Morfa Bychan is a village located in

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

North Wales , area_land_km2 = 6,172 , postal_code_type = Postcode , postal_code = LL, CH, SY , image_map1 = Wales North Wales locator map.svg , map_caption1 = Six principal areas of Wales common ...

, with a population of over 500, with an almost equal number of people born in England or Wales.

The village

Situated on the

Llŷn Peninsula The Llŷn Peninsula ( cy, Penrhyn Llŷn or , ) extends into the Irish Sea from North West Wales, south west of the Isle of Anglesey. It is part of the historic county of Caernarfonshire, and historic region and local authority area of Gwynedd. Mu ...

just west of

Borth-y-Gest Porthmadog (; ), originally Portmadoc until 1974 and locally as "Port", is a Welsh coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd and the historic county of Caernarfonshire. It lies east of Criccieth, south-west of Blaenau Ffesti ...

and

Porthmadog Porthmadog (; ), originally Portmadoc until 1974 and locally as "Port", is a Welsh coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd and the historic county of Caernarfonshire. It lies east of Criccieth, south-west of Blaenau Ffest ...

, Morfa Bychan can be reached from Porthmadog via the Borth-y-Gest/Morfa Bychan road or a country lane off the A497. Morfa Bychan has a small supermarket, a fish-and-chips shop, a gift shop and a children's playground. The village also contains Porthmadog Golf Club and is near to the Glan Morfa Trout fishery.

Traeth Morfa Bychan

Morfa Bychan has a beach known as Traeth Morfa Bychan which stretches for two miles from the eastern end of the National Trust's Ynys Cyngar on the

Afon Glaslyn The Afon Glaslyn (English, ''River Glaslyn'') is a river in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. While not of great significance in terms of its length (about ), it is one of Gwynedd's primary rivers, and has greatly influenced the landscape in which it ...

(River Glaslyn) estuary along

Tremadog Bay Tremadog Bay is a large inlet of Cardigan Bay, defined by the north Cambrian Coast and the Llŷn Peninsula of north Wales. The Afon Glaslyn flows into the north of the bay and Saint Tudwal's Islands lie at the western end of the bay. Pwllheli, t ...

Criccieth Criccieth ( cy, Criccieth ) is a town and community on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd in Wales. The town lies west of Porthmadog, east of Pwllheli and south of Caernarfon. It had a population of 1,826 in 2001, reducing ...

beach which is accessible at low tide. It is unusual as cars are allowed onto it, although this means that there can be problems with irresponsible drivers. The sea along Traeth Morfa Bychan is shallow, with a gentle gradient making it ideal for swimming and paddling. Dogs are allowed on the eastern and western sections of the beach but are banned from the central section. It also has designated bathing and boat-launching areas. The

sand dunes A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

of Traeth Morfa Bychan are a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

. Part of the 1971 film ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' was filmed at Traeth Morfa Bychan. The cover picture from the

Manic Street Preachers Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh Rock music, rock band formed in Blackwood, Caerphilly, Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (musician ...

album ''

This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours ''This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours'' is the fifth studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 14 September 1998 by record label Epic. Like its 1996 predecessor '' Everything Must Go'', ''This Is My Trut ...

'' was taken at Traeth Morfa Bychan.

Ynys Gyngar

There is also a small beach below the National Trust's Ynys Cyngar, the original point where Madocks was going to site a port before moving it to

Caravan parks

There are a number of caravan parks at Morfa Bychan including Greenacres, Garreg Goch, Cardigan View and Glan Morfa Mawr, the largest of which is Greenacres. There is also a touring and camping site just outside the village by Black Rock Sands.

Notable people

Barri Griffiths Barri Griffiths (born 13 January 1982) is a Welsh actor and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Mason Ryan. Griffiths studied construction management at Cardiff University, before working as a ...

- wrestler in

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

as Mason Ryan.

David Owen (harpist) David Owen (January 1712 – August 1741) was a Welsh harpist, best remembered as the composer of the popular song, "Dafydd y Garreg Wen" ("David of the White Rock"), which according to tradition Owen composed as he was dying. ''Dafydd y Garreg ...

- harpist and composer of Dafydd y Garreg Wen

Photo gallery

File:Black_Rock_Sands.JPG, Black Rock Sands Beach looking towards Both-y-Guestm,Ynys Cyngar and the Afon Glaslyn estuary. File:Black Rock Sands (11927509374).jpg File:Ynys_Cyngar,_near_Porthmadog_-_geograph.org.uk_-_11426.jpg, Ynys Cyngar. File:Ancient_dunes,_near_Porthmadog_-_geograph.org.uk_-_11427.jpg, Dunes at Traeth Morfa Bychan.

References

External links

360 Panoramic View Of Black Rock Sands (Morfa Bychan)www.geograph.co.uk : Photos of Morfa Bychan and surrounding area.
{{authority control Villages in Gwynedd Porthmadog Seaside resorts in Wales