Aber-erch ([abɛrˈɛrχ], Welsh for "Mouth of the Erch") is a small village and former civil parish on the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The village lies approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Pwllheli. A river, the Afon Erch runs through the village.

Aber-erch
Aber-erch
Aber-erch is located in Gwynedd
Aber-erch
Aber-erch
Location within Gwynedd
Population1,354 (Ward 2011)[1]
OS grid referenceSH395365
Community
  • Llannor
Principal area
  • Gwynedd
Preserved county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townPWLLHELI
Postcode districtLL53
Dialling code01758
PoliceNorth Wales
FireNorth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Gwynedd
52°54′07″N 4°23′10″W / 52.902°N 4.386°W / 52.902; -4.386

The parish was abolished in 1934 and incorporated into that of Llannor, now the community of Llannor.[2] It is a mostly Welsh-speaking village[3] and its name is often truncated to "Berch" [bɛrχ] in the local Welsh dialect.[4]

Church of St Cawrdaf

There is a primary school, playschool, and a railway station. The Church of St Cawrdaf is a grade I listed building.[5]

Aber-erch has a beach called 'Traeth Glan y Don' (which roughly translates to 'Shore of the wave beach') which extends from Morfa'r Garreg, Pwllheli to Pen-ychain. Parking for the beach is near the railway station. From the beach you have a view of Harlech Castle in the east all the way down to Tywyn (on a clearer day even further south) and to the west Pwllheli and the St Tudwal's Islands. Access to the beach is through a footpath next the caravan and camp-site. This beach is ideal for days when the wind is from the north or north west due to the sheltered bay.

The ward includes the village of Y Ffor and the small settlement of Penrhos.

Notable people

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  • John Elias (1774-1841), a powerful Christian preacher: "as if talking fire down from heaven"
  • Ellis Owen Ellis (1813-1861), a Welsh portrait painter, cartoonist and illustrator.

References

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  1. ^ "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Abererch AP/CP through time | Administrative history of Parish-level Unit: Hierarchies, boundaries". Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2010. A Vision of Britain Through Time : Abererch Civil Parish Retrieved 12 January 2010
  3. ^ "2001 Census - Electoral Division Level Language Data". Archived from the original (XLS) on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
  4. ^ Rhys, Guto (2022). Amrywiaith 2 - Blas ar dafodieithoedd Cymru (in Welsh) (1 ed.). Llanrwst: Carreg Gwalch. p. 40. ISBN 9781845278526.
  5. ^ Cadw. "Church of St Cawrdaf, Abererch (Grade I) (4317)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 10 September 2024.