It’s not just the castle and the history and the great food, and the views, and the ice cream, and those lovely things, but a visit to Harlech and the surrounding area is a brilliant opportunity to get close to and immerse yourself in the natural world.
From the amazing orchids nestling in the sand dunes, to the dolphins out in the bay, a visit here is an ideal opportunity to re-connect with nature. All evidence shows this to be so important for our mental and physical health, so here are a few ideas to get you started…
Our beach is a jewel for people looking for the opportunity to let go of the stresses of everyday life. 4 miles of sandy beach to meander along, clean water and wide ever-changing skies are the obvious attractions but take your time and look closer and you will see so much more.
The sand dunes backing the beach are a wonderful place to explore. Our sand dunes are one of the most important actively growing dune systems in Britain and one of only a handful in Wales.
Even just walking down to the beach from the car park, in Spring and Summer you can see 3 coloured dune pansies, pyramidal orchids and if you look very carefully the rare bee orchid, amongst the grasses. Later in the summer the Burnet Rose, Evening Primrose and Restharrow will be buzzing with life.
Birds in and around Harlech
Listen out for the skylark singing their little heads off as they fly high above, then parachute down. And if you hear a sound like two stones tapping together, keep an eye out for Stonechat, which nest in the gorse. They look like Robins with their rusty red breast (they are from the same family) but the males have a smart black head and back, a white collar. If you hear a long continuous rattle sound as you walk past the golf course, that will be a Grasshopper warbler, a summer visitor to our area. Look them up (and any other birds you see) on Welcome to the British Trust for Ornithology | BTO - British Trust for Ornithology to find out more.
Harlech Beach
Dunes like these with bare sand areas are becoming increasingly rare and you can find out lots more about work happening to protect ours here: Natural Resources Wales / Sands of LIFE
Down to the beach, and a walk along the strandline brings something different every day, from cuttle fish bones and razor shells, delicate sea potatoes, massive Icelandic Cyprine shells and even the occasional starfish. An excellent book to buy if you are interested in anything that washes up on our beaches is “The Essential Guide to Beachcombing and the Strandline” by Steve Trewhella and Julie Hatcher. There you can find explanations of just about anything you come across on a beach.
Harlech Marine Life
Out to sea, we are lucky enough to regularly see Bottlenosed Dolphins passing by. Everyone has an opinion on when is the best time to see them, but honestly, like all wildlife, they are just there when they are there. The best way to be sure to see them is to choose a day when the sea is calm then gaze out to see (better with binoculars) and slowly slowly scan a small area of the horizon. (sort of 10 minutes if straight ahead was 12 o clock) Since dolphins are mammals and they must come up to breathe and although they can go 20 minutes before coming up for air, it’s usually a lot shorter time, so if you focus on one area of the sea, if they are there, you will see them. Obviously if there are more of you each scanning a different bit of the sea, you are more likely to spot them. If they are in a playful mood and jumping..no problem, you can’t miss them!
Harlech Coastal Birds
Out to sea you are likely to spot Gannets dive bombing for fish, Cormorants flying low across the water, and if you are lucky you might also spot Terns as they head out to their breeding colony on Anglesey in the Spring, and then again after the chicks have hatched in August. Sandwich, Arctic and Common Terns can be seen filling up on fish around Mochras Lagoon and off Llandanwg and Harlech Beach before they leave on their epic migration south in September. They are brilliant to watch as they flit about in the sky, twisting and turning to dive in for the catch. You can tell if they are Sandwich Terns as they have a very distinctive screech as they pass overhead. ♫ Sandwich Tern - song / call / voice / sound. (british-birdsongs.uk)
Relax and take a breath in Harlech
And after all that walking, noticing, identifying and learning, please don’t forget to just take the opportunity to just be. This beautiful area is the ideal place to do some mindful breathing to recharge your batteries. The following exercise works every time:
This is the simplest activity I know, but probably the most useful, helpful and beneficial and never fails to help you feel just a little bit better, whether you are tired, stressed, anxious, angry, whatever your mood and even when you don’t feel like it, especially when you don’t feel like it. If you take a little time to do this short breathing exercise, you will feel a little bit more connected, with nature, and yourself.
Sit somewhere, anywhere, outside if possible. On a park bench, in a field, a woodland, on a beach. If you can’t get outside just look out of your window..
( it doesn’t have to be sunny, this works in the rain, frost, wind, drizzle or snowstorm)
Just stare for a bit, find a spot to stare at and stare. Then if you feel able close your eyes (if not, find a spot on the ground in front of you and lower your eyes to that spot)
Take 3 deep breaths and sigh as you exhale, let your shoulders drop with each breath.
Quietly breathe in for a count of 4, hold it in for a count of 5 then breathe out for a count of 7. 4-5-7 breathing. The counting stops your mind racing around, you can’t properly count and worry about the electricity bill at the same time. The holding helps the proper exchange of oxygen in your lungs, and the longer, slower out breath makes sure that you properly empty your lungs of the CO2, the used-up air, leaving space for the next intake of fresh air.
After you have done enough, open your eyes and just give yourself some time to look around and notice the amazing variety of life around you, the weather, the physical landscape. Just let yourself be for a short while. You’re on holiday!
Useful websites and apps:
To find out when and where to look for shooting stars: Meteor shower calendar 2024 | Royal Observatory (rmg.co.uk)
To help you identify birds by their songs and calls: Bird songs and bird calls - the sounds of 261 UK bird species. (british-birdsongs.uk)
..or download the Merlin app, a brilliant app which helps you identify birds by their song, and has a whole lot of further information besides Merlin Bird ID – Free, instant bird identification help and guide for thousands of birds – Identify the birds you see (allaboutbirds.org)
Useful websites and resources for beachcombing: Identify UK jellyfish | The Wildlife TrustsHome (nurdlehunt.org.uk)
To help identify the mermaids’ purses that wash up on our beaches: Download.ashx (sharktrust.org)
When and What to Look For in Harlech:
January | Winter, dark skies, winter birds Citizen science, join in! RSPB Great Garden birdwatch Big Garden Birdwatch (rspb.org.uk) |
February | Stone balancing Widgeon and Winter birds |
March | Visit the Celtic rainforest. Short walks creating memories for a long time Noticing the little stuff |
April | Sounds of spring, birdsong and the rest Local nature reserve in Harlech |
May | Making space for our wading shore birds Sand hoppers |
June | Swifts, Kites buzzards and Osprey Dunes, ecology and interesting species Bats |
July | Curiosities you might find on the strandline Shell ID Jellyfish ID |
August | Mindfulness activities Dolphins, instructions for land based cetacean spotting Take advantage of the dark skies of Eryri and look out for the Perseid meteor showers around the second week in August. |
September | Mcs litter survey Fidra nurdles Crab Moults |
October | “blow ins” by-the-wind-sailors/ Portuguese man o war |
November | Whats out there? scoter, grebes, manx shearwater Also, more shooting stars, the Leonids to see around the middle of November. |
December | Santa spotting |
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