Barmouth ( cy, Abermaw (formal); ''Y Bermo'' (

colloquial Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom normally employed in conver ...

)) is a seaside town and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

in the

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

, northwestern

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, lying on the

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

of the

Afon Mawddach The Afon Mawddach ( en, River Mawddach, italic=yes) is a river in Gwynedd, Wales, which has its source in a wide area north of Dduallt in Snowdonia. It is 28 miles (45 km) in length, and is much branched; many of the significant tribut ...

and

Cardigan Bay Cardigan Bay ( cy, Bae Ceredigion) is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales. Geograp ...

. Located in the historic county of

Merionethshire , HQ= Dolgellau , Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= , Status= , Start= 1284 , End= , Code= MER , CodeName= ...

, the Welsh form of the name is derived from ''aber'' (estuary) and the river's name, "Mawddach". The English form of the name is a corruption of the earlier Welsh form ''Abermawdd''. The community includes the villages of

Llanaber Llanaber is a linear coastal village in north west Wales, about north of Barmouth on the A496 road. The Irish Sea lies directly to the west and the Rhiniog mountains directly to the east. Facilities Its main attraction is the large beach whic ...

, Cutiau, and Caerdeon.

History

The town grew around the shipbuilding industry, and more recently as a seaside resort. Notable buildings include the medieval tower house, the 19th century Roundhouse (dwelling), roundhouse prison and St John's Church, Barmouth, 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 inland, and within compass of a day's walk, Barmouth can always hold its own against any rival." (Citadel of Light), which is located east of the town on the adjoining hillside, was the first tract of land to be donated to the National Trust. Barmouth features prominently in the novel Austerlitz (novel), ''Austerlitz'' by W. G. Sebald, Max Sebald. The town is featured in an idyllic light, with the narrator visiting several times during his childhood. The panoramic landscape is described in the following paragraph: In January 2014, two trains were stranded at Barmouth after severe winter storms destroyed the sea wall at nearby .

Transport

The town is served by Barmouth railway station. Transport for Wales Rail, Transport for Wales operate northbound services to Pwllheli via Harlech, Porthmadog and Criccieth, and eastbound services to Birmingham International railway station, Birmingham International via Tywyn, Machynlleth, Welshpool, Shrewsbury, Telford and Wolverhampton. Connections for southbound services to Borth and Aberystwyth can be made at Dovey Junction railway station, Dovey Junction or Machynlleth railway station, 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, Gwynedd, Bala and Dolgellau. The southern end of the bridge is now the start of the Mawddach Trail, a cycle path and walkway that uses the old Track bed, trackbed. Local bus services are provided by Lloyds Coaches, and link the town with nearby destinations such as Harlech, Tan-y-Bwlch, Maentwrog, 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 Fairbourne Spit, Penrhyn Point, where it connects with the Narrow-gauge railway, narrow-gauge Fairbourne Railway for the village of Fairbourne. The town has a Barmouth Lifeboat Station, RNLI lifeboat station with a visitors' centre with shop and viewing gallery.

Sport

The nearest Rugby football, rugby club is in , away. Barmouth has one major association football, football team: Barmouth & Dyffryn United, which competes in the Welsh Alliance League. 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. The busy harbour plays host to the annual Three Peaks yacht race.

Notable people

* John Griffith (journalist), John Griffith (1821-1877), a journalist, brought up in Barmouth * Fanny Talbot (1824–1917), landowner and philanthropist, donated Cliff of Light (''Dinas Olau'' in Welsh), to the National Trust. * Jim Valentine (1866–1904), Rugby Union, rugby union and Rugby league, Northern Union player for Swinton Lions. * Herbert Tudor Buckland (1869–1951), architect, known for his seminal Arts and Crafts movement houses. * Harold Lowe, Commander Harold Lowe (1882–1944), fifth officer of the RMS Titanic, RMS ''Titanic''. * John Rippiner Heath (1887–1950), physician and composer. * Bill Tilman, Major Bill Tilman, (1898–1977), English mountaineer and explorer, known for his Himalayan climbs and sailing voyages, lived in Barmouth for many years. * Adrian Dingle (cartoonist), Adrian Dingle (1911–1974), Cornish-Canadian artist. * Johnny Williams (boxer), Johnny Williams (1926–2007), boxer, once both the British and Empire heavyweight champion. *Tommy Nutter (1943–1992), British tailor, reinvented the Savile Row suit in the 1960s. * Russell Davies (born 1946), journalist and broadcaster, presents ''Brain of Britain'' on BBC Radio 4. * Charlie Brooks (born 1981), actress, known for ''EastEnders''.

References

External links