TikTokers left gobsmacked after stumbling across South…

TikTokers left gobsmacked after stumbling across South American town where everyone speaks Welsh

A TikTok star, travelling across South America, was left stunned after stumbling upon a Welsh settlement which is located over 7,500 miles away from Wales. Emmy, who creates content on the social media platform alongside her partner Simon on their account 'That Weird Couple', told their followers that they were visiting the town of Gaiman in Patagonia, Argentina.

While there, they got to experience first hand the town's strong connection with Wales, including the red dragon scattered everywhere, road signs written in Welsh and a Welsh afternoon tea which was served at a local café.

Gaiman, which is a small town located at the Lower Valley of the Chubut Province, is a part of Y Wladfa, which means 'The Colony' and refers to the Welsh colonisation of Patagonia. In May 1865, over 150 people who had gathered from all over Wales decided to set sail from Liverpool to Argentina on a tea-clipper called Mimosa.

It is said they left to start a new life and to protect Welsh culture and language, as they believed that Wales was losing its identity to England. The journey took approximately eight weeks, with the first settlers arriving at a port which today is called Puerto Madryn.

The town of Gaiman was founded in 1874 by a Welshman called David D Roberts. Today, communities across Y Wladfa, including Gaiman, still maintain their Welsh traditions and culture, such as speaking the Welsh language and celebrating the Eisteddfod.

Emmy found that town of Gaiman had road signs with the Welsh language on them (@thatweirdcouplee [TikTok])

During the TikTok video, Emmy said: "We are in a town in Argentina that speaks Welsh. So they came and settled here hundreds of years ago and 153 people came on a ship that took two months to come from Liverpool and they were all Welsh.

"And now, there's like dragons everywhere, and they are all so proud of the culture, and they still speak Welsh and they bring Welsh teachers over and [the language] is taught in schools, they want to preserve the language. Like, even the houses are Welsh-built - the construction type is different."

While there, the couple even got to enjoy a Welsh afternoon tea, which saw them tucking into bara brith and cheese sandwiches, which Emmy described as "phenomenal". In response, some of their followers shared their amazement at finding out about Gaiman, while others also shared their hopes of visiting the area one day.

One TikToker replied with: "Wow I didn’t know that, super interesting as a Welshy", another one said it was "on [their] list of places to go", while another mentioned they had been there on a choir trip in 2015.