If you’re a history lover and are keen on discovering the history and heritage of various places, then Porthmadog is one of them. Pronounced ‘Port Maddock’, it is a harbour town rich in marine heritage and is situated on the Glaslyn Estuary. The history of Porthmadog was almost accidentally created by MP and businessman, William Alexander Maddocks as he built a seawall, known as Cob in 1810, to recover a large proportion of Traeth Mawr for agricultural use.
“If you’re a history lover and
are keen on discovering the history
and heritage of various places, then
Porthmadog is one of them.”
The Cob
The Cob turned out to be a huge stone structure that linked one side of an estuary with another. By doing so, Maddocks created a safe route across the perilous Traeth Mawr at the mouth of the estuary, as well as retrieving great swathes of land from the hungry tides of Cardigan Bay. After completing work on the structure, he started to design the town that would bear his name. As a result, Porthmadog was developed from the marshland and it flourished as a harbour and wharf.
The Slate Mining Industry
With the construction of a one-mile long cob, created a natural port, that was sufficient enough to allow the ocean ships to come to the harbour easily. With this advantage, the Madoc Port became a busy shipping port which enabled them to export slate from Ffestiniog. As a result, the then horse drawn Ffestiniog was pulled down. The business of exporting slate flourished due to the increasing demands of high roofing quality slates from the rapidly expanding cities of England.
The Welsh Coast Railway
The Welsh Coast Railway is popularly known as the Welsh Railway because these Great Little Trains of Wales carried Welsh slate from the quarries to the sea. This railway became one of the most popular spots of the Porthmadog, and the trains have been preserved for more than 100 years. However, no two trains are the same and they offer a unique experience altogether of the bygone era.
Blackrock
It is the famous beach situated on the outskirts of Porthmadog and is considered as a harbour for beach games and resting. Famous figures like T.E Lawrence of Lawrence of Arabia lived nearby, and the 14th- century poet P.B Shelly regularly visited here too.
The Snowdonia National Park
The Snowdonia National Park is the famous landscape where people come to relax and enjoy their leisure time with a vast range of activities in the fantastic surroundings. The nine mountain ranges cover 52% area of the Park and it also includes many peaks over 3000 feet. Apart from having various high mountains, it also consists of steep river gorges, waterfalls and green valleys.
Sygun Copper Mine
It was closed in 1903 but has opened up now for visitors to explore above and below the ground. You can take self-guided audiovisual tours that allow you to explore the wonderful caves and old workings on foot, with complete safety. You can also view winding tunnels, and vast, colourful chambers with stunning stalactite and stalagmite formations and copper ore veins that contain traces of gold, silver and other precious metals.
There are lots of other places and attractions in Porthmadog like Animalarium, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, Anglesey Sea Zoo, King Arthur´s Labyrinth, Brecon Mountain Railway, and much more. All these are known for their different specialities which you can explore and discover yourself.
Porthmadog boasts a rich heritage which makes it even more special for visiting it, where its beautiful history and heritage will attract you to explore it deeply. Enjoy your stay at a beautiful hotel in Porthmadog to enjoy with your family or friends.
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