Morfa Bychan
Encyclopedia
The Village
Situated on the Llŷn PeninsulaLlŷn Peninsula
The Llŷn Peninsula extends into the Irish Sea from north west Wales, south west of the Isle of Anglesey. It is part of the modern county and historic region of Gwynedd. The name is thought to be of Irish origin, and to have the same root Laigin in Irish as the word Leinster...
just west of Borth-y-Gest and Porthmadog
Porthmadog
Porthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...
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 Spar shop (very 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 .
Black Rock Sands
Morfa Bychan has a beach known as Black Rock Sands which stretches for two miles from the eastern end of the National Trust's Ynys Cyngar on the Afon Glaslyn [River Glaslyn] estuary along Tremadog BayTremadog Bay
Tremadog Bay is a large inlet of Cardigan Bay, defined by the north Cambrian Coast and the Llŷn peninsula of north Wales.The River Glaslyn flows into the north of bay and St Tudwal's Islands lie at the western end of the bay...
to Criccieth
Criccieth
Criccieth is a town and community on Cardigan Bay, in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd in Wales. The town lies west of Porthmadog, east of Pwllheli and south of Caernarfon. It has a population of 1,826....
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 Black Rock Sands is shallow, with a gentle gradient making it ideal for swimming and bathing; however, water bikes pose a threat to swimmers and each other.
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
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
of Black Rock Sands are a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
.
A number of music videos have been filmed at Black Rock, including a Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
video.
Part of the 1971 film version of William Shakespeare's Macbeth
Macbeth (1971 film)
Macbeth is a 1971 British-American drama film directed by Roman Polanski, based on William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth, about the Highland lord who becomes King of Scotland through treachery and murder. It features Jon Finch as Macbeth and Francesca Annis as Lady Macbeth...
was filmed at Black Rock Sands.
The cover picture from the Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
album This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours is the fifth album by Welsh band Manic Street Preachers. It was released in September 1998 on Epic Records, and in the United States the following year, on Virgin Records.- Background :...
was taken at Black Rock Sands.
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 PorthmadogPorthmadog
Porthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...
.
Caravan Parks
There are a number of Caravan parks at Morfa Bychan including Greenacres, Garreg Goch and Cardigan View 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 GriffithsBarri Griffiths
Barri Griffiths is a Welsh professional wrestler and former Gladiators competitor, also known as Goliath and by his ring name Mason Ryan. He is signed to WWE, where he wrestles on the Raw brand.He was also a member of The Nexus...
- Wrestler in World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
as Mason Ryan.
Conor Evans - King wool of Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
, known as the man who came sixth in Mr Gay Wales 2007.