page_title: Aberdyfi
section_title: Port and railway
hierarchical_section_title: Aberdyfi / Port and railway
caption_attribution_description: 1 negative&#160;: glass, dry plate, b&amp;w&#160;; 16.5 x 21.5 cm.
context_page_description: Aberdyfi, also known as Aberdovey, is a village and community on the north side of the estuary of the River Dyfi in Gwynedd, on the west coast of Wales.
  The Community had a population of 878 as of the 2011 census. The electoral ward had a larger population of 1,282 and includes the community of Pennal.
  The village was founded around the harbour and shipbuilding industry, but is now best known as a seaside resort with a high quality beach. The centre is on the river and seafront, around the original harbour, jetty and beach but it stretches back from the coast and up the steep hillside in the midst of typical Welsh coastal scenery of steep green hills and sheep farms. Penhelig, with its own railway station, is the eastern part of the village.
  Aberdyfi is a popular tourist attraction, with many returning holidaymakers, especially from the metropolitan areas of England, such as the West Midlands, which is less than 100 miles to the east. A relatively large proportion of houses in the village are now holiday homes, resulting in high house prices. The town is located within the Snowdonia National Park.
context_section_description: In the 1800s, Aberdyfi was at its peak as a port. Major exports were slate and oak bark. Ship building was based in seven shipyards in Penhelig where 45 sailing ships were built between 1840 and 1880.
  The railway came to Aberdyfi in 1863 built by the Aberystwith and Welsh Coast Railway. The first train was ferried across the river, as the line to Dovey Junction and then Machynlleth was not completed until 1867. Due to public demand, this section had to use a long tunnel behind Aberdyfi, and further major earthworks and tunnels were needed along the bank of the river. This line, which became part of the Cambrian Railways, and later the Great Western Railway, is particularly scenic.
  A jetty was built in 1887, with railway lines connecting it with the wharf and the main line. The Aberdyfi & Waterford Steamship Company imported livestock from Ireland which were then taken further by the railway.  Coal, limestone and timber were also imported.
  Local coastal shipping links with Liverpool were strong, with many Aberdyfi men sailing on international voyages from Liverpool.  The S.S. Dora was one of the last ships trading between Aberdyfi and Liverpool and was scuttled, with no loss of life, by a German submarine in 1917.
  The jetty and wharf continued in commercial use for coal until 1959. After prolonged negotiations, redevelopments from 1968–1971, including rebuilding the jetty, led to their present use mainly for recreational purposes. Some local fishing still occurs.
  The first ever Outward Bound centre was opened in Aberdyfi in 1941. Many of their activities involve the river, boats and jetty.
caption: A view of Aberdyfi from Penhelyg Rock, circa 1885
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