Cardiganshire (Sir Aberteifi) runs in a sweep along Cardigan Bay from the River Tivy (or Teifi) to the Dovey estuary.
The coast is a gentle one, alternating pleasant, sandy beaches and seacliffs. Above the coastal areas the county rises into the Cambrian Mountains, where the highest point is Plynlimon (‘Pumlumon‘) at 2,468 feet at which five rivers have their source: the Severn, the Wye, the Dulas, the Llyfnant and Rheidol. The Rheidol stays within the county and meets the River Mynach in a 300-foot plunge at the Devil’s Bridge chasm.
Throughout, Cardiganshire is a pastoral county of scattered farms and small agricultural villages, with few substantial towns. The chief river is the Teifi which forms the border with Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire for much of its length.
Tourism and agriculture, chiefly hill farming, are the most important industries.
The county approximates to the ancient kingdom of Ceredigion, from which the English names derives. Cardiganshire is mainly Welsh-speaking.
County Facts
County Town: Cardigan
Main Towns: Aberaeron, Aberporth, Aberystwyth, Borth, Lampeter, New Quay, Tregaron.
Main Rivers: Teifi, Towy, Yst, Claerwen, Phydol, Arth, Ayron, Wirrai, Lery.
Highlights: Promenade, Aberystwyth; Vale of Rheiddol Railway; Devil’s Bridge; Strata Florida abbey ruins.
Highest Point: Plymlimon, 2,468 feet.
Area: 815 sq miles
Flower: Bog-rosemary
