Cantre'r Gwaelod EarthCache
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Cache with wonderful veiws of sea front, bog and mountains behind. A short but steep walk up cliff path, worth the effort.
This Cache commemorates the completion of the current phase of sea defenses. In this description is a short history as to the nature of the coastline, and how it comes to be like it is now.
It is thought back in the last Ice age much of the country and wales was covered with snow and ice. Glaciers formed carving out much of the land forming large wide valleys, as part of the mountains they carved up they also deposited in their melt water, leaving shingle and sand in banks. Two notable banks are the Sarns; Sarn Cynfelyn, Sarn Dewi and Sarn Cadwgan. These sarns are thought to be the inspiration for a local legend; the story of ‘Cantre'r Gwaelod’.
At this times sea levels were lower and the coast much further offshore. The sea has in the past been both lower and higher than at present. Borth is built on a shingle ridge. This is likely to be the remains of glacial material and material eroded more recently from the cliffs to the south. This is spread over time through the waves to form the curved shore line that can be seen, in storms the waves run up the shingle beach and push the stones up and down in a saw tooth patten depending on the direction of the waves. With larger waves both higher and in volume they travel up the beach further pushing more shingle up on to the ridge. The height of the ridge is defined by the waves and the highest tides levels pushing the shingle up in storms. In the most severe storms the shingle is pushed over the ridge and down behind on to the land. This is known as roll back. over many centuries this shingle ridge has slowly moved landward.
All along the beach under the sands lies peat and clay beds of underlying sediment. The clay settled out here when the Dyfi was a much bigger and wider river. As the shingle ridge formed seaward it created a large flat sheltered area of fresh water allowing marshes to grow, this includes all sorts of reads and mosses. Like that found now on Cors Fochno - Borth Bog. These over many centuries lay down fresh water peat beds. Arround the drier edges are woods and forest of pine, oak, alder, ash, willow. Returning to more recent time the shingle ridge continues to be rolled back. The land behind is covered with the shingle and the habitat changes. Over further time the ridge moves so far back the clay and peat is uncovered on the sea side of the shingle ridge. This can be occasionally seen in patches when the sand shifts. In places the remains of tree stumps are exposed.
This ridge also proved to be a good access along the coast avoiding the difficult bog behind, and also a sheltered space for fishing. Much herring was caught and sold in Aberysthwyth. It is still a bay with shoals of fish and occasionally gannets can be seen dive bombing the water. So from a small fishing hamlet with beach stone cottages near to the boat. With the coming of the railways the village grew significantly as a holiday village as it remains. The old fishing cottages were rugged and spare and still some of the old residents talk about plain stone floors and functional wooden furniture. So that when a storm did hit they could easily sweep out their house and continue their fishing with limited hassle. There is also talk of having a shelf in the chimneys so they could light the fire half way up above the flood waters. With the industrial revolution and the railway to the village the standard of living increased bring with it much more material goods. These as a result needed more protection and the residents started to build their own make shift defenses to prevent the sea washing stones through their homes. Some time in the mid 19th century the first set of sea defenses were built with two land drains, the outfall can still be seen on the beach. These have be rebuilt and extended on many occasions. The current defenses replace the timber groynes built in the 1950's and 1970's and coming to the end of their useful lives. In addition to this the community demanded an improved standard of protection to the village and therefore the present scheme is of a new style with extensive additional shingle brought into widen the beach and keep the sea further out. To hold this wider beach rock structures have been built to control its movement and prevent it all being washed away.
How many rock structures are there, and can you describe their shape and how they influence the shape of the beach?
Please provide a photo of the shore defenses at Borth to prove attendance. Co-ords may be out to make sure that there is no chance of being too close or over the cliff edge
First to log - risby runner, not far from the folks
First to find - basket-case crew
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)