Porth Neigwl, also known in English as Hell's Mouth, is a broad bay, about 3 miles (5 km) wide, on the south coast of the

Llŷn Peninsula The Llŷn Peninsula ( or , ) is a peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales, with an area of about , and a population of at least 20,000. It extends into the Irish Sea, and its southern coast is the northern boundary of the Tremadog Bay inlet of Cardigan Ba ...

in North

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. The bay faces south-west and lies between the headlands of Mynydd Rhiw to the west and Mynydd Cilan to the east. These craggy headlands have cliffs descending to the sea, and Porth Neigwl is said to be like a broad open mouth in the

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

of south Llŷn. The long, straight beach stretches for about 4 miles (7 km) between the two headlands. Behind the beach are grassy dunes which form a notable sea-marsh. The River Soch briefly runs parallel to the shore before turning inland near

Llanengan Llanengan is a small village and community (Wales), community around Abersoch in Gwynedd in north-west Wales. It had a population of 2,024 at the 2001 census, which had been reduced to 1,989 at the 2011 Census. The popular seaside resort villag ...

(the only nearby village) towards

Abersoch Abersoch () is a village in the community of Llanengan in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a popular coastal seaside resort, with around 2,600 residents, on the east-facing south coast of the Llŷn Peninsula at the southern terminus of the A499. It is a ...

. There is a campground at Tai-morfa near Llanengan. The big waves make it a popular resort for surfing and

sailboarding Windsurfing is a wind-propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the Californian aerospace and surf culture. Windsurfing gain ...

. The area is 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 ...

References

{{coord, 52.810, -4.560, display=title Beaches of Gwynedd Sites of Special Scientific Interest in West Gwynedd