Our Villages
Eglwysfach lies midway between the historic Mid Wales market town of Machynlleth and the larger coastal university town of Aberystwyth, about five miles inland from the coast of Cardigan Bay at Borth and Ynys Las. In the parish of Ysgubor y Coed (the Barn in the Wood), it is the middle of three linear villages along the main A487 trunk road with the neighbouring villages of Glandyfi to the north and Furnace to the south. The parish also includes Cwm Einion (Artists' Valley), most of the RSPB Ynys Hir Nature Reserve, surrounding farms and farmland, and outlying former farms and buildings which have now become homes.
The area enjoys a great diversity of scenery from river valleys and estuary marshes to high hills (the highest is 1708 ft), with stunning beaches, sand dunes and the mountain ranges of Snowdonia and Plynlimon within easy reach. Large areas of the Dyfi and Einion valleys are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and the Dyfi valley has been designated a "biosphere" by UNESCO because of the quality of the environment. The Dyfi river and its estuary is a National Nature Reserve and includes the Dyfi Osprey Project site where a pair of ospreys has now nested for some years.
The villages also have an interesting and varied archaeological history with the Dyfi Furnace and associated buildings on the roadside in Furnace and extensive mine remains further up Cwm Einion.
So that you can explore further, we have included some links to interesting sites connected with or near to our villages.
Some photos - around our villages
R.S.Thomas - poet, Vicar of our Parish 1954 -1967
William Condry - naturalist, journalist and author, first Warden of RSPB Ynys Hir Reserve 1969 - 1982
The RSPB Bird Reserve - at Ynyshir
Ceredigion - our County
The Tabernacle, Museum of Modern Art
Aberystwyth - university Town
The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) - 10 miles away
Plynlimon - our nearest 'mountain', 10 miles by road, 2468 ft high
Aberdovey - across the river Dyfi
The river Dyfi - flowing past our doors
Llangynfelyn - a fantastic site for the parish of Llangynfelyn up the valley, we have members from here
Ysgubor Y Coed - community website