West Shore Beach in Llandudno is a charming, quieter alternative to the busier North Shore – offering soft sand, dunes, and lovely coastal views under the Great Orme headland. The beach is sandy (with some pebbly patches), featuring extensive dunes backed by a coastal path. It’s notably more tranquil than the North Shore and offers some good rockpooling if you know where to look.
At low tide, vast sandy stretches appear, but there are a couple of spots that retain a good depth of water and hold various types of small fish and crustaceans. There are some rocky outcrops too where you’ll find various colours of beadlet anenome, crabs and several types of shellfish.
There is ample car parking next to the beach but it is a little bit of a walk to reach the rockpooling spots. A cafe and toilets are also located next to the main car park.
West Shore is celebrated for its beautiful evening light and panoramic views towards Snowdonia and Puffin Island on clear days. Framed by the limestone cliffs of the Great Orme and views across Conwy Bay, it’s a great spot for coastal walks on the Wales Coast Path.
Be aware that there is no lifeguard service so always check tide times and observe posted safety advice. Dogs are allowed but restricted in certain areas during peak season (May–September).
I’ve been visiting the West Shore for years and was rockpooling there long before I had a tank to take everything back to. There is a big pool in the middle of the beach located to the left of the big rocky outcrop. It has a depth of around two feet at low tide and in the summer when the seaweed is abundant you can find all kinds of interesting stuff in there.
Last year I found a couple of Scorpion Fish in there as well as the two biggest prawns I’ve ever seen. I was excited to go back there this spring now that I have the tank to take them back to, but the pool was not full of the crystal clear, sparklingly clean water I remembered. It was murky and there was a distinct smell of sewage. Not pleasant at all.
I didn’t stay long and moved to another part of the beach which was cleaner but not as well stocked. I found common prawns, brown shrimp and chameleon prawns, as well as crabs, periwinkles and a ton of bright red Beadlet Anenomes. Much of it is seasonal though, and the summer is a much better time to rockpool as when the seaweed is plentiful you’ll find a greater variety of wildlife.
