Aberaeron...
Aberaeron 'The Jewel of Cardigan Bay' in English On the banks of the River Aeron.
This charming Georgian town is probably the nearest large (ish) town to us in Pencnwc.
The structure of the town, inspired by Georgian architect John Nash, earned the town the reputation of being "one of the best examples of a planned township of small scale in Wales". A lot of the elegant brightly painted town houses surrounding the harbour were owned by the local fishermen and many are named after those far flung destinations like Gambia or Melbourne. (This is all very well but your younger children will think the bright coloured houses look like Ballamory!)
In 1807 the harbour and quay were rebuilt enlarged and improved. From there on in the town grew and took shape and, what was once a small fishing village, became the one of the main trading ports in the area
With the harbour expansion, local businesses began to grow. Shipbuilding also flourished with over 60 sailing vessels being built including 35 schooners.
Sadly around a hundred years later, things began to slow down. When the railway came along people didn’t need to send freight by sea and Aberaeron expansions started to slow.
Today, like many of the towns and villages in the area, tourism is the number industry and the town has a great many attractions to draw the Cardiganshire visitor.
In 2007 Aberaeron celebrates in Centennial with a great many events planned to commemorate this.
Getting There
The Aberystwyth bus goes through Aberaeron and these run every hour through the summer. Check with reception for times.
To drive takes about fifteen to twenty minutes. Simply turn right as you the leave the park and follow the road up to the junction with A487 at Synod Inn. Turn left towards Abersytwyth and Aberaeron is six miles up the road.