Abandoned Communities ..... Porth y Nant
Over the next few years the village was fully restored and the Nant Gwrtheyrn Welsh Language and Heritage Centre came into being. A new road down the hillside was built, suitable for motor traffic though still steep enough to require first gear for most of the upward journey. The supply of water and electricity was laid on. Sea View and Mountain View, renamed Trem y Mor and Trem y Mynydd, were rehabilitated and turned into accommodation for people attending courses or simply seeking a holiday in an unusual setting. The Plas became the main classroom building.

More information about the courses and other facilities offered by the Centre today can be found on their website.

If you have time only for a brief visit to the Centre you have a choice of car parks. There is a small car park at the entrance to the Centre, but to enjoy the views on the way down you may prefer to leave your car in a larger car park at the top of the hill and walk down. You may then wish to visit the display centre and shop in what used to be Seilo chapel. You can get refreshments at the Caffi Meinir, named after the young woman who failed to get to her wedding, where more display panels with information and photographs about the history of Nant Gwrtheyrn can be seen. From Caffi Meinir a footpath leads down to the ruins of the quarry buildings and the place where the jetty once stood.

If the weather is fine a walk up to one of the peaks of Yr Eifl and the deserted hilltop village of Tre’r Ceiri is very strongly recommended. Of all the abandoned communities I know Tre’r Ceiri is the most spectacular, but I am not able to include a section on it in this website as it was abandoned in the fourth century.

Your enjoyment and appreciation of Nant Gwrtheyrn will be enhanced by browsing the Rhiw.com website. In particular go to this address for the personal reminiscences of David Roberts, born at Porth y Nant in 1933, and this address and this address for photographs taken when the village was derelict.
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