Llŷn Peninsula · Easy · Circular

Mynydd Mawr, Braich y Pwll and Pen y Cil at the end of Llŷn

Round the very end of Llŷn: Braich y Pwll, the cliffs above St Mary's Well, Pen y Cil, and home by Bodermid.

Distance
8.1 km (5.0 mi)
Ascent
273 m
Time
About 2 h 45 min
High point
157 m
Grade
Easy
Follow it in the app

Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), drawn by Global Adventurer.

0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km157 m20 m
Move along the height chart to see each point on the map.
Mynydd Mawr, Braich y Pwll and Pen y Cil at the end of Llŷn
Kevin Waterhouse · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The walk

The walk starts from the car park at the top of Mynydd Mawr, by the old coastguard lookout. It goes out to Braich y Pwll, the last cape of Llŷn, with Bardsey Island across the Sound, where medieval pilgrims set out for the island. The Llŷn Coastal Path then follows the cliffs round the south side, above Ffynnon Fair, St Mary's Well, and over Mynydd y Gwyddel to Pen y Cil. The way back turns inland by footpaths and quiet lanes past Bodermid to the car park.

It is 8.1 km with 273 m of ascent; allow about 2¾ hours. The grade is Easy.

The cliffs have sheer drops and heavy surf: stay on the path. Ffynnon Fair, a spring below the high-tide mark at the foot of the cliff, is covered at high tide and people have drowned trying to reach it: do not scramble down to it. Dogs must be on leads around livestock. A quarter of the walk is on lanes with no pavement.

The car park at the top has no fee shown in OpenStreetMap. The National Trust's own circular walk starts from the lower car park and is shorter (3.2 km).

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.

Good to know

  • Braich y Pwll is the end of Llŷn, and medieval pilgrims set out from this headland for Bardsey Island
  • Ffynnon Fair, St Mary's Well, rises in a rock cleft below the high-tide mark and was a holy spring for pilgrims
  • The choughs of these cliffs are the emblem of Llŷn, and the site is a Site of Special Scientific Interest
  • The rare spotted rock-rose grows only on this stretch of the British mainland

Summits on the way

  • Mynydd Mawr 150 m · passed close by
  • Mynydd y Gwyddel 99 m · passed close by
  • Mynydd Bychestyn 100 m · passed close by
  • Pen y Cil 107 m · passed close by

Getting there

Start: Mynydd Mawr car park, Uwchmynydd · Free parking. 52.79821, -4.76057

Directions to the start

Google Maps Apple Maps

Places to stay nearby

Rooms in and around Mynydd Mawr car park: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →

Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.

Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line is drawn along OpenStreetMap paths and the figures are worked out from it; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.