Holiday in Wales

[quizzywig]

Looking for advice from ABers please. We (the whole family - 6 adults & 3 children aged 5, 3 & 19 months) are planning to rent a holiday cottage on the west coast of Wales this summer. Not familiar with the area, so anyone have opinions about the beaches etc close to Aberaeron, New Quay and Gwbert. I think the Gwbert area is cliff top but is access to a beach good? Also is Aberaeron (Cillau Aeron especially) far from the coast and is the coast a beach or a harbour? I know it's a big ask but when you're not sure of the area (last time we went to Borth Y Gest which was lovely) lots of advice is very welcome
Loads of thanks in anticipation.

[theshedman]

Hi, try looking on Tripadvisor, you will find a bit of information about Aberaeron and the surounding area on there. I have put the link for it below.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g551973-Abe raeron_Ceredigion_Wales-Vacations.html

[VHG]

I find Google Maps a good way of trying to understand an area (not as good as first hand knowledge but a good start).

Below is a link to a web page with Aberaeron as a "map" but you can select Satellite in the top right to turn it into an aerial photograph.

You can zoom right down to see the fields and beaches and roads.

You can also move around and see what the area is like nearby

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=Aberaero n%20map&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

[quizzywig]

Very grateful to both of you - especially for answering so quickly. don't know why I didn't think of google maps before!!!

[Yorky Lass]

You can't beat New Quay. Excellent beach and lovely place. Aberaeron lovely place but the beach is grey pebbles. I go to New Quay fairly often and can recommend it. You often see dolphins from the harbour wall too. We've seen them every time we've been.

Try this site
http://www.westwales-cottages.com/index.htm
I went on a day trip to Borth and personally I don't think it can hold a candle to New Quay.

Hope this helps

[Cakeboy]

I lived in Aberystwyth for 7 years and know all the places you're talking about very well.

New Quay is nice, but will be full of tourists in the summer. I don't know what sort of cottage rentals you can get there, but there is a huge Haven park on the outskirts of New Quay. There is beach access from there, but it's down a steep trail with a very uneven staircase, so if you have the little one in a pushchair it will be a pain. Beach access from the centre of New Quay is easy enough, but it will be crowded. The beach is nice enough once you're on it though

Aberaeron is right on the coast, but again will be crowded in the summer. I've never been to the beach there os can't tell you wnat it's like. There's probably not enough to keep the kids entertained for a week though.

Aberystwyth has a lot to do for the kids and is obviously right on the coast. The beach is good and the Pier has an arcade in it with some kiddy style amusements and a great ice cream shop - I should know I used to make the ice cream for it. Again, I'm not up to speed on cottage rentals, but if you don't mind being a few miles from the coast, then Cwmrheidol is lovely. I'm pretty sure there was some holiday lets down that way - it's about 3 or 4 miles from Aberystwyth inland, down a lovely valley with the Rheidol river.

Borth is a dump, it's the drugs capital of West Wales and has absolutely nothing to do bar sit on the beach which is stony and pretty nasty. Actually, it also has the Animalarium which is a collection of animals that other zoos didn't want. It's expensive for what it is though, but entertaining enough. Just down the coast from Borth is Ynyslas which has the best beach in the area. There's no caravan park though, and again I don't know about the cottage market.

Hope that helps a bit.

[quizzywig]

Thanks very much cakeboy, that's just the sort of answer and info I'm looking for. As I said before, we've been to Borth Y Gest up near Porthmadog and we loved it, also we went in the first week of July when everywhere was nicely quiet but my eldest grandson is now at school so we have to abide by the rules. I will now check accommodation for the two places you suggested!!