Fires, Slow Food and the Right Kind of Pub: An Autumn Guide to North Wales

In North Wales, a good autumn walk is sometimes best measured by what waits at the end.

A pint beneath 15th-century beams in Beaumaris. Folk music beside the fire in Llanengan. Pie after a damp walk through the Conwy Valley. A first drink at Tŷ Coch, reached across the headland from Morfa Nefyn.

The daylight may be shortening, but there is no reason to hurry home. These are four walks that end in the right kind of pub, and four boltholes where the fire will still be glowing when you return

1. Follow the Strait to a Very Old Fire

Begin beside the Menai Strait, where a turn along Beaumaris seafront brings together the pier, the mountains across the water and a castle that looks especially at home beneath an autumn sky.

Continue through the pastel streets to the George & Dragon on Church Street. Built in 1410, it retains its timber frame, exposed beams and a centuries-old fireplace rediscovered within the building.

Settle in for a pint of cask ale and a late lunch while coats dry, roast potatoes disappear and the shop windows begin to glow outside.

Come home to: Tŷ Castell, a short walk away and overlooking Beaumaris Castle. If anyone finds room for supper, the four-oven range is ready for something slow. Otherwise, pour another glass, watch the castle fade into dusk and head downstairs for a game of snooker.

2. Let Folk Music Keep the Evening Going in Abersoch

The walk from Abersoch to Llanengan begins with Cardigan Bay beside you.

Follow the coast towards Machroes, where the path rises above the water and St Tudwal’s Islands sit offshore. Then turn inland through lanes and fields towards The Sun Inn, beneath the tower of St Engan’s Church.

This family-run village pub serves homemade food and guest ales, with the quality of its cask beer recognised by a Cask Marque Award. Quizzes and occasional live entertainment keep it rooted in village life, while folk and Irish sessions sometimes bring fiddles to the fireside. Check the latest listings before setting out and you could begin the day with waves and end it with music.

Come home to: Coed Helyg, tucked among the trees less than five minutes from central Abersoch. There is room for twelve around the long table, with a separate apartment giving larger groups a little extra space. As evening falls, light the wood burner or take a glass outside to the hot tub, where cooler air and earlier stars make the warm water even better.

3. Order the Pie the Weather Deserves in the Conwy Valley

At Bodnant Garden, the River Hiraethlyn runs through the wooded Dell beneath towering conifers, Japanese maples and trees collected from around the world. In October, the paths gather red, gold and russet leaves, while the valley beyond appears between the branches.

Afterwards, head for The Groes Inn, which has welcomed cold walkers and hungry travellers since the 16th century. By then, the valley air should have done its work and the fire inside will look very difficult to pass.

Menus change with the season, but this is firmly pie weather: golden pastry, something local in the glass and no pressing reason to look at the time.

Come home to: Plas Madoc Coach House, set among woodland and sweeping lawns on the other side of the valley. Pick up something good from Edwards of Conwy and cook it over charcoal in the sheltered outdoor kitchen. Beneath the heated pergola are a Big Green Egg, an Italian pizza oven and all the encouragement needed to let dinner run late.

Afterwards, move to the hot tub beneath the trees or take the final glass inside to the wood burner.

4. Go Where the Road Gives Up

At Porthdinllaen, getting to the pub is part of the day.

Leave the car at Morfa Nefyn and follow the coast towards Tŷ Coch Inn. The path crosses the headland above the golf course before dropping towards a crescent of sand and cottages beside the water. At lower tide, the beach offers another way in.

Opened in 1842 for local fishermen, Tŷ Coch sits directly on the shore with Yr Eifl rising beyond the bay. In autumn, the beach grows emptier, the sea becomes a little wilder and that first drink tastes all the better for arriving on foot.

Opening hours and food service change with the season, so check them before pulling on your boots.

Come home to: Hen Dafarn, a historic cottage on Nefyn beach. Leave sandy boots by the door, light the fire and listen to the sea carrying on outside.

The Walk Was Never the Whole Point

The right autumn pub appears just as fingers begin to feel the cold.

Inside, the fire has caught, something good is coming from the kitchen and nobody is in a hurry to leave. Back at the bolthole, logs wait beside the hearth, glasses gather around the table, and supper can take as long as it likes.

Let the light go early.

The evening is only getting started.