Under An Hour From The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Is A Charming Coastal Town With Fresh Seafood And Shops

While the seal-filled coves and salt-sprayed headlands of Pembrokeshire National Park tend to get all the attention, there's a whole other part of the Welsh coast that remains somewhat off the tourist radar. Cue Ceredigion Bay, a wide scythe of an inlet that forms a huge portion of the western haunch of the country, facing the open sea the whole way around. It's there, straddling the spot where the River Aeron meets the Irish Sea, that the lovable little town of Aberaeron makes its home.

Get ready to be enamored from the get-go by the sheer good looks of the place. Aberaeron, you see, has long been known for its elegant Georgian rowhouses and boat-bobbing harbor area. Today, it can add to that a buzzy central core that's filled with local seafood kitchens, cozy Welsh coffee houses, and more shopping than you can shake a walking boot at. Plus, there are beaches galore — you only need to step onto the Ceredigion Coast Path, which routes right through the town center, stroll a little north or south, and bingo: Shingle bays and sweeping sands abound.

You will have to travel fairly far from the major cities of Wales and the U.K. to get here, since Aberaeron's corner of the coast is out on the western edge of the country. It's likely to be a drive of just a little over two hours from Cardiff, the Welsh capital, where there's also an airport. That said, the closest large international hub is Manchester Airport (MAN), which is roughly a 3.5-hour drive to the northeast.

A sailboat-packed marina, Georgian-era houses all lined up in a row, 150-year-old church spires rising high — Aberaeron has plenty up its sleeve. And, while there's no doubt that the town is a looker, the draws here aren't only skin deep. Indeed, everything from five-star kitchens come inns to Welsh wool emporiums and artisan florists can be found spreading across the main streets that make up the lively town center.

On the food front, seafood aficionados are likely to be very pleased. Head down to Y Seler, the restaurant attached to the boutique hotel of the same name, to find dishes like seabass with sautéed prawns or trout fillet with samphire and lemon butter, all neatly placed alongside local meat dishes on the evening menu. Or there's The Hive, a family-owned joint that proudly offers up honey-infused ice creams, brunches, lunches, and dinners right at the end of the quayside on the harbor, including seabream with capers and basil oil or traditional fish and chips with mushy peas.

Just like in the charming coastal and arty town of Aberystwyth, which is just a 30-minute drive north, there's also plenty of shopping to be done amid the blocks of Aberaeron. Around one corner, you'll find Watson & Pratts, purveyors of organic foodstuffs from across Wales. Down the street, there's Parsley & Thyme, which offers homemade candle scents that range from zingy citrus to aromas inspired by walks in the forest. Souvenir hunters aren't likely to go home empty-handed.

The location of little Aberaeron should stoke the wanderlust of any beach-loving traveler out there. The A487 roadway that runs through the town can whisk you south to the very northeastern edge of Pembrokeshire National Park, one of the U.K.'s best coastlines, in just over 50 minutes. Do that drive, and you'll be greeted by the striking, dune-backed stretch of Poppit Sands, a Blue Flag-awarded bay often visited by dolphins and other marine critters. Not much further on, you'll come to the dramatic inlet of Ceibwr Bay, where spiky rocks poke out of the sea alongside a secluded pebbly cove — be wary where you tread there come late summer and early fall, because it's a known seal pupping spot!

The thing is, the coastline immediately around Aberaeron itself can be just as striking as what's offered in the nearby national park. A day out on the region's coastal hiking path heading south, for example, will take you on fern-fringed trails to hidden bays where waterfalls tumble from the clifftops. Eventually, some 4 miles of walking later, you'll arrive at New Quay. Not to be confused with the U.K.'s surf capital of Newquay in Cornwall, this one was once a haunt of the poet Dylan Thomas. It clings to bluffs above its own little Harbour Beach, which is a favorite summertime swimming location.

But you don't have to travel to get to the beach: Aberaeron has you covered there, too. One, usually just called Aberaeron Beach, caps off the harbor on its north side. It's a run of rocks that are divvied up by long timber breakwaters and has a big — like 300-caravan sort of big — campground that stretches up a hill to its back. Another, Aberaeron South, is sandier and known as a fine local lookout for spotting dolphins swimming out in the bay.