Green Travel Guide to the Dyfi Biosphere
Words by Florence Fortnam
Artwork for Green Traveller's Guides by Tina Smith and Mark Edwards.
The Dyfi Biosphere was awarded UNESCO Biosphere status in 2009 in recognition of the region’s diverse and beautiful landscapes, and the local population’s commitment to conserving the cultural heritage, natural habitats, and flora and fauna of the region.
The area, which includes the Dyfi Valley and the southern fringes of Snowdonia National Park, combines the best landscapes to be found in Wales: award-winning sandy beaches on the west coast give way to dense, untamed forests to the north; in the south, estuaries and rivers flanked by mud flats and wetlands provide important habitats for birds and wildlife, whilst the rugged Cambrian mountains rise to the east.
Foreword by Robin Farrar,
Projects Facilitator for the Dyfi Biosphere
Gair o Fiosffer Dyfi
Mae ein hardal ni yma ym Mro Ddyfi, Aberystwyth a'r cyffiniau yn un sy'n rhaid ei brofi. Ers 2009, mae UNESCO wedi rhoi statws Biosffer i'r ardal – lle arbennig sy'n dangos sut gellid gwella'r berthynas rhwng dyn a natur, er budd yr ardal. Dyma weledigaeth y Biosffer:
“Bydd Biosffer Dyfi’n cael ei gydnabod a’i barchu yn rhyngwladol, yn genedlaethol ac yn lleol am amrywiaeth ei harddwch naturiol, ei dreftadaeth a’i fywyd gwyllt, ac am ymdrechion ei bobl i wneud cyfraniad cadarnhaol i fyd mwy cynaliadwy. Bydd yn gymuned hunan hyderus, iach, gofalus a dwyieithog, gyda chefnogaeth economi gref, wedi ei gwreiddio’n lleol.”
Mae Llwybr Arfordir Cymru yn mynd trwy'r ardal, dros glogwyni, twyni a choedwigoedd, gan ymweld ag Aberdyfi, Machynlleth, Borth ac Aberystwyth. Mae cyfleoedd beicio mynydd yma hefyd. Uwchben Crieglyn Dyfi, tarddle Afon Dyfi, mae Aran Fawddwy, un o fynyddoedd uchaf Cymru (905m neu 2,904 tr.).
Yn ogystal â thirlun ac arfordir godidog, mae'r ardal yn gartref i Brifysgol Aberystwyth, Canolfan y Dechnoleg Amgen, a busnesau a chyrff eraill sydd yn arloesi ac yn ymchwilio i berthynas pobl a natur a sut i'w wella. Mae pobl leol, busnesau a mudiadau, llywodraeth leol a chenedlaethol, a'r cyrff cadwraeth yn gweithio mewn partneriaeth er mwyn gwireddu'r weledigaeth.
A word from the Dyfi Biosphere
Our area here in the Dyfi Valley, Aberystwyth and surroundings is one that simply must be experienced. Since 2009, UNESCO has designated the area as a Biosphere – a special place that demonstrates how the relationship between man and nature can be improved, benefiting the area in the process. This is the Biosphere's vision:
“The Dyfi Biosphere will be recognised and respected internationally, nationally and locally for the diversity of its natural beauty, heritage and wildlife, and for its people’s efforts to make a positive contribution to a more sustainable world. It will be a self-confident, healthy, caring and bilingual community, supported by a strong locally-based economy.”
The Wales Coastal Path passes through the area, over cliffs, dunes and forests, visiting Aberdyfi, Machynlleth, Borth and Aberystwyth. There are many mountain biking opportunities here too. Above Creiglyn Dyfi, the source of the Dyfi river, you can climb Aran Fawddwy, one of Wales' highest peaks at 905m (2,904 ft).
In addition to stunning views and coastline, the area is home to Aberystwyth University, the Centre for Alternative Technology, and other businesses and bodies who innovate and research into our relationship with nature and how to improve it. Local people, businesses and organisations, local and national government and conservation bodies work in partnership in order to fulfil the vision.
What Green Traveller's writers discovered in the Dyfi Biosphere
Stay, Eat, See & Do
Our pick of places across the Dyfi Biosphere
Google Map Key:
Click on the coloured icons for more information about each listing
Green = Places to stay; Blue = Places to eat; Yellow = Attractions; Purple = Activities
Click on the square brackets top right of map to reveal expanded map
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Mae Cors Fochno, ger Borth, yn gyforgors forydol. Mae llawer o blanhigion ac anifeiliaid prin yno, a rhywogaethau unigryw o ffyngau a phryfed
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Mae digon o gyfleoedd i weld adar yn yr ardal: ceir Prosiect Gweilch Dyfi yma, ynghyd â gwarchodfa Ynys-Hir yr RSPB a welwyd ar raglen Springwatch
Ymysg Biosfferau eraill y byd mae Parc Cenedlaethol Yellowstone, Uluru (Ayer’s Rock) a Mynydd Olympos. Biosffer Dyfi yw'r cyntaf yng Nghymru, un o dri yn unig ar Ynysoedd Prydain
Mae'n ardal ddwyieithog: o'r 26,100 o bobl leol gallwch gwrdd â nhw, gall 41% siarad Cymraeg
Ceir coedwig wedi ei ffosileiddio a chreigres danfor sawl milltir o hyd yma
Fod Biosffer Dyfi yn un o 610 o Warchodfeydd Biosffer y byd sydd wedi eu dynodi dan gynllun dyn a'r Biosffer UNESCO
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The Dyfi Biosphere is one of 610 Biosphere Reserves worldwide designated under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme
Cors Fochno, a raised estuarine bog near Borth, is home to many rare plants and animals, and unique species of fungi and insects
There are plenty of opportunities to see birds in the area: the Dyfi Osprey Project, RSPB's Ynys-Hir reserve, has featured on Springwatch and more besides
The Dyfi Biosphere is the first Biosphere in Wales and one of only 6 in the British Isles
The area is very much bilingual: of the 26,100 locals you may meet in the Biosphere area, 41% are able to speak Welsh
The Biosphere is home to a fossilised forest and an underwater reef several miles long
Tourism activities in north Ceredigion related to this project have received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. This project has received funding for activities in north west Powys from Powys County Council Sustainable Tourism which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.