Become a Coast & Wildie
Firstly, you'll need to know where to find some seaweed, and although pretty much every beach in west Wales will have some seaweeds to forage, we’ve added the ones we frequent below.
Whilst foraging, we are mindful to only take a small amount of seaweed home, we normally leave with less than 10 choice washed-up specimens - less is definitely more in our minds.
Cwm-yr-Eglwys
One of our favourites is the mostly sheltered bay at Cwm-yr-Eglwys (Northerly storms make a trip to Cwm quite interesting), it's the closest beach to our studio / gallery and a great selection of vibrant seaweed specimens can be found washed up on the sandy shore.
Pwllgwaelod
Just a stone's throw away, and a short 10 minute walk from Cwm-yr-Eglwys along the flat valley floor heading west, Pwllgwaelod is a great beach for a forage on an incoming tide. Just stand in the shallows and let the beautiful sea plants wash around your ankles and feet. The sunsets here are also rather special, which makes a late evening forage well worth the effort.
Aber Bach
Further along our dramatic Pembrokeshire coastline and in opposite directions, Aber Bach and Aberfforest can be quite bountiful at various times of the year. Both can only be reached by foot, both have small rivers flowing through the pebbles to the sea beyond, and give off a real sense of the wild. There’s a beautiful waterfall to find behind Aberfforest, whilst seals and dolphin are common visitors to Aber Bach.
Parrog at Newport
Venturing further east, you'll find Aber Rhigian, Parrog, and the sweeping expanse of Newport Sands. Three very different beaches, Aber Rhigian with its narrow cliff sided bay (again reached only by foot), Parrog being an estuary beach with many boat moorings and quite busy during the summer, and then Newport Sands - on the opposite side of the estuary to Parrog, a large flat open stretch of dune backed sand with outstanding views of the whole of Newport Bay.
Treasure
At all beaches, if you look closely enough, you'll find Dulse, Wracks, Oar Weeds, Irish Moss and other seaweeds - take a small bucket, fill it with some seawater, place your finds in it and watch them unfurl into little fronds of treasure - you'll be surprised what is hiding away in a crumpled heap on the sand!
Say hello
If you see us at any of the beaches - we'll be the couple wandering around staring down at the ground, don't be shy - come over and say hello, we're always up for a seaweed chat and occasionally a social selfie too.