Barmouth - Open All Year
Like most seaside locations Barmouth can get very busy in the summer months and, like most others, it can feel a little ‘quiet’ at other times of the year. People sometimes think the town closes down for the winter, that there’ll be nothing open and nothing to do if they come in the winter. But they couldn’t be more wrong. For sure some of the summer-oriented businesses close down and many businesses adjust their opening hours to reflect the reduced numbers of visitors. But the truth is that no matter what time of year you choose to visit you’ll find shops open, restaurants and pubs serving terrific food and plenty of things to see and do. Best of all you’ll get to enjoy Barmouth without the crowds. It’s many people’s favourite time of the year here and once you’ve had our glorious beach all to yourself maybe it will become yours too!
This page will help you plan your visit with information about places to visit and things to do as well as which businesses are open through the winter months.
Business Opening Hours: We have done our best to collect together the opening hours of local businesss. These may change at short notice. If there is a particular place you'd like to go to on your visit we suggest you contact them before travelling.
Attractions Open All year:
St John’s Church and Barmouth History Museum:
Barmouth’s ‘cathedral’ sits above the town and was funded by the widow of Mr Perrins of Worcester Sauce fame. The church is open daily for visitors (free entry but donations welcome) and the interior is well worth seeing. Also within the church is the Barmouth History Museum, a fascinating collection of pictures, artifacts and information boards charting the history of Barmouth from its days as a tiny fishing village through to the modern day.
Overlooked by many visitors this original Victorian reading room is a little gem. The corrugated iron building on the quay looks very unprepossessing but go inside (through the front door and then immediately right) and you’ll find a space that has changed very little in decades. Full of maritime memorabilia along with papers and magazines the Sailors’ Institute is a fascinating time capsule. Open daily.
This little circular jail dates from Victorian times (1833) and was used to lock-up drunken sailors! Information boards tell its story and you can see into the two cells – not an inviting place to spend the night. Open daily.
Dinas Oleu and the Frenchman’s Grave:
The very first piece of land the National Trust ever owned was gifted to it by Barmouth resident and philanthropist Fanny Talbot in 1895. The 4.5 acre site offers spectacular views across Barmouth and Cardigan Bay. Close by is the grave of Auguste Guyard, a Frenchman who fled Paris during the Franco-Prussian war and was instrumental in working with John Ruskin to create a ‘model commune’. He was buried above the terraces he carved in the hillside and his grave is a popular place to visit all year round.
Barmouth Heritage Trail:
This is a wonderful way to visit most of Barmouth’s historical places of interest, and there’s a lot more than you might imagine! Leaflets with a map of the route are available for £1 from the Tourist Information Point at Barmouth Station or else you can access the trail with a lot of additional content online by following this link.
Barmouth Bridge:
Opened in 1867 to carry the railway line across the stunning Mawddach estuary this bridge, recently given a £30million make-over, is an amazing feat of engineering and can be viewed from the footpath that runs across it alongside the railway track. The views from the bridge are stunning at any time of year. A voluntary toll of £1 per person is payable at the ‘Troll House’, (payment by phone accepted).
Barmouth Beach and Promenade:
Stretching for a mile and a half Barmouth’s promenade offers a wonderful walk with far-reaching views across the bay towards the Llyn Peninsular. The beach itself is also wonderful for walking with a variety of landscapes to enjoy at either high or low tide.
The Mawddach Trail:
Barmouth is surrounded by amazing walks but in winter you may prefer this highly accessible but wonderfully scenic trail. Running 9 miles from Barmouth, across the bridge and along the old track-bed of a railway line all the way to Dolgellau it offers amazing views of the Mawddach estuary and river and the surrounding mountains. Take the T3 bus to Dolgellau and walk back, or vice-versa.
Y Promenâd parkrun, Abermaw:
This is a free, community event, where you can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate. parkrun is 5km and takes place every Saturday morning worldwide. parkrun is positive, welcoming and inclusive. There is no time limit, and no one finishes last. Everyone is welcome to come along. It takes place along the promenade starting oppoopsite the lifeboat station. Parking is available near the start and the toilets at the rwailway station are open. Nearby parkruns are Dolgellau and Pont y Bala.
Further afield you can visit Harlech Castle, Portmeirion, Cambrian Coast Railway, Zip World, Corris Craft Centre or Coed y Brenin for walks, shopping, scenery, culture, history or adrenaline.