CARDIGAN BAY

scenic inlet of the Irish Sea indenting the west coast of Wales. It is about 65 miles (105 km) long from south-southwest to north-northeast. Two national parks, Snowdonia and Pembrokeshire Coast, incorporate substantial stretches of beach and cliff along the shoreline. Coastal resort towns include Pwllheli and Criccieth on the Lleyn Peninsula, which bounds the bay to the north; historic Harlech with its castle and dunes; Barmouth by the Mawddach Estuary; Aberdovey by the Dovey Estuary, associated in Welsh folklore (The Bells of Aberdovey) with the submergence of a land beyond the present coastline; Aberystwyth, the major town of west-central Wales; and Fishguard, a base for seaborne trade and ferry service between Wales and Ireland.