Today we will be taking a stroll along some of the prettiest beaches around Snowdonia and the beautiful walks that link them together. From cove to cove, golden sands sandwiched between jagged rocks and connected via gorgeous sandy woodlands: this great adventure is just waiting to be explored! The walk begins from the small village of Borth-y-Gest, considered a part of the greater area of the town of Porthmadog, and will see you ascend above the beach here and explore the coastline at your leisure, with the promise of peaceful sections of golden sands and the calm waters lapping up them.
You have a couple of choices when visiting Borth-y-Gest and each has its pros and cons, you may plan to simply drive to the village but parking is really limited and on busier days you will be seriously fighting for spaces. Luckily, Porthmadog is barely more than a half-mile walk away, so it might be preferable to park in Porthmadog's main car park, right nearby off of the High Street and Down Madog Street, behind the large B&M store. From here, the fastest route to Borth-y-Gest is a quick walk down the waterfront, past the various ship and jet-ski mechanics and sellers until you reach a smooth uphill path, passing through a small hilltop housing area and back down some stairs to Borth-y-Gest's beach - this extra walk is reflected in the route plan above as a separate stretch. This also means that any public transportation options Porthmadog has to offer, such as the train station, are well within reach of Borth-y-Gest too (and a bus runs directly to the village, should you wish to cut out the extra walk). If you do decide to drive, Borth-y-Gest is a short hop outside of Porthmadog town, turning off of the High Street onto Bank Place/Borth Road before filtering off left at the sign for Borth-y-Gest, the road will sweep down and the village is just at the bottom of the hill.
Today's walk begins from Borth-y-Gest's beachfront, next to the car park and where you will arrive if you walk from Porthmadog using the instructions above. The village itself is a peaceful little smattering of houses and businesses wedged between the water and the rolling hills with great places to grab a bit to eat plus a lovely stretch of sand at low tide (although the waters of the estuary will fill up to the sea walls at high tide, so time accordingly if you want to walk on the sands). To get underway you will need to either follow the main road through Borth-y-Gest up the hillside and around the point, or take the stairs up the beach to the same area. The road is smooth and has an easy gradient, with a cut-out that drops down while running parallel to the road which includes an old well - I wasn't able to find out much information about the old well, but this little walk is a nice mini-deviation from the road with lush green plants and flowers aplenty. This road will come to an end around Saint Cyngar's Church at the tip of the point - this is also where you can see Borth-y-Gest's pillbox, this pillbox unfortunately has a sealed-off entrance so you cannot explore inside but this World War 2 defensive structure is no-less interesting to poke around...
From this point forward you will mostly be on a gravel pathway that slowly transitions to sand as it undulates over the hills lining the waterfront, all around are tremendous views, with the stunning hills and mountains to the south across the waters and Harlech with its castle in the distance, to the seas beyond stretching out infinitely. Then, as you progress further into the trees with the sand beneath your feet you end up in surroundings pretty unique in North Wales, with the sun cutting beams of light through gaps in the canopy it is properly magical!
Then there is each of the beaches - depending on the time you arrive relative to the tide there are potentially a few distinct sections of beaches that will be accessible, some are as simple as following the various paths down to the shoreline, and others may require a little bit of scrambling over rocks to access them. If possible, you should spend some time exploring here, these beaches are beautiful and have a bunch of charming features from cliffside flowers swarming with bees to tucked away caves and amazing viewpoints dotted around - I wish I had taken more time here to explore even further, because the paths above the beaches have just as much to offer as well! I did take one excursion following a marker for a viewpoint to capture a great view over the longest of the beaches up to Fechan Point - the furthest reach of the final large beach. This final beach is a glorious stretch of sand with plenty of space to carve out a piece of your own to just relax and enjoy the sound of the gentle waves against the shore - an unbelievable piece of perfection, so if you have had enough of exploring and need to take a load off for a second, the ending point for this walk is a great place to do so.
From here you can either retrace your footsteps back or continue along the pathways where you will link up with the beaches at Morfa Bychan and Black Rock Sands - those really in need of a grand old walk can follow the sands and pathways all the way to Criccieth and its glorious castle - about a 6-mile walk from Porthmadog town all the way to Criccieth, so watch the tides if you plan to do it. I adore the coastline around Borth-y-Gest, it is a properly amazing bit of the already superb Welsh Coastline that begs to be explored, and for those with the legs for it, you can do plenty of exploring! Those looking for more can easily pair it with a day out in Porthmadog, if you fancy a quick extra walk then the Cob Crwn might be right up your alley, and for those looking for a bit more verticality then Moel y Gest is the one for you. Otherwise, just grab a picnic and perch up in the fabulous surroundings you can find yourself in around Borth-y-Gest, I promise they won't disappoint.
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