The Welsh village of Fairbourne is at high risk of being submerged from rising sea levels and residents have been told they will need to move...
From BBC Wales, May 2022
About Managed Retreat
‘Managed Retreat’ is a series of images taken in Fairbourne, Gwynedd, – the first community in the UK to be identified as being ‘unsustainable to defend’ and listed for managed retreat due to rising sea levels.
According to a report by the University of Bangor, “Fairbourne is built on a low-lying floodplain. The village lies between cliffs and a natural gravel barrier which houses a sea wall, and is at risk from both coastal and river flooding. As the sea level around the Welsh coast rises, the village is at increased risk from coastal flooding.”
Rising sea levels are predicted to make the village unsafe to live in by 2054.
The Legend of Cantre’r Gwaelod
Close by, in the town of Aberdyfi, the ‘time and tide bell’ rings to recall the story of the Lost Land of Wales – Cantre’r Gwaelod – a kingdom that was dependent on a dyke to protect it from the sea.
Legend tells of the watchman, Seithennin, drinking too much one evening and falling asleep – forgetting to shut the slice gates that protected the kingdom from flooding. At high tide, the sea poured in and Cantre’r Gwaelod was submerging forever – lost under the waters of Cardigan Bay.
It is said that, sometimes, you can still hear the bells of Cantre’r Gawelod ringing under the sea.
A story which surely resonated with the residents of Fairbourne – a community awaiting a similar fete.
Main image: A dyke protecting farm land between Fairbourne and Morfa Mawddach.
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All images © W N BISHOP