Chillin' out at Hell's Mouth

Hell's Mouth is the anglicised name for the huge south-west facing bay close to the end of the Lleyn Peninsula of North Wales. The Welsh Name is Porth Neigwl. After all the activity surrounding my recent kayaking and writing exploits has died down, it was time to relax and enjoy one of my favourite campsites. Treheli Farm is just below the tiny Village of Rhiw and is spectacularly situated with panoramic views accross the bay.

Hell's Mouth was once described in the Guardian newspaper as the best bay for beachcombing in the U.K. I'm not sure about that claim but the walks along the beach usually turn up plenty of strange trinkets and bits of odd shaped bits of wood.

The nearby Village of Rhiw is steeped in history and folklore more of which can be viewed at www.rhiw.com - This exrordinary website also has collectios of stunning photographs, old and new.

Chris and I arrived at Threheli late on Friday evening. Once we had pitched the tent there was time for a late beer before turning in. The next morning we took plenty of time drinking coffee before exploring the beach.



Later in the day we took a short drive to Aberdaron, and then towards Uchumynydd for a walk. The western edge of Aberdaron Bay is characterised by tall craggy cliffs and inaccessible bays. Eventually we reached the headland of Pen y Cil, which forms the southern end of the Lleyn Peninsula. We stayed for a while gazing accross to Bardsey Island and watching the powerful tidal currents.



Warm evening sunshine greeted us upon our return to Hell's mouth. Following a ruling from the local council fires are no longer allowed on the campsite, so we decided carry our food down onto the beach and cook on an open fire down there.



Sunday was another splendid morning but in order to make the best of the day we packed up soon after breakfast and headed off for a walk upon the headland at the eastern end of the bay. From Trwyn Cilan we watched about 100 surfers enjoying near perfect conditions on an indian summers afternoon.