Barmouth

Barmouth (Welsh: Abermaw (formal); Y Bermo (colloquial)) is a town and community in the county of Gwynedd, north-western Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Mawddach and Cardigan Bay.[1] Located in the Historic county of Merionethshire, the Welsh form of the name is derived from "Aber" (estuary) and the river's name, "Mawddach".[2] The English form of the name is a corruption of the earlier Welsh form 'Abermawdd'.[3][4] The community includes the tiny villages of Llanaber, Cutiau, and Caerdeon.

Barmouth

Barmouth across the Mawddach estuary
Barmouth
Location within Gwynedd
Population2,522 
OS grid referenceSH613158
Community
  • Barmouth
Principal area
Ceremonial county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBARMOUTH
Postcode districtLL42
Dialling code01341
PoliceNorth Wales
FireNorth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
  • Dwyfor Meirionnydd

History
Barmouth, with Cader Idris in the background, 1865.
The town in the 1890s
Barmouth Sands by William Collins, 1835, Guildhall Gallery, London

The town grew around the shipbuilding industry, and more recently as a seaside resort. Notable buildings include the medieval Tŷ Gwyn tower house, the 19th century Tŷ Crwn roundhouse prison and St John's Church.

William Wordsworth, a visitor to Barmouth in the 19th century, described it thus: "With a fine sea view in front, the mountains behind, the glorious estuary running eight miles [13 km] inland, and Cadair Idris within compass of a day's walk, Barmouth can always hold its own against any rival."

Dinas Oleu (Citadel of Light), which is located east of the town on the adjoining hillside,[1] was the first tract of land to be donated to the National Trust.[5]

In January 2014, two trains were stranded at Barmouth after severe winter storms destroyed the sea wall at nearby Llanaber.[6]

Transport

The town is served by Barmouth railway station. Transport for Wales operate westbound services to Pwllheli via Harlech, Porthmadog and Criccieth, and eastbound services to Birmingham International via Tywyn, Machynlleth, Welshpool, Shrewsbury, Telford and Wolverhampton.

Connections for southbound services to Borth and Aberystwyth can be made at Dovey Junction or Machynlleth.

Barmouth Bridge, which takes the Cambrian Line over the River Mawddach, was also previously at the end of the Ruabon–Barmouth line, which passed through Bala and Dolgellau. The southern end of the bridge is now the start of the Mawddach Trail, a cycle path and walk way that utilises the old trackbed.

Local bus services are provided by Lloyds Coaches, and link the town with nearby destinations such as Harlech, Tan-y-Bwlch, Porthmadog and Dolgellau. Cross country bus services are available to Wrexham via Bala, Corwen and Llangollen, as part of the Welsh Government funded TrawsCymru network.

The Barmouth Ferry sails from Barmouth to Penrhyn Point, where it connects with the narrow gauge Fairbourne Railway for the village of Fairbourne.

Barmouth is (geographically) one of the closest seaside resorts to the English West Midlands and a large proportion of its tourist visitors, as well as its permanent residents, are from Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Dudley and other parts of the Black Country, and Telford, Shropshire.

The town has a RNLI lifeboat station with a Visitors' Centre with shop and viewing gallery.[7]

Sport

The nearest rugby club is in Dolgellau, 7 miles (11 km) away.[8]

Barmouth has one major football team: Barmouth & Dyffryn United, the team competes in the Welsh Alliance league and is generally well-supported by residents.

Barmouth is the venue for the annual Barmouth Beach Race, a motocross event. Usually taking place on the last weekend in October, the event sees riders take part in beach racing, using a temporary motocross course constructed on the beach. Over 200 riders typically take part in this event, with spectators attending free of charge. The event attracts champion riders from England and Wales.[9]

The busy harbour plays host to the annual Three Peaks yacht race.[10]

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "124" (Map). Porthmadog & Dolgellau. 1:50,000. Landranger (in English and Welsh). Ordnance Survey. 2016. ISBN 978-0-319-26222-1.
  2. Ayto, John; Crofton, Ian (2005). Brewer's Britain & Ireland. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 76. ISBN 0 304 35385 X.
  3. "BBC - BBC - Cymru - Y ddylanwad mae'r iaith Saesneg wedi ei gael ar leoedd yng Nghymru". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  4. Mills, A. (2003). Oxford Dictionary of British Place-Names. Oxford University Press.
  5. "Dinas Oleu Walk, Barmouth". National Trust. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  6. "Road trip for storm-hit Barmouth marooned trains". BBC News. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2014.
  7. "RNLI: Barmouth". Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  8. Dolgellau Old Grammarians Archived 5 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine from Pitchero.com, retrieved 11 March 2015
  9. WalesDirectory.co.uk retrieved 11 March 2015
  10. "Three Peaks Yacht Race". threepeaksyachtrace.co.uk. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  11. "Titanic: Grandson tells of officer Harold Lowe who returned for survivors". BBC News. 14 April 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  12. Howell, Denis (5 November 2009). "Barmouth to Fort William Three Peaks Yacht Race Prize Giving". yachtsandyachting.com. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
  13. Etherington-Smith, Meredith (18 August 1992). "Obituary: Tommy Nutter". London: The Independent. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  14. "Barmouth actress Charlie Brooks to star in 18-week theatre stage tour". Daily Post. 9 December 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2016.
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