Aberdovey - Aberdyfi - A Winter Walk

Last Tuesday saw a brief respite in the stormy wet weather here so I took the opportunity to go out for a short walk with the Walking Group. As the ground is not surprisingly very wet underfoot it is not easy to find a route in the countryside where one will not get bogged down in mud and running water! Hence it had been decided that we would leave the cars just outside Aberdovey then walk into the village via the golf course and back streets. The advantage was that we were able to stop for tea, before the return leg.

Trip Advisor Review

Aberdyfi (English: Mouth of the River Dyfi), or Aberdovey the English spelling which is still in common use is on the north side of the estuary of the River Dyfi in Gwynedd, on the west coast of Wales.

The village was founded around the harbour and shipbuilding industry, but is now best known as a seaside resort with a high quality beach. The centre is on the river and seafront, around the original harbour, jetty and beach but it stretches back from the coast and up the steep hillside in the midst of typical Welsh coastal scenery of steep green hills and sheep farms. Penhelig, with its own railway station, is the eastern part of the town.

Aberdyfi is a popular tourist attraction, with many returning holidaymakers, a relatively large proportion of houses in the village are now holiday homes, resulting in high house prices. The town is located within the Snowdonia National Park. In the 2011 census, 38.5% of the population identified themselves as of Welsh origins.

The first three photos are of the view across the estuary looking towards Borth as we headed towards the village.

Aberdovey is a very picturesque location just four miles from Tywyn and somewhere I always enjoy visiting. My photos today do not really do the place justice, but will give you a general impression.

If you have enjoyed these photos you may also be interested in a video of the area that appears on my book review blog. LindyLouMac's Book Reviews I recently read and reviewed Megan's Game the début novel from Tony Drury that is partially set in the local area. Due to be made into a film this is a novel I recommend to fans of the romantic thriller.

With thanks to the following sites for the background information included in this post. The links will take you directly to the pages on the local region if you are interested in learning more about Aberdovey and the surrounding countryside.

Aberdyfi - Wikipedia    Welcome to Aberdovey   Aberdovey Webcam   Aberdovey - Official Website
Snowdonia National Park   Aberdovey Golf Club

                           All photos unless stated otherwise are my own taken in February 2014
  

 All rights reserved by LindyLouMac Photo Collection

More photos from this trip may also be viewed individually in the collection entitled  

Aberdovey - A Winter Walk at My Flickr  account.

Barmouth on a Sunny Sunday

Barmouth is on the west coast of North Wales and lying between a mountain range and the sea on the mouth of the river Mawddach it is a beautiful location. Resting just within the south west corner of Snowdonia National Park it is seeped in a history rich with connections to the shipping and slate industries.

View across the Estuary from Toll Bridge.

On a sunny Sunday back in July, the 14th, to be exact I went to Barmouth with my sister and brother-in-law. It was the weekend of the Barmouth Paddle and Kite Festival so knowing in advance that it was going to be extremely busy and therefore very difficult to park, we decided to walk across the Toll Bridge that spans Barmouth Estuary and has spectacular views.

Views of Barmouth from the Toll Bridge.

There was a great deal of activity going on in Barmouth that day as the following photos will show. The Paddle Sports and Kite Festivals seemed to be very popular. I have included a link to the Rotary Club web page at the end of the post if you are interested in finding out more about this event.

Barmouth has many quaint and delightful corners to explore and this visit we mainly spent our time in the area around the harbour, then a walk along the promenade to see the kites, before cutting back through the town to return across the bridge. A town steeped in history I will certainly be back to explore further another time.

Harbour-side Sculpture by local sculptor Frank Cocksey

Ty Gwyn Museum

The first record of Barmouth as a small port on the Welsh Coast was in 1565 in a survey commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I. During the 18C and 19C it was a major shipbuilding centre within Wales.  The Ty Gwyn  now a museum was built in 1460 and contains many interesting artefacts, including those found in The Bronze Bell Wreck which was discovered by local sub-aqua club members just off the coast in the summer of 1978. It is thought the ship sunk whilst carrying a cargo of Carrara marble from Genoa. The sculpture shown above is carved from marble found in the wreckage and depicts three generations of fishermen hauling in their catch. Situated just behind the Ty Gwyn is Ty Crwn, The Round House which was built as a jail, one half for women, the other for men.

    Ty Crwn, The Round House Jail

The next group of photos were taken in the Harbour area, which was busy with people enjoying the sunshine.

Our stroll around Barmouth then took us along the promenade where Barmouth Kite Festival was taking place.

Video courtesy of YouTubedsr150

Heading away from the beach we cut back through the town where I took a few random shots as we headed back to the Toll Bridge.

I hope you have enjoyed sharing our stroll around Barmouth, a town well worth a visit if you ever visit Wales.

Please note that as I have included rather a lot of photos in this post, I have not posted the largest size. To view in a larger format, just click on any photo for a slide show to enjoy a better view.  The full album of photos I took that day can be viewed on my Flickr Account in the Album entitled  Barmouth on a Sunny Sunday

With thanks to the following links for information contained in this post.

Barmouth Wales    Welcome to Barmouth   Paddle Wales  The Bronze Bell Wreck  Barmouth Kite Festival

All photos are my own taken in July 2013. 

  All rights reserved by LindyLouMac Photo Collection 

The full set of photos may also be viewed individually in my album entitled  

  Barmouth on a Sunny Sunday at  My Flickr account.