Places to visit: Discover Ceredigion's landscapes and communities
Cardigan Bay - the coast of Ceredigion
Ceredigion's coast is on Cardigan Bay, the largest bay in Wales, which forms the western edge of the Irish Sea. Cardigan Bay is rich in marine wildlife, including Europe's largest pod of Bottlenose Dolphins.
Ceredigion beaches and coastal communities
Enjoy the best of Ceredigion's coast at Blue Flag, Seaside Award and Green Coast award winning beaches and family friendly resorts. You'll also find pretty, secluded coves, some of which can only be reached on foot or by boat.
Ceredigion's 60 mile stretch of the 870 mile Wales Coast Path has a varied landscape and terrain, great views, a wealth of wildlife, geological and archaeological features and a colourful history to discover along the way.
The Cambrian Mountains are one of the few remote wilderness areas left in Southern Britain.
The main settlements lie on the edges of a wild moorland plateau, dotted with lakes and forest plantations. It's not a 'green desert' as some claim, but a place to experience tranquility and to discover the beauty of the star studded night sky.
The communities of the Cambrian Mountains
Each of the communities of the Ceredigion Cambrian Mountains has its own distinct character, reflecting its location. The rich heritage of the Cambrian Mountains can be seen not only in the mining remains, abbey ruins, churches and chapels, but in the landscape itself and the ancient routes that traverse it.
Routes over the Cambrian Mountains
There are several routes into Ceredigion, but none more dramatic than over the mountain passes of the Cambrian Mountains.
You can take the gentler routes over the shoulders of the hills to the north and south, or you can take the twisting single track roads through mountain moorland and valleys.
Set on a pretty bay and a harbour where two rivers meet, Aberystwyth has intermingling identities - a traditional holiday resort with a pier, promenade and cliff railway, and a university town and regional cultural centre with a host of restaurants, shops and a full and varied programme of art and sporting events.
Aberaeron, is a picture postcard pretty harbour town with colourful and graceful buildings. An example of a town that was planned from the outset, Aberaeron is now a busy leisure harbour with a series of summer events.
Cardigan's castle overlooks the first crossing point on the river Teifi. It's Welsh name is Aberteifi: the [town at] the mouth of the Teifi. It became a significant port in the 18th century, from which Cardigan Bay derives its name. Today it is a cultural hotspot, with interesting shops and eateries.
Quintessential Welsh countryside – a wildlife rich landscape of farmland, wooded river valleys and small but robust market towns each with its own character and history. Discover the real Ceredigion along our country lanes, bridleways and paths, and enjoy nature and the night sky as they change with the seasons.
River valley communities of Ceredigion
Ceredigion is defined by rivers. Two great estuaries – the Dyfi in the north and the Teifi in the south – form its natural boundaries whilst river ‘abers’ have given Ceredigion its main harbour towns of Aberteifi (Cardigan), Aberaeron and Aberystwyth.
The Teifi river is Ceredigion's longest river, and it defines the southern border of Ceredigion. Explore its special landscapes and heritage, zig-zagging between Ceredigion and its neighbouring counties of Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.