Barmouth - Resort With The Longest National Trust Pedigree
Barmouth derives its Welsh name
Abermaw (Mouth of the Mawddach), from the river
Afon Mawddach.It sits at the western end of the 8 mile Mawddach estuary. Wordsworth described this estuary as "sublime", and it has attracted many people including Darwin and Ruskin.
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The head of the estuary is near Cymer Abbey, Dolgellau.Cymer is the welsh word for a confluence of two rivers, the precise location of the Abbey. The monks from the abbey operated in Barmouth and gave their name to many places, streets and houses. Mynach = monk brawd = brother as in Ynys Brawd, Hendre Mynach. The monks brought their metal working skills to the Dolgellau area and probably helped exploit the gold and copper in the immediate vicinity. There was a spate of mining activity in the 1850's onwards
(preceding the Klondike Gold Rush) but Gold was not reported to have been found in Barmouth until 1898.
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Dinas Oleu, meaning fortress of light, is a National Trust beauty spot - some 16.5 beautiful acres set up on the hillside immediately above Barmouth. It has the distinction of being the first ever land or property (1895) ever donated to the trust and a seat and plaque were built in 1995 to mark the occasion.
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Further into the hills, above Barmouth's Panorama Walk, lies a stone circle
Cerrig Arthur (Arthur's Stones) - see the
video clip for the stunningly dramatic scenery.
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This year, Barmouth is set to remember its very own
Titanic hero by erecting a commemorative plaque to Harold Lowe during April. The Titanic sank one hundred years ago on the 15th April 1912 having struck an iceberg at 11.30pm on 14th April !
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