| Country | Wales |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 52.351°N 3.779°W |
| Unitary wales | Ceredigion |
| Lieutenancy wales | Dyfed |
| Constituency westminster | Ceredigion Preseli |
| Constituency welsh assembly | Ceredigion Penfro |
| Post town | Aberystwyth |
| Postcode district | SY23 |
| Postcode area | SY |
| Dial code | 01974 |
| Os grid reference | SN789740 |
| Cardiff distance | 90 mi |
| Cardiff distance | SE |
| Static image | Cwmystwyth-by-Nigel-Brown.jpg |
| Static image width | 250px |
Cwmystwyth (also Cwm Ystwyth, kʊmˈəstʊɨθ; English: "valley of the River Ystwyth") is a village in Ceredigion, Wales near Devil's Bridge, and Pont-rhyd-y-groes.
The Ordnance Survey calculates Cwmystwyth to be the centre point of Wales (52°19′48.791″N 3°45′59.072″W; ).[1]
History
Discovery of small, oval-shaped stone tools in the area points to the fact that it has been mined for lead since the time of ancient Britons and during Roman occupation. Documentation of mining activities occurred during the reign of Elizabeth I. She engaged the services of two German miners, then went on to sub-let to Hugh Myddleton.[2]
The only significant flat area of the cwm is found before the river reaches maturity near Trawsgoed some 6 miles (9.7 km) further west. Above the village to the east steep slopes rise to the Elenydd moors, above the cwm of the Nant Milwyn, at the head of the hill of Domen Milwyn.
Climate
Cwmystwyth experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of Wales and the United Kingdom. This translates to a narrow range of temperatures, rainfall in all seasons and low sunshine levels, particularly at upland locations such as inland Wales.
The Met Office maintains a weather station in the village, with online climate records dating back to 1959. Temperatures range from an absolute high of 32.3 °C (90.1 °F) recorded during July 2006,[3] down to an absolute low of −16.7 °C (1.9 °F), recorded during January 1963.[4] During an 'average' year, the warmest day will likely reach 26.1 °C (79.0 °F)[5] and the coldest night fall to −8.0 °C (17.6 °F).[6] In total just over 3 days[7] should record a temperature of 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) or above, and 53.5 nights[8] should report an air frost.
Rainfall, as one might expect for an elevated place in Wales, is high, at nearly 2,000 millimetres (79 in) a year. At least 1 millimetre (0.039 in) will be observed on 196 days[9] of the year, on average. All averages refer to the period 1991–2020.
References
- ^ "Saving the centre of Wales". BBC. 2002-10-24. Retrieved 2010-04-30.
- ^ Jenkinson, Henry Irwin (1878). Jenkinson's Practical Guide to North Wales. Oxford University.
- ^ "Monthly Temperature Extremes". Retrieved 2025-07-29.
- ^ "1963 Minimum". Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
- ^ "1971-2000 average warmest day". Retrieved 2011-09-24.
- ^ "average coldest night". Retrieved 2011-09-24.
- ^ "1971-2000 >25c days". Retrieved 2011-09-24.
- ^ "Cwmystwyth Climate Period: 1991-2020". Retrieved 2025-07-29.
- ^ "1971-2000 wetdays". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2011-09-24.