The Cob

The Cob is a substantial embankment built of rubble, extending approximately 1.5 kilometers in length. It consists of a lower section for road use and a higher section for railway use. The higher part of the embankment stands about 6 meters tall and features a single track railway alongside a flanking footpath. The lower embankment, constructed in 1836, has a narrow twin-track roadway.

On the seaward side, the embankment is heavily buttressed with boulders that slope gradually down to the water. In contrast, the buttressing on the landward side is less substantial and mainly consists of a grassed bank. The parapets, made of rubble slate-stone and ranging from approximately 0.5 meters to 1 meter high, are concrete on the seaward side. Evidence of heavy repairs is visible in the masonry breaks and changes in the coping of the wall between the higher and lower sections.

At the Porthmadoc end, the parapet of the higher embankment ends opposite No. 6 Tros Y Bont Terrace and next to the curve leading into the railway station. Steps leading down to the shore and the roadway are present on both sides of the higher embankment at the eastern end. Beyond this point, the railway tracks curve northeast or continue into the Boston Lodge Workshops. A semicircular arched recess, now blocked, can be found beneath the curve, which originally served as a passage beneath the railway. This features a portal-like entrance with coursed masonry and voussoirs. The list concludes at the Boston Lodge end, where gated steps are located between the railway line and the road.

The western part of The Cob is situated in Dwyfor District and Porthmadoc Community.