Borth
Encyclopedia
Borth is a coastal village
7 miles north of Aberystwyth
in the county of Ceredigion
, Mid Wales
. The population was 1,523 in 2001.
y beach
and is a popular holiday seaside resort
. There is a youth hostel in the village and caravan
and camping
sites nearby.
An ancient submerged forest
is visible at low tide along the beach, where stumps of oak
, pine
, birch
, willow
and hazel
(preserved by the acid anaerobic
conditions in the peat
) can be seen. Radiocarbon dating
suggests these trees died about 1500 BC. This submerged forest is also associated with the legend of Cantre'r Gwaelod.
Cors Fochno
, a raised peat
mire
, part of the only UNESCO
Biosphere reserve
in Wales
is located next to the village together with the Dyfi National Nature Reserve
and visitors' centre at Ynyslas
. The long distance footpath the Dyfi Valley Way
passes through the village.
In 2011 works commenced on the first phase of the £12 million coastal protection
scheme along the Borth to Ynyslas coastline.
On 4 April 1876 the entire Uppingham School
in Rutland
, England, consisting of 300 boys, 30 masters and their families, moved to Borth for a period of 14 months, taking over the disused Cambrian Hotel and a large number of boarding houses, to avoid a typhoid epidemic.
The town's main line railway station
is served by the Cambrian Line
.
Borth is also the location of the Borth Animalarium
and Borth & Ynyslas Golf Club.
According to Morrissey
, his hit single "Everyday Is Like Sunday
" was inspired by Borth.
In 2008 and 2009 Borth hosted the Square Festival
.
The Borth inshore lifeboat (ILB) station
was established in 1966 and is located at the southern end of the beach.
and 2001
census
es, 43% of the residents of Borth are Welsh
-speakers.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
7 miles north of Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth is a historic market town, administrative centre and holiday resort within Ceredigion, Wales. Often colloquially known as Aber, it is located at the confluence of the rivers Ystwyth and Rheidol....
in the county of Ceredigion
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
, Mid Wales
Mid Wales
Mid Wales is the name given to the central region of Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the National Assembly for Wales covered the counties of Ceredigion and Powys and the area of Gwynedd that had previously been the district of Meirionydd. A similar definition is used by the BBC...
. The population was 1,523 in 2001.
Features and history
Borth has a sandSand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
y beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
and is a popular holiday seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
. There is a youth hostel in the village and caravan
Travel trailer
A travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...
and camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
sites nearby.
An ancient submerged forest
Submerged forest
Submerged forest is a term used to describe the remains of trees which have been submerged by marine transgression, i.e. sea level rise and petrified. Examples can be found at low tide on the fringes of the submerged landmass known as Doggerland, around the coast of England and Wales, the Channel...
is visible at low tide along the beach, where stumps of oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
, birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
and hazel
Hazel
The hazels are a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate northern hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae, though some botanists split the hazels into a separate family Corylaceae.They have simple, rounded leaves with double-serrate margins...
(preserved by the acid anaerobic
Hypoxia (environmental)
Hypoxia, or oxygen depletion, is a phenomenon that occurs in aquatic environments as dissolved oxygen becomes reduced in concentration to a point where it becomes detrimental to aquatic organisms living in the system...
conditions in the peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
) can be seen. Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years. Raw, i.e. uncalibrated, radiocarbon ages are usually reported in radiocarbon years "Before Present" ,...
suggests these trees died about 1500 BC. This submerged forest is also associated with the legend of Cantre'r Gwaelod.
Cors Fochno
Cors Fochno
Cors Fochno is a raised peat mire located near to the village of Borth, in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. Lying on the south side of the Dyfi estuary, it forms a component part of the Dyfi National Nature Reserve. It is the only UNESCO biosphere reserve in Wales...
, a raised peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
mire
Miré
Miré is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France....
, part of the only UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
Biosphere reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
is located next to the village together with the Dyfi National Nature Reserve
Dyfi National Nature Reserve
The Dyfi National Nature Reserve, managed by The Countryside Council for Wales, is located north of Aberystwyth in the county of Ceredigion, Waleson the Dyfi estuary.The area was designated as a Nature Reserve in 1969 and consists of three separate areas:...
and visitors' centre at Ynyslas
Ynyslas
Ynyslas is a small Welsh village about 1.5 miles north of Borth and 8 miles north of Aberystwyth in the county of Ceredigion. It is sandwiched between a long sandy beach in Cardigan Bay and the beach in the Dyfi Estuary...
. The long distance footpath the Dyfi Valley Way
Dyfi Valley Way
The Dyfi Valley Way is a long distance footpath that is partly waymarked in the United Kingdom running through North Wales. The route runs from Borth to Aberdyfi via Machynlleth. The route is highly varied in character and directs the walker along seldom walked routes. A good map is required and,...
passes through the village.
In 2011 works commenced on the first phase of the £12 million coastal protection
Coastal management
In some jurisdictions the terms sea defense and coastal protection are used to mean, respectively, defense against flooding and erosion...
scheme along the Borth to Ynyslas coastline.
On 4 April 1876 the entire Uppingham School
Uppingham School
Uppingham School is a co-educational independent school of the English public school tradition, situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England...
in Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, England, consisting of 300 boys, 30 masters and their families, moved to Borth for a period of 14 months, taking over the disused Cambrian Hotel and a large number of boarding houses, to avoid a typhoid epidemic.
The town's main line railway station
Borth railway station
Borth railway station is a railway station on the Cambrian Line in mid-Wales, serving the village of Borth near Aberystwyth.The station, which originally had two platforms, is now an unmanned halt. The original station building still remains and is in private / commercial use apart from one room...
is served by the Cambrian Line
Cambrian Line
The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay....
.
Borth is also the location of the Borth Animalarium
Borth Animalarium
Borth Animalarium is a small zoo, located in the small Welsh village of Borth, 7 miles north of Aberystwyth in the county of Ceredigion, Mid Wales.-History:...
and Borth & Ynyslas Golf Club.
According to Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
, his hit single "Everyday Is Like Sunday
Everyday Is Like Sunday
"Everyday Is Like Sunday" is the third track of Morrissey's debut solo album, Viva Hate, and the second single to be released by the artist. It made number nine in the UK Singles Chart and remains one of his best-known songs...
" was inspired by Borth.
In 2008 and 2009 Borth hosted the Square Festival
The Square Festival
The Square Festival is an annual music festival held in Borth, Ceredigion, Mid Wales, which was set up in 2005 as a small festival for the small seaside village. In 2008 it grew to become a commercial festival for up to 3,000 people over two days. In 2009 the organisers hosted the festival over...
.
The Borth inshore lifeboat (ILB) station
Borth Lifeboat Station
Borth Lifeboat Station was first established by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in June 1966...
was established in 1966 and is located at the southern end of the beach.
Welsh language
According to both the 1991United Kingdom Census 1991
A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 1991, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 21 April 1991. This was the 19th UK census....
and 2001
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
es, 43% of the residents of Borth are Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
-speakers.
Notable residents
- Lindsay AshfordLindsay Ashford (author)Lindsay Ashford is a British crime novelist and journalist. Her style writing has been compared to that of Vivien Armstrong, Linda Fairstein and Frances Fyfield. Many of her books follow the character of Megan Rhys, an investigative psychologist....
, crime novelist and journalist - Mark WilliamsMark Williams (politician)Mark Fraser Williams is a British Welsh Liberal Democrat politician and the Member of Parliament for the Ceredigion constituency, a seat he gained from Plaid Cymru in 2005...
, Member of Parliament for the Ceredigion constituencyCeredigion (UK Parliament constituency)Ceredigion, formerly Cardiganshire, is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created in 1536, the boundaries have remained remarkably unchanged for nearly five centuries...