Morfa Dyffryn

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc sh ...

is on the west coast of

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, between

Barmouth Barmouth ( cy, Abermaw (formal); ''Y Bermo'' (colloquial)) is a seaside town and community in the county of Gwynedd, northwestern Wales, lying on the estuary of the Afon Mawddach and Cardigan Bay. Located in the historic county of Merioneths ...

and

Harlech Harlech () is a seaside resort and community in Gwynedd, north Wales and formerly in the historic county of Merionethshire. It lies on Tremadog Bay in the Snowdonia National Park. Before 1966, it belonged to the Meirionydd District of the 19 ...

in Gwynedd. This sandy beach is several miles long and is chiefly known for having an officially recognised

naturist Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms a ...

area, in length. The beach is very clean and is also known for regular sightings of

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

s. The nearest settlements are the villages of

Dyffryn Ardudwy Dyffryn Ardudwy () is a village, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in the Ardudwy area of Gwynedd, Wales consisting of several small, almost conjoined, villages including Coed Ystumgwern, Llanenddwyn (), Saint Dwywe, Llanddwywe, Ta ...

and

Llanbedr Llanbedr () is a village and community south of Harlech. Administratively, it lies in the Ardudwy area, formerly Meirionnydd, of the county of Gwynedd, Wales. History Ancient monuments at Llanbedr include Neolithic standing stones; the St ...

where several camp and caravan sites and guest-houses are available.

Naturism at Morfa Dyffryn

Naturism has been practised at Morfa Dyffryn since the late 1930s. The beach can attract several hundred naturists in summer during fine weather - despite which, it is rarely crowded. Most visitors come from

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

and North West England, although visitors from mainland

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

are not unknown. In 2000, after complaints from local residents of indecent exposure on other parts of beach and the access footpaths, steps were taken to designate a clearly marked 1 kilometre length of the beach as officially naturist. Although the official designation was resisted by some local residents, complaints of indecent exposure and related behaviour have markedly decreased since 2000. The naturist section of the beach is now clearly marked by signs at both ends. Some naturists complain that the official section is too small - the traditional naturist area was in length. Another complaint by naturists relates to the ban on naturist sunbathing in the sand dunes. Traditionally, most families and

heterosexual Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" ...

couples have sunbathed on the beach while most

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

men and many single heterosexual men have sunbathed on the dunes. Patrols by the

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

beach patrol Beach Patrol is a half-hour television series airing on truTV. The show features lifeguards and police working together to apprehend criminals and save lives. Each of the program's four seasons have focused on a different city San Diego, Miami ...

take place, and usually result in sunbathers being instructed to move down from the dunes onto the beach. The naturist section of the beach is up to 30 minutes' walk from the nearest car parks.

References

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External links

NUFF (Naturist UK Fact File) article on Morfa Dyffryn
{{coord, 52.793288, -4.135438, display=title, region:GB_type:landmark, format=dms Dyffryn Ardudwy Llanbedr Beaches of Gwynedd Beaches of Snowdonia Nature reserves in Gwynedd Nature reserves in Snowdonia Sites of Special Scientific Interest in East Gwynedd National nature reserves in Wales Nude beaches