About

The Dyfi Valley opens wide as it approaches the Cardigan Bay Coast and ends in sandy beaches and dunes. It cradles the westerly spur of Powys, Ceredigion north of Aberystwyth, and the southern rim of Snowdonia National Park.

The area around the river Dyfi is a special place to live, work and to visit - special for its people, its culture and its outstanding environment. It hosts some of the finest examples of special landscapes and wildlife areas in Europe with much of the estuary area recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Welsh is the first language for many in the Dyfi Valley and you’ll often hear it spoken – with a friendly switch to English when necessary. Signs and posters are usually bilingual, or English only. The place names in Wales often describe the landscape. For example, the town of Aberdyfi - Aber means ‘river mouth’, Dyfi is the name of the river that flows through the valley.

Scenic highlights in the Dyfi Valley include:

The beautiful Aran mountains at the head of the valley are accessible from Dinas Mawddwy and nearby Cadair Idris in Southern Snowdonia is easily accessible. The Pennant valley, with its steep wooded slopes above Llanbrynmair, is a striking example of a captured river.

The Ynyslas dunes and Cors Fochno National Nature Reserve are situated to the south of the mouth of the Dyfi, next to Borth Award-winning beaches run along either edge of the estuary, from Aberdyfi to Tywyn in the north and from Ynyslas to Borth in the south

UNESCO Dyfi Biosphere

UNESCO Biosphere Reserves explore locally how sustainable livelihoods, vibrant cultures and robust economies can be based on healthy environments and the Dyfi Biosphere is part of a network of UNESCO 'Biosphere Reserves' throughout the world where information and experiences can be shared and new ideas explored. Others include the Central Amazon, Niagara Escarpment and Gran Canaria!

The UNESCO Dyfi Biosphere inspires people and organisations to work together in creating sustainable futures we can all be proud of. It connects people with nature and cultural heritage while strengthening the local economy.

Local Legend - Lleucu Llwyd

Lleucu Llwyd is one of Wales’s most tragic love heroines, often referred to as the ‘Welsh Juliet’ and her tragic story has continued down through the ages.