Things To Do Near New Quay Wales
New Quay Wales is a beautiful little village in the Cardigan Bay area of Wales. Not to be confused with Newquay in Cornwall, this thriving village boasts not one, but three popular beaches. Being central in Cardigan Bay, it’s also placed well to use as a base for great days out in the surrounding area. In this post we’ll cover the top things to do near New Quay Wales.
Things to do near New Quay Wales
Visit Cenarth village and Cenarth Falls
Dolaucothi Gold Mines
Visit Aberaeron
Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre
The Coastal Path
Visit Cenarth village and Cenarth Falls
The beautiful village of Cenarth is approx. 20 miles from New Quay, on the border of Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire. It’s an interesting little village with 2 pubs, a tea room, a 13th Century flour mill and a Coracle museum. The centre piece of the village though is Cenarth Falls; a series of small falls and pools and a famous salmon leap. The falls are peaceful when the river is low but in full flood, its a powerful sight to behold.
There is parking located at the falls which is £3 all day.
Dolaucothi Gold Mines
About an hour from New Quay, The Dolaucothi Gold Mines are open form March to November and are a must visit! These fascinating mines are the only known Roman goldmines in Britain and you can take a tour of them. When mining resumed in the 19th century, these were once again working mines but they closed for the final time in 1938. There are 3 different tour types you can book on to; ‘The Roman tour’ (which takes you into a floodlit Roman mine, dogs can go on this tour), ‘The Level Tour’ (suitable for people with limited mobility) and ‘The Mining Through The Ages Tour’ (this takes you into a dark, Victorian working mine). Booking is required for tours.
The surrounding Dolaucothi estate is beautiful, overlooking the Cothi valley so you can enjoy some beautiful, Welsh landscape views on a stroll around the estate after your tour.
The site is owned and cared for by the National Trust so entry is free for members. Site entry and a guided tour is £12 for adults and £6 for children. There is parking available on site.
Visit Aberaeron
The town of Aberaeron is only 9 miles from New Quay and has plenty to see and do for a great day out. As you head in to town, the first thing you’ll spot are the vibrant, colourful houses. After a stroll around the harbour, stop for a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants offering delicious food, including fresh Seafood! There are also an abundance of independent shops to browse as you spend a peaceful day in Aberaeron, admiring the Georgian architecture as you go.
Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre
This important attraction is based New Quay itself. Originally established in 1996 as a non-profit organisation, the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre is dedicated to marine research, conservation & awareness of the incredible wildlife in Cardigan Bay. In the visitor centre you will see exhibits telling you all about the local inhabitants of the sea plus the volunteers will be there to answer questions. Cardigan Bay is famous for being the home to bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoise and Atlantic grey seals so if you’re lucky, you might spot one on your visit to this coastline.
The visitor centre is open from April to November and is free to enter. It is run by volunteers and the centre does rely on donations and profits from the onsite gift shop to stay open.
There is no car park at Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre but there are several public car parks in New Quay. These are signposted from the roads leading into town and they cost approximately £4 a day.
The Coastal Path
New Quay is located mid-way along the Wales Coastal path so its a great opportunity to get your walking boots on and get some fresh, sea air. You can walk north to Aberaeron or south to Cwmtydu and Llangrannog. There is also a wonderful 3 mile walk you can do that starts and ends in New Quay Harbour.
For a truly immersive experience, download the Wales Coastal Path app to your mobile phone and experience the area in Augmented Reality, seeing where smugglers went about their lives in secret! On this walk you’ll also see the official half way point of the Wales Coast Path, marked by a beautiful maiden sculpture, plus the RNLI lifeboat station. You might even see some of the bottlenose dolphins we mentioned before!
New Quay truly is the jewel in Cardigan Bay, with many of its own amazing attractions but also as a fantastic base for exploring the beauty of Wales. If you have visited New Quay recently, let us know what you thought of this stunning place and feel free to share any suggestions in the comments below.
As always, sharing is caring so make sure to share this guide with your family and friends and inspire them to head off on their own Welsh adventure.
