Rockpooling is fun, free and you don’t need many equipment beyond a curious mind. Here’s my guide to the best spots to rockpool in Wales.

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Cardigan Bay	Dunraven Bay	Newport Parrog Beach
Porth y Pwll, Anglesey	Bracelet Bay, Swansea	Cold Knap Point, Barry
Dinas Dinlle, Caernarfon	Mwnt, Ceredigion	Skomer Island
Black Rock Sands		Refer WalesOnline

Cardigan Bay

Cardigan Bay stretches 207 km (129 miles) from Bardsey Island off the Llyn Peninsula in the north to the wild headland of Strumble head in the south with the largest population of dolphins in Europe.

Go and take part in one of the wildlife spotting boat trips to get close look. More

Dunraven Bay

often referred to as Southerndown beach, Much loved by the locals and attracting many visitors every year.  This beach is a great place to fossil hunt and has some of the best rock pools along the coast. It has a great sandy beach. More

Newport Parrog Beach

A delightful stretch of coastline. The Coast Path twists and turns its way round to the old lifeboat station, sometimes on the beach, sometimes on the road and at one point crosses a fantastic causeway built of slates laid in a herringbone pattern.

Rockpooling is a must here and also a hotspot for crabbing. More

Porth y Pwll, Anglesey

Anglesey in particular is blessed with many rocky beaches where crab-hunters and shrimp-prodders may get lucky. The North Wales Wildlife Trust recommends Porth y Pwll, east of Trearddur Bay, where seaweed-filled pools are rich in marine life including lobsters, squat lobsters, sea hares and starfish. this is the ultimate place for exploring marine life. More

Bracelet Bay, Swansea

Beautiful Bracelet Bay beach is just around Mumbles’ head. Its rocky shoreline is award winning, and renowned for rockpools – you’ll sometimes spot a seal or two as well. And it’s great for ice cream.

Bracelet bay has both a Blue Flag and Seaside Award.   More

Cold Knap Point, Barry

Cold Knap beach consists of a steep bank of pebbles, with some sand at low tide. To the west the pebble bank is backed by high limestone cliffs, and fossils can be found here (mostly gryphaea and ammonites). The eastern end of the beach is bounded by Cold Knap Point, and backed by a wide promenade and Romilly Park which has a boating lake.  More
It’s a total treasure trove for explorers, the crags and crevices in the rock hold everything from shrimps and limpets to crabs and small fish. 

Dinas Dinlle, Caernarfon

A real heritage hub, there’s an Iron Age hill fort on one side of the beach that’s fab for little adventurers. The coast is also dotted with rockpools, so nets at the ready and get exploring.

Dinas Dinlle is a popular sandy beach with great views of the Llyn Peninsula and Anglesey and easy access to Snowdonia’s highest mountains. More

Mwnt, Ceredigion

Mwnt is a haven for wildlife, one of the best places in Ceredigion to spot dolphins and always popular for days out on the beach. 

The beach is a little trickier to get to, but it’s worth it when you spot seals, dolphins and porpoise off the coast. You could always enjoy a cliff top walk too and see the sea from a different angle.  More

Skomer Island

An island of sheltered bays, exposed headlands, offshore rocks and shaded inlets, all painted with the graduated colours of lichen.

 Home to, quite literally, thousands of birds, spend some time with the colorful-beaked puffins with an organised trip to the island. More

Black Rock Sands

Black Rock Sands is an open, wide beach with fine sands.The name comes from the area to the west of the beach dominated by a large, multi-colored headland rock, low-tide caves and rock pools, an area rich in marine life. More

The best time for rockpooling is late spring to early autumn as this is when the weather is at its kindest. Why not plan your trip now? Enjoy rockpooling, have fun!