Cwmystwyth (also Cwm Ystwyth, ; en, "valley of the

River Ystwyth The River Ystwyth (; cy, Afon Ystwyth "winding river") is a river in Ceredigion, Wales. The length of the main river is . Its catchment area covers . Its source is a number of streams that include the Afon Diliw, located on the west slopes of ...

") is a village in

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

, Wales near

Devil's Bridge Devil's Bridge is a term applied to dozens of ancient bridges, found primarily in Europe. Most of these bridges are stone or masonry arch bridges and represent a significant technological achievement in ancient architecture. Due to their unusua ...

, and

Pont-rhyd-y-groes Pont-rhyd-y-groes (also known as Pontrhydygroes, en, the bridge of the ford of the cross) is a village near Cwm Ystwyth and Pont ar Fynach (Devil's Bridge), in Ceredigion, Wales. The village takes its name from the bridge ( cy, pont) and (earl ...

. The

Ordnance Survey , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg , logo_width = 240px , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = , picture_width = , picture_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , di ...

calculates Cwmystwyth to be the centre point of Wales (; ).

History

Discovery of small, oval-shaped stone tools in the area points to the fact that it has been mined for lead since the time of ancient

Britons British people or Britons, also known colloquially as Brits, are the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the British Overseas Territories, and the Crown dependencies.: British nationality law governs mo ...

and during

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

occupation. Documentation of mining activities occurred during the reign of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

. She engaged the services of two German miners, then went on to sub-let to Hugh Myddleton. The only significant flat area of the cwm is found before the river reaches maturity near

Trawsgoed Trawsgoed (Welsh for "Crosswood") is both a community and an estate in Ceredigion, Wales. The estate is southeast of Aberystwyth, and has been in the possession of the Vaughan family since 1200.

some further west. Above the village to the east steep slopes rise to the

Elenydd Elenydd () is an upland area of Mid Wales, extending across parts of northern and eastern Ceredigion and Powys between Aberystwyth and Rhayader. Elenydd is also a name given to the medieval commote of Cwmwd Deuddwr which covered approximately ...

moors, above the cwm of the Nant Milwyn, at the head of the hill of Domen Milwyn.

Community Archive Wales Project

Cofnodion Cwmystwyth is a recently established local history group based in Cwmystwyth. The group has 14 regular members of various ages drawn from the

Communities First Communities First was a Welsh Government programme aimed at reducing poverty. The programme was community focused and supported the most disadvantaged people in the most deprived areas of Wales with the aim of contributing to alleviating persisten ...

area of

Tregaron Tregaron ( "town of St Caron") is an ancient market town in Ceredigion, Wales, astride the River Brenig, a tributary of the River Teifi. Tregaron is northeast of Lampeter. According to the 2011 Census, the population of the ward of Tregaron wa ...

Uplands, all with a passion for the history of the area. As well as including images, the archive includes transcriptions of census data, baptismal registers and log books as a means of interpreting the history of the village. In the long-term, it is hoped that the project will act as a springboard for establishment of a Cwmystwyth History Society which would produce materials relating to the area and eventually to the creation of a heritage centre to showcase the history of the village. Cofnodion Cwmystwyth joined the Community Archives Wales project in 2007.

Climate

Cwmystwyth experiences an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Cfb'') similar to almost all of Wales and the United Kingdom. This translates to a narrow range of temperatures, rainfall in all seasons and low sunshine levels, particularly at upland locations such as inland Wales. The MetOffice maintains a weather station in the village, with online climate records dating back to 1959. Temperatures range from an absolute high of recorded during July 2006, down to an absolute low of , recorded during January 1963. During an 'average' year, the warmest day will likely reach and the coldest night fall to . In total just over 3 days should record a temperature of or above, and 59.3 nights should report an air frost. Rainfall, as one might expect for an elevated place in Wales, is high, at nearly 2000mm a year. At least 1mm will be observed on over 189 days of the year, on average. All averages refer to the period 1971–2000.

References

External links

Jenkinson's Practical Guide to North Waleswww.geograph.co.uk : Photos of Cwm Ystwyth and surrounding areaCommunity Archives Wales
{{authority control Villages in Ceredigion Geographical centres