Introduction
Seaside village in Ceredigion, Wales
For other uses, see Borth (disambiguation).
Human settlement in WalesBorthWelsh: Y BorthBorth, with Cors Fochno, the River Dyfi estuary and Aberdyfi in the backgroundBorthLocation within CeredigionPopulation1,399 (2011)OS grid referenceSN608894Principal areaCeredigionPreserved countyDyfedCountryWalesSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townBorthPostcode districtSY24PoliceDyfed-PowysFireMid and West WalesAmbulanceWelsh
UK ParliamentCeredigion Preseli
List of places
UK
Wales
Ceredigion
52°29′07″N 4°03′04″W / 52.48533°N 4.05103°W / 52.48533; -4.05103
Community map
Map of the community
Borth (Welsh: Y Borth) is a village, seaside resort and community in Ceredigion, Mid Wales; it is located 7 miles (11 km) north of Aberystwyth, on the Ceredigion Coast Path. The community includes the settlement of Ynyslas and the population was 1,399 in 2011. Borth's sandy beach has helped to promote it as a seaside resort.
From being largely Welsh-speaking, the village has become anglicised; over 54 per cent of its residents were born in England. According to both the 1991 and 2001 censuses, 43 per cent of the residents of Borth were primarily Welsh-speakers.
History
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Petrified tree stump at Borth; 2021
There is an ancient submerged forest visible at low tide along the beach, where stumps of oak, pine, birch, willow and hazel (preserved by the acid anaerobic conditions in the peat) can be seen. Radiocarbon dating suggests the trees date from about 1500 BCE. This submerged forest also ties in with the legend of Cantre'r Gwaelod. The stumps were exposed for a time by Storm Hannah in 2019.
Cors Fochno, a raised peat mire, part of the Dyfi Biosphere, is the only UNESCO Biosphere reserve in Wales. It is located next to the village, together with the Dyfi National Nature Reserve and visitors' centre at Ynyslas.[citation needed] The village is crossed by a long-distance footpath, the Dyfi Valley Way.
In the past Upper Borth, then known simply as Borth, was in the township of Cyfoeth y Brenin, and nearby Morfa Borth being part of the township of Henllys. It is Morfa Borth which is now known as Borth today.
On 4 April 1876, the entire Uppingham School in Rutland, England, consisting of 300 boys, 30 masters and their families, moved to Borth for a period of 14 months, taking over the disused Cambrian Hotel and a large number of boarding houses, to avoid a typhoid epidemic.
The village war memorial, above a cliff south of the beach, was struck by lightning on 21 March 1983 and had to be rebuilt.
In 2008 and 2009, Borth hosted The Square Festival.
In 2011, work commenced on the first phase of a £12-million coastal protection scheme along the Borth to Ynyslas coastline, which was finished in 2015. The work was funded by the Welsh Assembly and the EU. An unexpected consequence of the coastal defence work was to reveal the remains of the petrified forest.
In 2018, Borth was subjected to media attention after the escape of a wild lynx from its local zoo.
In 2019, the village hosted a community street production called Borth Begins.