Hoover and I enjoyed a dog walk along the Ceredigion Coast Path from Penbryn to Llangrannog and back in March. To pick up the coast path at Penbryn you don’t need to go right down to the beach, because the entrance to the path is by the National Trust car park (map) and cafe at Llanborth Farm, Sarnau, near Cardigan, Ceredigion, SA44 6QL (street view) , which is set back a few hundred yards from the beach. However before we headed off on our walk Hoover and I wandered down the lane to the beach for a paddle. There is a choice of routes down to the beach from the car park: you can walk further along the lane, which ends with a turning point overlooking the beach (street view), or take the path through the wood, which is full of flowers in spring. The woodland walk is simply stunning: water cascades through the valley passing between moss-covered trees that look as though they are wrapped in green velvet, and in March snowdrops and ferns are popping up absolutely everywhere. This is no dark woodland with a dry floor of fallen leaves. It is a lush, verdant, almost magical place with a footpath down to the sea, and we loved it.
Penbryn beach is a mile of soft, golden sand, sheltered by these deeply wooded slopes. It is known as a great location for stargazing, and was chosen as a location for filming James Bond’s romantic assignation in ‘Die Another Day’. It is one of Ceredigion’s most popular beaches and lies between Tresaith and Llangrannog, two other popular coves linked by the Wales Coast Path, and a network of quiet wooded lanes.
As you walk on to Penbryn beach, particularly if the tide is low, you can explore the cave at the far right hand side of the beach, and at very low tide, you can walk round this headland to a very quiet and large sandy beach. However care should be taken to note that tide times as there is no other way back around this headland. Dogs are prohibited from sections of certain beaches between 1st May and 30th September under the local byelaw, however this does not affect your ability to access the coast path.
The walk from Penbryn to Llangrannog takes you along some of the most beautiful stretches of the Cardigan 
Bay coast, past Morfa Cove and ending up overlooking the cove at Penbryn. (street view) To find the coast path leave the car park and head along the lane towards the beach… you’ll see a finger post sign on your right, just after some farm buildings. (street view) The path climbs up between a handful of fields and before long you’ll beep on the top of the cliffs, looking down on Penbryn Beach. The route is a bit of a roller-coaster as the path rises and dips where the coastline does the same (map), which makes for a fabulous walk with an ever-changing view. Where the going is very steep rustic steps have been cut into the ground, making it accessible…but you’ll be out of puff and there will certainly be some colour in your cheeks when you’ve got to the top! There are a couple of pubs and two coffee shops at Llangrannog, so perhaps a drink and a bite to eat might be a good incentive to walk this route, if the spectacular scenery is not enough of a reason…
