The tale of Cantre’r Gwaelod is woven in song. The Elfrida and Braich y Celyn story rings with some truth in the double-walled house and the no longer secret tunnel leading to Trefri. There’s the Ghost of the Red Tree and The Trefri Ghost. How many more legends now lie silent, once sprung from this charmer, snuggled against the cliffs which tower over Cardigan Bay in mid-west Wales, on the southern edge of Snowdonias National Park in County Gwynedd?
Cantre’r Gwaelod’s legend has a few versions and pertains to land beneath the waters of Cardigan Bay. Version One: A priestess overflowed a fairy well. Version Two: Young maiden Mererid whilst dreaming of her lover, was unaware that the well was running over. Version Three: In this fertile kingdom of Meirionnydd, a dyke protected the land from the sea with sluice gates opening and closing depending on the tide. One stormy night, Seithennin the watchman partying deeply, forgot to shut the gates. The sea flooded in, covering villages – The Drowning of The Land of Gwyddno. Aberdyfi is the closest neighbour of this loss.
Aberdyfi’s history roots in shipbuilding and the accompanying industries. Once a busy port in the 1800s, exporting oak bark, coal and slate; with Irish limestone, timber and livestock coming in across the Irish Sea, it’s now quiet and preserved – a seemingly understated life that is rich in happenings and community. The very air made me want to stay – even for two more days for another walk on the jetty to peer down at the Time and Tide Bell or head over to Cemetery Beach, where the swimming is safer, away from the crossing currents near the pier. And that’s been her recent experience as many have stayed and many have returned turning cottages into holiday homes. Three historic hotels of the 1700s (Dovey, Britannia and Penhelig) are even still serving visitors alongside the relative newcomer restaurateurs making Aberdyfi a foodie destination.
The expansive, four miles of sandy beach is perfect for strolling, flying kites and creating in the sand. Bank holidays in the summer bring a full shore of frolickers. Aberdyfi‘s Information Centre at Wharf Garden offers terrific ideas for the casual traveller – bowling, geo-caching, crabbing, fishing, kayaking, bird-watching, hiking, plus books and a museum exhibit on local history.
Simply slurping ice cream on the boardwalk or taking tea with cakes as I watch others go by is part of the charm of being there. A dot but Aberdyfi offers a myriad of activities – even at the cusp of the New Year, when there’s fireworks.
Aberdyfi is a dream hive for yachting, rowing and golf enthusiasts; hosting well-known competitions and tournaments with a track record and trophies on mantelpieces as proof. The blend of active life and quiet spaces in a laid-back ambience amidst exquisite natural beauty is an inspiration for visual artists, artisans and writers. Here’s an interesting link I discovered … Bertha Ruck (1878 -1978) an Aberdyfian and a romance novelist was the cousin of Bernard Darwin (golf writer 1876 – 1961) who was the grandson of Charles Darwin (the naturalist) – whose Uncle Colonel Arthur Ruck, laid the original 9-hole links course of the present 18-hole Aberdyfi Golf Course using flower pots. And that’s not a legend!
Hiking past pastel homes, up Copperhill Street, up, around and onward to the hills, there’s Pen-Y-Bryn. A favourite. Even a pilgrimage. It’s where I’ll go when I return. Up there beyond the bandstand, where in 1151 stood Rhys, Son of Gruffydd’s fortress, I can gaze down on the coast of the Afon Dyfi estuary spilling into the bay. Cader Idris arches behind me. Gulls glide overhead. A Red Kite shrills and with my imagination when it’s quiet, even hear the bells in the deep at Cantre’r Gwaelod.
Getting There
By car: The A493.
By bus: From Machynlleth or Tywyn – Number 28 and X29.
By train: Well serviced by the train (the railway arrived in 1863) look for the destinations – Machynlleth, Porthmadog, Barmouth or Tywyn. The station you need is Penhelig or Aberdyfi.
By whichever means you travel, the views are beyond stunning and inspires one to draw, paint, take out the camera or just stop to stare.
Words: Gillian Thomas
First published in Welsh Country Magazine, Jul-Aug 2019
