Aberdyfi, Aberdovey, UK

So much is written about all of the big stuff around the UK, and yeah it is grand. But I think the one of the finest things one can do is to spend a couple of quiet days at a seaside town.  This is a short piece about a day I spent at Aberdyfi.

 
Aberdyfi is a very Welsh town tucked in at the mouth of the River Dyfi. There is not a lot of flash and fancy there, but everything there is such a perfect example of a great traditional village.

One gets there by train on one of the loveliest route. Catch the train in Shrewsbury. Make sure to ask a conductor if you are in the right car as the train splits one part going north, the other south to Aberystwyth. (Note: you risk permanent damage to your tongue if you try to pronounce some of the towns on the way.) Or if you insist, drive in thru Machynlleth or down the coast. 

The main draw is the beach.  The estuary is huge, and full of the estuary kind of the stuff one would hope to find. Boats, osprey, fish, water, mud.  In town there are houses, lots of places to stay, mostly old style hotel and BnBs. There are places to eat, and interesting stuff to do, like paddle boarding, beach walking, and watching folk go by. Part of the charm is that there is nothing spectacular there, You can walk, or go hiking, or sit in a pub and drink beer. And when you walk, if you keep your eyes really, really open. History still lives here.

We went the day of the food festival.  It was in the park and very well attended.  There were about 20 food and drink vendors, all of the highest quality. I was busy wrangling kids and didn't take photos but there are lots of photos on face book. (Full disclosure that is my son in law flogging his cider, and our friend James with his Wilderness Beer.)

  

   The dunes have some interesting plants.  Our friend Richie pointed out the center one as a beach holly

 Red flag. No swimming, but still lots of beach fun. Shells to find.  Sand to dig holes and build sand castles. We even found a blue jellyfish the size of a dinner plate.

   

   

At the harbor lots of kids were hanging crab pots off the side of the pier.  A new thing has been popping up at sea side towns for leaving beach toys (and crab pots) for others to reuse.

 You have to really look to find the information centre, tucked into a small nook at the pier.

  

  You never know what you will find. 

  If you keep your eyes open you find these road/mile markers.  I asked the kids if they knew what they were.  When I told them, they asked why they didn't just use the sat nav.

 As always I suggest you look for the details.  This stair case is cut into the stone.  Now abandoned, but if you look carefully you can see where some fish wife trudged home at the end of a cold day.