The Llyn Peninsula, which sticks out 30 miles into the Irish Sea, is one of the gems of Wales. When the wind blows from the west, Llyn is frequently in sunshine, while it is cloudy and raining a few miles to the east in Snowdonia.
The National Trust owns large parts and Llyn has 20 sites of special scientific interest. There is a coastal path around the whole peninsula giving spectacular views from the cliff tops of the sandy beaches and the extinct volcanoes of the interior. But Llyn is under attack from the sea. The holiday brochures about the delights of the north coast describe paths down the cliffs to the sea that are no longer there. Coastal erosion has swept them away. From the beach it is possible to see sections of steps hanging at precarious angles.
The largest bay, Hell's Mouth, named because many a sailing vessel was driven ashore on its shallow sandy beach, is a stunning sight at high tide in a south-west wind.
The waves surge across the eight-mile long strand and crash into the cliffs as gannets wheel and plunge into the foam looking for fish.
Sea level rise is currently about 3mm a year around Llyn but this is expected to increase significantly. Ice sheet measurements in Greenland and Antarctica published this month have just added 56cm to the estimate of an approximate 60cm rise this century. The soft cliffs of Llyn will be cascading down faster than ever.