Barmouth

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]

Barmouth features prominently in the novel Austerlitz by W.G 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:

Finally, when we left the southern bank and crawled to the opposite side over the bridge, almost a mile long and supported on mighty posts of oak, on our right the river bed, inundated by the sea at high tide and looking like a mountain lake, on our left Barmouth bay stretching to the bright horizon, I felt so joyful that I often scarcely knew where to look first... To the south-west the terrain lay open in a wide semi-circle, so that from the forecourt of the house you had a view of the full length of the estuary from Dolgellau to Barmouth, while these places themselves were excluded from the panorama, which was almost devoid of human habitations, by a rocky outcrop on one side and a laurel-grown hill on the other. Only on the far side of the river could the little village of Arthog be seen - in certain atmospheric conditions, said Austerlitz, you might have thought it an eternity away - infinitesimally small, with the shadow of Cadair Idris rising behind it to a height of almost three thousand feet above the shimmering sea. (Austerlitz , page 113-114)

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

The town is served by Barmouth railway station. Transport for Wales operate northbound 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 walkway that uses 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.

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

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.

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]

• Fanny Talbot (1824–1917) landowner and philanthropist, donated Cliff of Light (Dinas Oleu in Welsh), to the National Trust.
• Jim Valentine (1866–1904), Rugby Union and Northern Union player for Swinton, killed by lightning in Barmouth 25 July 1904 aged 37.
• Herbert Tudor Buckland, architect (1869–1951) known for his seminal Arts and Crafts Movement houses
• Commander Harold Godfrey Lowe RD (1882–1944) was the fifth officer of the RMS Titanic.[11]
• Major Harold William "Bill" Tilman, CBE, DSO, MC and Bar, (1898–1977) English mountaineer and explorer, renowned for his Himalayan climbs and sailing voyages, lived in Barmouth for many years.[12]
• Adrian Dingle (1911–1974) was a Welsh Canadian painter.
• Johnny Williams, boxer (1926–2007) once both the British and Empire heavyweight champion.
• Tommy Nutter (1943–1992) British tailor, reinvented the Savile Row suit in the 1960s.[13]
• Robert Russell Davies (born 1946) is a British journalist and broadcaster who presents Brain of Britain on BBC Radio 4.
• Charlie (Charlene) Brooks, actress (EastEnders, born 1981).[14]

• St David's Church, Barmouth
• St John's Church, Barmouth
• St Tudwal's Church, Barmouth

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Barmouth.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Barmouth.

• "Barmouth" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 3 (11th ed.). 1911.
• Barmouth community website latest news from Barmouth and historical photo gallery and much more.
• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Barmouth and surrounding area
• 1935 historic film of Barmouth holidaying, carnival and sport