Caban Griff
A blacksmith once worked in this building, supplying the great demand of a maritime village for anchors, chains and so on. He made items for ships and fishing boats, and for use by ship builders, a trade that was at its busiest in the 18th and 19th centuries.
This building is in the ‘yard’ in Porthdinllaen. The ‘yard’ provided shelter from the elements for the villagers, and they would keep their boats and property there. Today it is where the National Trust tells the story of Porthdinllaen. Opened by local school children in 2006, it was named in memory of Griff Jones, who worked between 1962 and 1989 as a member of Porthdinllaen Lifeboat and also served as the part-time harbour master. He helped in saving 130 people with the lifeboat crew, and the RNLI honoured him with a bronze medal.
There are a number of treasures in Porthdinllaen bay and harbour. You can see the sand martins nesting, eelgrass in undersea meadows, and the seals relaxing – not forgetting the remains of the Iron Age fort. Here also are houses that were once storehouses and guesthouses, the Lifeboat station and, of course, the Tŷ Coch Inn. Since 1994 Porthdinllaen has belonged to the National Trust, which aims to protect this special place for everyone forever. As well as safeguarding the area’s wildlife and history, the Trust also looks after the inner harbour and the anchorages for boats. They have two holiday cottages in the village to let to visitors, so they can enjoy the splendour of the place.
Coastal Fort
This Iron Age coastal promontory fort, set on the most prominent headland on the north coast of Llŷn, extends out to sea for over a thousand yards. There are only a handful of known examples of this kind of defensive structure in Gwynedd.
Much of the headland would have been naturally defended by the sea and rocky outcrops, at times rising to between 50 and 100ft in height.
The fort also has man-made defences; the remains of a series of banks and ditches are visible as you approach the headland from the landward side. Recent excavation work by Gwynedd Archaeological Trust has sought to conserve some parts of the banks and ditches, suffering the effects of coastal erosion. They are also much damaged by the modern golf course, and are cut by the road down to Tŷ Coch public house, and by trackways ranging along the headland.
From Nefyn take B4417 west and take right turn at Morfa Nefyn crossraods. Parking at National Trust car park.
Pwllheli - 7 miles
Morfa Nefyn Ty’n y Mor - 0.5 miles. Coastal Bus O Ddrws i Ddrws available April-October. £1 only. See website link below.
Cycle routes on Sustrans
Walk along road to Ty Coch, Porth Dinllaen
No vehicular access to the village
Full Figure Grid Reference: SH 275416 OS Landranger map sheet: OS 123