Why New Quay Should Be on Your West Wales Bucket List

If you are looking for another reason to visit the beautiful Cardigan Bay coast, here it is.

New Quay in Ceredigion has been named the best coastal town in the UK, according to a recent guide from Holiday Cars. And while places such as Tenby and Saundersfoot might usually get all the attention, we are not surprised to see New Quay taking the top spot.

In fact, it is one of our favourite places to recommend to guests staying here at Trenewydd Farm.

So, what makes New Quay so special?
New Quay is a traditional Welsh harbour town overlooking Cardigan Bay, with colourful houses, sandy beaches, independent shops, cafes and a working harbour.

It has that wonderful combination of being beautiful enough to feel like a proper seaside destination, while still having plenty of character and a sense of being a real Welsh coastal town.

There are three beaches around New Quay, each with its own character.

Harbour Beach is the main sandy beach, sheltered by the harbour wall and cliffs. It is particularly popular with families and is a great place for swimming, paddling and building sandcastles.

Dolau Beach sits on the other side of the harbour and has a mixture of sand, rocks and pebbles.

Then there is Traeth Gwyn, a much wilder stretch of beach which opens out towards Llanina Point. At low tide it becomes a wonderful expanse of sand and is particularly popular with dog walkers.

And then there are the dolphins...
This is probably the thing that makes New Quay really stand out.

Cardigan Bay is home to Britain's largest resident population of bottlenose dolphins, and New Quay is one of the best places to see them. During the summer, dolphins can often be spotted from the harbour wall, while boat trips give you the opportunity to head out into the bay and see them from the water.

There are several wildlife boat trips operating from the harbour, with the chance to see dolphins, porpoises and grey seals. If you are particularly lucky, you might even spot something rather more unusual, such as a basking shark or whale. Remember, if you're staying with us at Trenewydd Farm then you get a 10% discount from the  guys at Dolphin Spotting Boat Tours - ask us how to get the discount!

Of course, wildlife is wildlife, so there are never any guarantees. But that is part of the fun!

A great place for a coastal walk
New Quay is also a fantastic starting point for exploring the Ceredigion coast.

The Wales Coast Path passes through the town and there is a lovely circular walk of around 5km starting and finishing at New Quay harbour. Along the way, you can enjoy spectacular views across Cardigan Bay and keep an eye out for dolphins and harbour porpoises.

For anyone who enjoys walking, this is a brilliant way to experience the coastline without simply spending the day on the beach.

And if you fancy going further, there are plenty of other beautiful coastal spots nearby, including Aberporth, Llangrannog, Tresaith and Mwnt.

New Quay and Dylan Thomas
New Quay also has an interesting connection with one of Wales' best known writers, Dylan Thomas.

Thomas spent the winter of 1944 and 1945 in the area and the landscape, characters and people of New Quay are thought to have influenced his writing. He lived at Majoda overlooking Traeth Gwyn and spent time in the town's pubs and around the harbour.

It is another layer to what makes the town interesting. You can come for the beach and dolphins, but there is plenty of history here too.

New Quay from Trenewydd Farm
One of the things we love about staying at Trenewydd Farm is that you have so many completely different days out within easy reach.

New Quay is a particularly good choice when you fancy a traditional seaside day. You can head down to the beach, wander around the harbour, have lunch or an ice cream, take a coastal walk and, if the timing is right, book a boat trip to look for dolphins.

It is also easy to combine New Quay with other places along the Cardigan Bay coast. You could start at New Quay, stop for a walk or beach visit at Llangrannog or Aberporth, and then head back towards Cardigan.

And if you are bringing the dog, there are options too. Dogs are allowed all year on Dolau Beach and Traeth Gwyn, although restrictions apply on Harbour Beach during the summer months.

We already knew New Quay was special
We might be slightly biased, but we have been recommending New Quay to our guests for years.

It is one of those places that works for almost everyone. Families can spend the day on the beach, walkers can explore the coast, wildlife lovers can go dolphin spotting and anyone who simply wants to sit beside the harbour with an ice cream can do exactly that.

So, the next time you are staying at Trenewydd Farm and wondering where to go for a day by the sea, take the short trip to New Quay.

Apparently Britain has caught up with us. New Quay is officially one of the best coastal towns in the country, and we think it is well worth discovering for yourself.