UNESCO Dyfi Biosphere Reserve

The area around the river Dyfi is a special place to live, work and to visit - special for its people, its culture and its outstanding environment. It hosts some of the finest examples of special landscapes and wildlife areas in Europe, with the whole of the river Dyfi catchment and Aberystwyth town recognised as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

The Dyfi Valley opens wide as it approaches the Mid Wales Coast and ends in sandy beaches and dunes. It cradles the westerly spur of Powys, Ceredigion north of Aberystwyth, and the southern rim of Snowdonia National Park.

Welsh is the first language for many in the Dyfi Valley and you’ll often hear it spoken – with a friendly switch to English when necessary. Signs and posters are usually bilingual, or English only. The place names in Wales often describe the landscape. For example, the town of Aberdyfi - Aber means ‘river mouth’, Dyfi is the name of the river that flows through the valley.

The historic town of Machynlleth sits at the mouth of the Dyfi estuary and the Centre for Alternative Technology located nearby has been hugely proactive in promoting ecological technology and lobbying for environmental policy both in the UK and internationally. 

Scenic highlights in and around the UNESCO Dyfi Biosphere:

• The beautiful Aran mountains at the head of the valley accessible from Dinas Mawddwy
• Cader Idris in Southern Snowdonia is easily accessible from the valley
• Ynyslas dunes and Cors Fochno (Borth Bog) Special Area of Conservation are situated to the south of the mouth of the Dyfi, next to Borth
• Forests , Walking Routes & Trails
• Award-winning beaches run along either edge of the estuary, from Aberdyfi to Tywyn in the north and from Ynyslas to Borth in the south
• The Pennant valley, with its steep wooded slopes above Llanbrynmair, is a striking example of a captured river.