4K Drive | Porthmadog to Abersoch | Gwynedd | North Wales, United Kingdom | 2022 | #57

Starting in Porthmadog town we drive to the village of Abersoch along the A497.
Porthmadog, known before 1974 in an anglicised Portmadoc form 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 5 miles (8 km) east of Criccieth, 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Blaenau Ffestiniog, 25 miles (40 km) north of Dolgellau and 20 miles (32 km) south of Caernarfon. The community population of 4,185 in the 2011 census was put at 4,134 in 2019. It grew in the 19th century as a port for local slate, but as the trade declined, it continued as a shopping and tourism centre, being close to Snowdonia National Park and the Ffestiniog Railway. The 1987 National Eisteddfod was held there. It includes nearby Borth-y-Gest, Morfa Bychan and Tremadog.
Porthmadog came about after William Madocks built a sea wall, the Cob, in 1808-1811 to reclaim much of Traeth Mawr from the sea for farming use. Diversion of the Afon Glaslyn caused it to scour out a new natural harbour deep enough for small ocean-going sailing ships, and the first public wharves appeared in 1825. Quarry companies followed, with wharves along the shore almost to Borth-y-Gest, while slate was carted from Ffestiniog down to quays along the Afon Dwyryd, then boated to Porthmadog for transfer to seagoing vessels.
Porthmadog lies in Eifionydd, on the estuary of the Afon Glaslyn, where it runs into Tremadog Bay. The estuary, filled with sediment deposited by rivers emptying from the melting glaciers at the end of the last ice age, is a haven for migrating birds. Oystercatchers, redshanks and curlews are common, as are summer flocks of sandwich terns. To the west looms Moel y Gest, rising 863 feet (263 m) above the town as a Marilyn.
The town's temperate maritime climate is influenced by the Gulf Stream.
Abersoch is a village in the community of Llanengan in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a popular coastal seaside resort, with around 800 residents, on the east-facing south coast of the Llŷn Peninsula at the southern terminus of the A499. It is about 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Pwllheli and 27 miles (43 km) south-west of the county town of Caernarfon. The village takes its name from the river Soch, which reaches the sea in the village. 'Aber' meaning 'estuary', gives us a literal translation of the 'Soch Estuary'.
In the dry summer of 2018, aerial photography at Fach Farm, some 1100 metres north of the bridge over the Afon Soch, identified crop marks that were reported as a possible Roman fortlet. High-resolution geophysics in 2019 revealed evidence of a complex defended enclosure, unlike Roman military structures but suggesting a pre-Roman date.
Built upon the fishing trade, Abersoch was once a small village which grew exponentially after the 1950's with the rise of tourism. The fishing port which was guided by the Abersoch Fishermen's Society (which was replaced with the active Pysgotwyr Llŷn Fishermen's Association) is still being used for fishing, however it is no longer the village's major source of income. It is now a tourist centre specialising in dinghy sailing and other watersports such as windsurfing and jet-skiing. Nearby Porth Neigwl is also popular for surfing; it can hold large swells in the winter which can reach 1.5 metres (4.9 ft); however, the prevailing south-westerly winds can affect quality[citation needed].
The village has had a lifeboat station since 1869.
Central Abersoch has a variety of small shops as well as bars, restaurants, cafes and hotels. Boat trips around St Tudwal's Islands (one of which is owned by the famous survival instructor, Bear Grylls) to see the seals and other wildlife are available from the village. Abersoch is also popular for its close proximity to Snowdonia National Park, with Snowdon being visible from Abersoch Bay on clear days. There is an 18-hole golf course.
Abersoch was named one of the best places to live in Wales in 2017.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porthmadog
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abersoch
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Filmed in February 2022

[@Phuong.Nguyen-]

Amazing video with pretty footages

[@bootneck4828]

I moved away from North Wales last year to the US and love watching these videos! It's like being back home for 30 minutes

[@martinhughes1342]

I remember being in a propane tanker with my father in the middle of summer in the early 80’s and him trying to do the same maneuver but being hampered by clueless tourists. Was probably the last time I was there and I always remember it because of the chaos that was caused so it was funny seeing it on your clip.
Thank you for the memories

[@kathwhitaker3063]

Lovely clear sky. Nice to See the route to Abersoch. Good clear footage. Like..

[@angelrose7906]

Nice video.

[@peterhunt2723]

What time of year was this please?

[@AJCVisuals]

It was filmed in February 2022 👍

[@juliangillespie7454]

❗ 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙢