A natural harbour, it was, quite unbelievably now, once a vitally important shipping centre for the Irish Trade, and in 1804, over seven hundred ships were anchored there. With the advent of the industrial age, £12,000 was raised to build new piers to improve its chances against those of the, as yet undeveloped, Holy Isle (now the busy ferry port of Holyhead) to become the main port for Ireland. However, in 1837, with a single casting vote of the Chairman of a Commons Select Committee, its hopes were dashed and now, all that remains of the venture is the "Whitehall", built as a hotel in anticipation of the upsurge in travellers which (thankfully) never came; and the "Ty Coch" - the last surviving inn of three which the village once supported. The Whitehall is no longer a hotel, but the Ty Coch continues to attract thousands of visitors each year.

The present Ty Coch was built in 1823, out of red brick which is thought had been used as ballast for a ship which had taken granite from the port to Holland. However, it is thought that there was an earlier building on the site, possibly dating back to the sixteenth century, and this is evidenced by the presence of windows and a fireplace in the cellar. Rather amusingly, for the first five years of its life it was the vicarage for he vicar of Edern, and it was only after a vicarage was built next to the church in the village itself, that eventually the vicar moved out, leaving his housekeeper, Catherine Ellis, to open the building as an Inn in 1842, to supply refreshment to the shipbuilding workforce who worked on the beach.

So unique is the pub’s setting, that Craig Rosenberg chose it as one of the locations for his 2004 film "Half Light" which starred Debi Moore.

Further along the headland lies the narrow little cove of Lifeboat Bay, home to the Porth Dinllaen Lifeboat, which has been saving lives on this stretch of coastline since 1864. In December of the previous year, eighteen ships had been sheltering in the bay in anticipation of a severe storm. The shelter offered by the port’s natural harbour, however, offered no protection from the gale force northerly wind, and all the ships were driven ashore and wrecked. Robert Rees, a local man, tied a rope around his waist and, with the help of four other men, succeeded in saving the lives of twenty eight sailors from the stricken vessels. Following the tragedy, the Rev. Owen Lloyd Williams of Boduan, wrote to the R.N.L.I. reporting on the results of recent gales, and asked for a lifeboat station to be established at Porth Dinllaen. The R.N.L.I.'s inspector of lifeboats, visited the area the following February, and recommended the forming of a lifeboat station, which was formally approved at a meeting of the management in March 1864. The first boathouse was built at a cost of £140 and this was quickly followed by the arrival of the very first lifeboat, the 36 foot long, 12-oar, Cotton Sheppard, in August. Costing just £250, she was carried free-of-charge from London to Caernarfon by rail, and then sailed to Porth Dinllaen.

Carrying on this tradition today, it is still local men (and one young woman) who, when the maroons boom out, rush down to the station to man the lifeboat. But it is now the 47 foot long Hetty Rampton, that rattles down the slipway, and races across the bay at 18 knots, engines roaring.

Just beyond the Lifeboat Station, on Carreg Ddu rock, there is a fine vantage point from which to view the local grey seal colony, which can often be seen basking on rocks just a few feet away; a sure sign of good fishing.

The whole of north Lleyn has been identified as an area diverse in both habitats and species and Porth Dinllaen has been designated a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). A dive in 2005 identified the Omalosecosa Reef, the Miller Pinnacle, abundant seagrass beds, and the extremely rare cup coral. In addition, many species of sponge were observed, including the golf ball sponge (Tethya aurantium). The divers also found several real golf balls, no doubt gone astray from the Nefyn and District Golf Course, which is situated on the headland above the bay. In an unique cliff top setting, golf has been played here since 1907 and today, is a very challenging 27 hole links course, where every hole calls for accurate shot making if your ball is not to end up in the sea below!

Porth Dinllaen has been protected by the National Trust since 1994 and now, a total of sixteen houses, the Ty Coch Inn, and the RNLI station are all under the care of the Trust.

and the natural harbour is populated with fishing boats and pleasure boats.. One or two of the little whitewashed cottages which lie, quite literally, at the water’s edge, can be rented for holidays, but be prepared to pay an absolute premium to stay on the beach itself. A much cheaper option is to stay in nearby Morfa Nefyn, where there is a choice of reasonably-priced self catering accommodation, B&B establishments, and a small hotel. One of the more cost-effective accommodation options is to rent a holiday cottage through Nefyn Holidays, the local holiday letting agency. They’ve been going for over 30 years, and have become firm favourites with the large number of families who holiday in the area each year.

To visit Porth Dinllaen take the B4417 road to Morfa Nefyn and follow the signs to the National Trust car park (just off the Golf Road). From here there are steps down to Morfa Nefyn beach from where you can walk across the sands to Porth Dinllaen. It is also possible to park in the golf club car park and walk across the course itself. For those afforded the luxury of a four-wheel drive vehicle, it can be possible, at low tide, to drive across the wet sand, passing behind some old warehouse buildings on your way, though given the number of would-be off-roaders which get stuck, perhaps this is an option best avoided!

Whichever mode of transport you take, you’ll be rewarded with the magnificent views across the bay towards the Rivals mountains, which plunge dramatically into the sea at Trefor, and the simple pleasure of just being in this idyllic paradise.

Dying to see the place for yourself? Visit the Nefyn Holidays website and book yourself a cottage. One word of warning though……..its beauty and atmosphere addictive!