Cwmystwyth

An industrial village in the heart of the Cambrian Mountains. Bed & breakfast available at the Old Post Office, tel. 01974 282231, email marb@btinternet.com.

This is now lovely wild countryside, but in the nineteenth century it was as industrialised as the valleys of south Wales. Copper has been worked here since the Bronze Age and the Romans mined for silver-bearing lead. Later, the Cistercian monks of Strata Florida had mines and a grange farm here.

Remains of some of the lead mines are up the road to the east of the village. Cwmystwyth is on the spirit of the Miners trail - http://www.spirit-of-the-miners.org.uk/cwmystwyth.php. The chapel is on the Peaceful Places trail (though it is only open occasionally) - see http://www.peaceful-places.com/destination/cwmystwyth.

More detail on Cwmystwyth and the Pwllpeiran area on the Dyfed Archaeology web site.