Sandwiched between several frequent stops of ours, Tywyn always ended up being a bit of a fly-through stop for us, where we would at most grab a snack as we made our way up and down the coast. But recently, we decided it would be time for us to actually take an adventure around the town, along the beach and up to the mountains and we can honestly say we had a blast, despite the grim weather we faced. Tywyn is all around charming from its main walk of shops to that colourful cinema all the way to its beautiful seafront and breathtaking mountains to the east and is unquestionably worth your time, so how about a full day out? We think Tywyn is a perfect place for you to explore, and with some of the local and nearby attractions there is more than enough to keep you entertained from dusk till dawn, so let's get to it.
As with our recent Harlech Day Out article, days out do not typically include a walking route, but for reference purposes, I have included the loop we walked with markers of some of the major landmarks. Still, as this is a day out in civilisation, rather than out in the sticks, I would expect you to customise how you see fit!
Getting There
Tywyn sits on the major coastal road, one more than familiar to many a traveller heading up from Aberystwyth or down from Barmouth and beyond - the A493 snakes around the exterior cliffs of this stunning southern section of Snowdonia, offering gorgeous views out over the coast and many places you will want to pull in to snap a photo. The roads near the town pull in the land, the northern road dodging the mouth of Afon Dysynni before swinging back to the coast where it arrives at Tywyn, where parking is dotted around but in limited supply during the summer months. Those making a quick stop for some supplies can probably just drop onto the Co-op, otherwise, your best option is the Cambrian Road Car Park - I would suggest considering public transport, which thankfully Tywyn is fairly well connected with.
The train drops you right in the heart of Tywyn centre, at the bottom of the main high street and just a short walk from the beach, for our walk above we have used it as the start/end point (if you have parked on the aforementioned Car Park then it is roughly an 8-minute walk along Cambrian or Station Road, either side of the train line) and runs semi-frequently, not so often that you can wing it though so I would plan your day around your arrival and departure if you do take the train here. Alternatively, there are bus routes passing through the town from most of the major neighbouring settlements, so take your pick on how you wish to arrive!
Morning Arrivals & Food
Toast Coffee House ended up being right up our alley - coffee being the main draw for me at any café, but the Bacon and Welsh Cheddar sandwich was screaming my name, a perfect escape from the rainy morning outside with a warm drink and sandwich. The food and coffee were perfect, the Welsh Cheddar had the glorious sharpness I have come to love and my cappuccino was the perfect balance of warming rich coffee and foamy milk - what more could you ask for?
The Call of the Sea
We're on a stretch of the beautiful Welsh coast, so how could we not follow it up with a walk down the promenade to let our food go down? Tywyn's beach is just a short walk away from the centre, roughly a 7-minute walk from the train station to the ramp down to the sands. Tywyn's beach is lovely and a bit unique relative to some of the neighbouring town's beaches, it is a lovely sandy beach but the sections are both short and quite steep down to the ocean. The sections are literal, the beach is subdivided by erosion protection walls which means that, unless it is a particularly busy day, you can probably have a little piece of Tywyn Beach to yourself!
As you make your way up the coast, in our case we decided to head north towards the mouth of the Afon Dysynni, the beachfront houses will give way to the train line, where you will start to get beautiful views clear out to the mountains, with the foothills of Cadair Idris on the left and right with a valley in between - we will be getting many a gorgeous view of these mountains as we tour the backstreets, so for now, just enjoy the seafront, and hopefully you get to enjoy it on a warm and dry day.
Returning to the centre
After having had our fill of the walk out along the beach, far past the end of the promenade and along the shingles, we decided to double back following a random pathway part-way back to where we started. Taking the time to explore the back areas was worth it as it offers additional opportunities to explore, we didn't have the time, but from this cut through you can join the walk that will also take you to the river, it follows a lane all the way down and across a lovely white arched bridge before eventually rejoining the roads across the river near Tonfanau. There are also places where you can break away from this lane and enjoy a wander along the river's edge.
As we curved our way back into the town, soaking in the mountain views that surround the homes on the sleepy streets and back alleys, we stumbled upon RAF Morfa Towyn - the old RAF base is only partially accessible but it was fascinating to be able to take a little walk in history. This base was established in 1940, during World War II, its three grass landing strips acted as a home to a single squadron for much of the duration of the war and acted as an emergency fallback airfield for Cardigan Bay. The airfield saw multiple visits from iconic aircraft, including a Lockheed P-38 Lightening and a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Sadly, most of the wartime buildings are gone, as well as the hangers, but many of the supporting buildings remain albeit vacant and a solar farm occupies much of the site.
Take to the Rails!
One of the best things we ever did in Tywyn was taking to the steam train that runs up the valley towards Talyllyn - this is a great taste of a steam train adventure, and one of the best parts is the fact it is one of the smaller lines in North Wales, so you don't have to commit 6+ hours to ride the rails if you aren't sure if it will be for you. I think it was a phenomenal experience and one I whole-heartedly recommend to anyone, you can check out our write-up of our experience below...
One point I must reiterate here is: if you are planning to take a ride on the Talyllyn steam train then I would plan your day around its timetable, it runs less frequently in the off-season so you may be better set getting onto the steam train earlier and then exploring Tywyn town in the afternoon instead!
Stops along the way
I think riding the rail end-to-end is a great experience on its own, but the beauty of the Talyllyn Railway is there are some amazing beauty spots along the way! The two I would recommend taking the time to stop at are listed below - if you like waterfalls, stunning woodland walks and all of the usual trappings of a Snowdonia adventure then you cannot go wrong with either of them...
Check out the Talyllyn Railway ride
We enjoyed our ride on the Talyllyn Railway so much I actually captured our last journey on it - you can check it out below, again, it was quite a rainy day, but I really think that adds to the charm!
Eating in Tywyn
Admittedly, we weren't especially hungry by the time our day in Tywyn was due to come to an end, still full from our hearty breakfast, so we opted to have a couple of beautiful cakes from Talyllyn Railway's café - we have actually ate here a few times now, thanks to riding the rails or just being in the area, and the food is always superb.
That being said, if you are looking for a more substantial meal then Tywyn is a great town with a handful of varied options for you to select from. In our exploration, we stumbled upon Indian, Seafood, Pub Grub, Kebabs, Pizza and more - plenty of food options for all palates and a glance at Google Maps seems to indicate most of the options dotted around are very well reviewed.
That just about wraps up our most recent day in Tywyn, a truly gorgeous place on a grand section of beach that is well worth a day out of your next trip into Snowdonia. There are some obvious standouts here, like taking the steam train is such a personal highlight that I will always sing its praises, but this town is still ideal if you just want a quiet walk around some shops, to grab a coffee and sit at the sea with some fish & chips. If we had more time I would have loved to check out The Magic Lantern Cinema, that beautiful red building, as it offers some incredible-looking movie showings with a charming setup. Whatever brings you to Tywyn, and whatever you want from a day out, I am certain Tywyn can deliver a memorable adventure.
Did you like or find this useful?
