Aberaeron Harbour and Painted Houses

A Harbour Town Built by Design

Aberaeron is a rare example of a planned Georgian town in Wales. Its harbour was rebuilt after an Act of Parliament in 1807, and the streets around it were laid out in an orderly grid of Georgian and Regency terraces that still frame the quays.

What the Camera Shows

The view takes in the harbour basin with its moored dinghies and yachts, a sailing boat resting on its cradle on the stone quay, and the slipway and parked cars along the waterfront. Across the water, the brightly painted houses of the quayside line the shore beneath the green hills that rise behind the town.

A Working Tidal Harbour

The harbour is tidal: the basin fills and drains with the tides of Cardigan Bay, leaving boats either afloat or settled on the harbour bed. It is home to small fishing boats and leisure craft, and the town celebrates its maritime roots with an annual seafood festival.

Visiting Aberaeron

Aberaeron lies on the Ceredigion Coast Path, part of the Wales Coast Path, between Aberystwyth and Cardigan. Visitors come for its harbourside cafés, seafood restaurants and scenic walks along the shore of the bay.