow the track through the metal gate above the Pen Parcau housing estate. Take first exit at the mini roundabout and turn left at the T junction at the closed Tollgate public house then proceeding the short distance to the public road

Leg 18:     Start of leg GR: SN591801   
On arriving at the main road, look across a few yards to your right to see a red painted pedestrian gate. Carefully cross the road and go through the gate then through the small park, turning left just before the subway, so that you arrive at the main road.

Leg 19:     Start of leg GR: SN593801   
At the main road turn left and follow the footway down the steep hill until you reach the bridge over the Afon Rheidol. Look left for a building with the plaque denoting the National School established in 1846. The National Society for Promoting Religious Education was then a Church of England body in England and Wales for the promotion of church schools and Christian education.

Leg 20:     Start of leg GR: SN594803   
Immediately before the river bridge turn left through a pedestrian gate and walk along the riverside path with the playing field, and after that allotments, on your left, to the St Brieuc Bridge. Turn right to go over the bridge.

Leg 21:     Start of leg GR: SN590809   
After crossing the bridge turn left to follow the tarmac track a short distance until you meet the main road at a pedestrian crossing.

Leg 22:     Start of leg GR: SN590810   
Cross the road at the pedestrian crossing and walk down the combined footway cycleway ahead (with the Starling Cloud restaurant on your right) crossing the blue railway bridge in front of you and arriving at the school and rugby pitch immediately over the bridge.

Leg 23:     Start of leg GR: SN590812   
On reaching the school and the rugby pitch, walk on 50 yards and look in the left hedge for a pedestrian gate into the cemetery Walk straight along the main roadway through this itnteresting cemetery and go through the iron entrance gates to the A44 main road

Leg 24:     Start of leg GR: SN592814   
Cross the main A44 at the pedestrian crossing and go right for a few yards when immediately after the Gorwel building you will see a track on the left.Follow the track as it turns into a steepish path up the hill until you reach the corner of the National Library of Wales building.

Leg 25:     Start of leg GR: SN594816   
Visitors are welcome in the copyright library, one of five in Great Britain and Ireland. Otherwise walk up between the library and the car park passed the road barrier and within a few yards you will arrive at the University sports centre with its artificial pitches and running track.

Leg 26:     Start of leg GR: SN596816   
Follow the road alongside the sports pitches for, say, 50 yards, following it right and as it bends left follow the steps you will see in front of you. Ascend the steps, cross the University access road, and walk up the wide steps to the front of the Arts Centre which is worth exploring even for cups of tea or coffee

Leg 27:     Start of leg GR: SN598818   
At the Arts Centre face the Llyfrgell Hugh Owen, the Hugh Owen Library. On the left of the library walk along the paved passage then zigzag right left And 20 yards afterwards turn right onto the tarmac path which emerges out onto a University access Road

Leg 28:     Start of leg GR: SN597819   
Keeping the whole of the student residence called penbryn to your right turn immediately right after the building along the paved walkway to the pedestrian road bridge you can see ahead of you. Look at the aea view from the centre of the bridge and then walk over it to the stone inscribed Pentre Jane Morgan.

Leg 29:     Start of leg GR: SN598821   
Across the bridge is the Pentre Jane Morgan stone. Just after the bridge and just before the Pentre Jane Morgan stone turn left down a concrete walkway. Go down the hill at the foot way T junction turn right, keeping the first adjacent building on your left, aiming for the small student car parking area you should be able to see upwards ahead of you.

Leg 30:     Start of leg GR: SN597822   
Exit the Small Car Park by a path on its upper left and walk up until within a few yards you reach another access road. At this road look half left and you will see a short tarmac road leading to a track entering the woods. Walk the short distance to the woodland entrance track which is just after a stone inscribed Parc Natur Penglais.

Leg 31:     Start of leg GR: SN597822   
Walk along this track and as you come to a house on your right the track veers left and turn right as you reach another track just beyond.Keep on this track you past the Parc Natur Penglais information board . Walk along the track through a variety of trees, passing through a darker glade of beech trees.Keep your eyes open and you will arrive at a Y junction.

Leg 32:     Start of leg GR: SN589821   
Keep right at the Y junction, a few yards further on the path is supported by a stone retaining wall. After about 100 yards turn right,walk up the path, passing through one view point to reach a second, better, viewpoint with information plaques showing details of the view.

Leg 33:     Start of leg GR: SN588821   
From the viewpoint retrace your steps 30 yards and take the short path going right to join the main path onto which you again turn right walking down to a road

Leg 34:     Start of leg GR: SN587821   
Walk uphill the short distance to Brynymor Road and as it flattens out you will see on the left a downhill footpath signed Gelli Anwen

Leg 35:     Start of leg GR: SN586822   
Walk down the footpath to emerge on North road, turn right along the road and take the left hand pavement with, below you, tennis courts and a bowling green. At the end of this park you see a pedestrian gate on your left.

Leg 36:     Start of leg GR: SN585822   
Take the downhill path from the gate and pass the Aberystwyth Bowling Club to emerge on Queen's Street with Flatiau St John opposite you.

Leg 37:              
Turn right and 100 yards on your left, after the Richmond Hotel rear car park you will see a passageway left. Take the passageway (where there are toilets) out on to the promenade. Turn left over the pedestrian crossing to return the few yards to the bandstand from where you started. Hope you enjoyed this comprehensive walk around Aberystwyth.








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