Abereiddy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Abereiddy
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 Abereiddy
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| OS grid reference | SM 79724 31055 |
| • Cardiff | 116 mi (187 km) |
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| Principal area | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HAVERFORDWEST |
| Postcode district | SA62 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament |
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| Welsh Assembly |
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Abereiddy (Welsh: Abereddi) is a small village, also known as a hamlet, located in Pembrokeshire, a county in west Wales. It's a beautiful spot on the Welsh coast.
Abereiddy has a lovely small beach. In 2005, this beach won the Blue Flag award for rural beaches. This means it's a clean and safe place to visit. There's a big car park right next to the beach. During summer, you can often find an ice cream van there. Public toilets are also available from Easter until October half-term. The famous Pembrokeshire Coast Path runs right by the beach. This path offers amazing walks in both directions.
Abereiddy is also home to the well-known Blue Lagoon. This unique spot has hosted the "Red Bull Diving" championships. The Blue Lagoon was created when an old slate mine's wall was blasted open. This allowed the sea to flood the quarry. It's also a popular place for "coasteering." This exciting activity involves diving into the sea, swimming, and climbing along the cliffs.
If you follow the coast path north from Abereiddy, you'll reach Porthgain. This walk takes about forty minutes. Going the other way, south-east along the coastal path, you can walk around St Davids Head and on to Whitesands Bay.
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Discovering the Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon is a fascinating place near Abereiddy. It used to be a small slate quarry. But then, the sea broke in and flooded it. At first, the slate from the quarry was sent out from Abereiddy beach. Later, a special tramway was built. This tramway took the slate to the harbour at Porthgain, a couple of miles north. Even though it wasn't as big as other quarries, it used a steam-powered lift.
Near the beach, you can still see the ruins of a small group of slate houses. These houses were known as The Street. They were built for the quarry workers of the Blue Lagoon. The workers left these homes after a flood in the early 1900s.
A sign from the Pembrokeshire National Park says the Blue Lagoon is 25 meters deep. Even though it's called the "Blue Lagoon," the water usually looks greenish. This is because of the minerals in the old quarry. The lagoon is a favorite spot for adventure groups. They come here for coasteering and also for diving when the weather is not good.
World-Class Diving at Abereiddy
In September 2012, the Blue Lagoon at Abereiddy became a famous sports venue. It hosted one of the stages of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series. This was the first time this big event came to the UK. Fourteen of the world's best divers took part. They dived from a special platform, 27 meters high, into the Blue Lagoon.
The exciting championships returned to Abereiddy in September 2013. They also came back again in September 2016.
Abereiddy on Screen
Abereiddy, especially the Blue Lagoon, has appeared in several films and music videos. It was featured in the music video for the popular song "Silence" by Delerium. This song, featuring Sarah McLachlan, came out in 2000.
Abereiddy was also the main filming location for the 1961 movie Fury at Smugglers' Bay. This film starred the famous actor Peter Cushing. In 2009, Abereiddy and its regular ice cream van were part of a short film. This film, called "Ice Cream," was made to promote Visit Wales, the Welsh Tourist Board.
More recently, the Blue Lagoon was in a short film from 2024. This film, called 'Walk Upon The Water', was made by 12 film students. They entered it into several film festivals.
Ancient Life: Geology and Fossils
The rocks around Abereiddy Bay tell an interesting story about Earth's past. On the south side of the bay, you can see layers of rock that are steeply tilted. These rocks are from a time period called the Upper Llanvirn. Here, you can often find fossils of a creature called Didymograptus murchisoni.
As you go north, the rocks change to those from the Llandeilo age. The shoreline itself has layers of Caradocian limestone and shale. North of the headland, there's a small cove. Here, you can find older rocks with fossils of Didymograptus bifidus. There's also an old slate quarry nearby that shows these rock layers very well.
People who like to collect fossils often look for the Ordovician shales. These soft, flaky rocks are wedged between the cliffs. Luckily, pieces of shale often fall from the cliffs onto the beach. This makes it easier to find fossils just by walking along the beach. You usually only need a hammer to split open larger pieces of rock.
