You are hereGwynedd Gazetteer
Gwynedd Gazetteer
Gwynedd Gazetteer
A Visit to Fairyland
The following fairy folk tale takes place around Llyn Cwellyn, a 215 acre, 120 feet deep glacial lake which has now been dammed to create a reservoir. The tale is taken 'Bedd Gelert: Its Facts, Fairies, and Folk-Lore (1899) by D E Jenkins. Read More »
Aberconwy House
Conwy’s oldest house, Aberconwy (parts of it date back to the 14th Century) on Castle Street, was a medieval merchant’s house, and is currently owned by the National Trust. Read More »
Aberdyfi and Cardigan Bay
The area around Cardigan Bay has a number of 'lost land' legends pertaining to it. These legends have changed over the centuries.
The most recent story concerns 'The Lost Lowland Hundred'; lands now drowned which were ruled by a King called Gwyddno Garantir. The area was protected from the sea by a system of sluices, dams and waterways. Read More »
Barclodiad-y-Gawres Chambered Cairn
This burial mound has five carved stones within its chamber, now capped by concrete to prevent their erosion. The stones are carved with a range of patterns including spirals cup marks and zig-zag features. The purpose of these marks is unknown, but they may have had some ritual function. Read More »
Bardsey Island
The island is also known as the island of the currents and the saints. There are said to be the graves of 20,000 saints interred on the island, and legend suggests that anybody buried here will not go to hell no matter how wicked his deeds. Read More »
Barmouth Poltergeist
The following account of a poltergeist in Barmouth appeared in an edition of Folk-lore (June 1892) and was also reproduced in Richard Holland's 'Haunted Wales: A Guide to Welsh Ghostlore' Read More »
Bedd Branwen
The chambered tomb called the Bedd Branwen, is said to be the resting place of Branwen, the legendary wife of Bran described in early Welsh stories.
Directions: To the East of Elim.
Branwen The Daughter Of Llyr
Branwen The Daughter Of Llyr is part of The Mabinogion. The following is taken from Lady Charlotte Guest's translation which was published in 1877. Read More »
Bryn Celli Dhu
The name of this site translates as the mound in the dark grove. It is a developed site, which changed in ritual use and importance during the Neolithic and Bronze age period. Read More »
Bryn Hall
Bryn Hall was haunted by the ghost of a headless horseman. The haunting is said to have ceased after one of the servants received a message from the horseman pertaining to the location of a buried body.
The body was that of an illegitimate child belonging to the Lord of the hall.
Bwgan Pant-y-Wennol
In his excellent book 'Haunted Wales: A Guide to Welsh Ghostlore', Richard Holland quotes the following article concerning a poltergeist at Pant-y-Wennol near Abersoch that appeared in the Caernarvon & Denbigh Herald, 29 May 1866. Read More »
Cader Idris
This holy mountain has a rock seat called 'The Seat of Prince Idris'. It is said that anyone who spends the night alone on the mountain will either die, become insane or become a poet.
The seat of Prince Idris is also known as the Chair of Idris, and was named after a giant who was said to view the heavens from this lofty point. Read More »
Caer-y-Twr
Caer-y-Twr is the remains of an Iron Age hill fort on the summit of Holyhead mountain (Mynydd Twr) 220 metres in height. Due to its position, it did not need much additional defence, but it had a stone rampart on the northern and eastern sides enclosing an area of roughly seven hectares. The site of the hill fort now contains mostly rubble, but the walls can still be identified. Read More »
Capel Garmon Burial Chamber
Located to the south of the village of Capel Garmon, signposted and in a farmer’s field, are the remains of an ancient Neolithic chambered cairn. It is estimated that the ruins are around 5,000 years old, and it was excavated sometime between 1925 and 1927. It has a curved passage approximately fifteen feet long and four feet high, and two circular burial chambers to the east and west. Read More »
Capel Lligwy
The remains of this building, close to Din Lligwy and the Lligwy cromlech can cause the visitor to stop and ponder why a chapel was built in this isolated evocative position overlooking L Read More »
Capel Salem
Built in 1850, this Baptist Chapel was made famous by the Devon artist Sydney Curnow Vosper (29 October 1866 – 10 July 1942) in 1908, when he painted a member of the congregation in traditional Welsh costume. Read More »
Carn March Arthur
A rock overlooking the Dovey Estuary, on a hill above the A493, bears a depression that is said to be the hoofprint of Arthur's horse.
Directions: The rock lies above the A493.
Carneddau Hengwm
The Carneddau Hengwm are a couple of quite large tumuli or Neolithic burial chambers that are about two and half miles inland from Llanaber off the A496 Meirionnydd coastal road between Barmouth and Harlech. They lie in an East to West alignment, about fifty yards apart and at an altitude of 900 feet. Read More »
Castell Tomen-y-Mur, (a.k.a. Mur-y-Castell and Heriri Mons)
Tomen-y-Mur (translated as ‘Mound in the Walls’) was originally an ancient Roman fort on the slope of Mynydd Maentwrog to the north east of Llyn Trawsfynyedd, with access from A470 although it is not signposted. Read More »
Castell-y-Bere
Close to Llanfihangel-y-pennant is the native Welsh castle known as Castell-y-Bere. Constructed from stone, on top of a rocky hillock that overlooks the Dysynni Valley it was once the largest and most richly ornamented castles in Wales. Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, a.k.a. Llywelyn the Great (c. Read More »
Church of St Mor and St Deiniol, Llanfor
The Grade II listed listed of Church of St Mor and St Deiniol in Llanfor is no longer a place of worship and has been recently been advertised for sale. Built in 1875 on the site of a much older building, possibly the oldest church in Merioneth. It is possible that this older church was reputed to have been haunted. Read More »
Coed-y-Bleiddiau (Forest of the Wolves)
The Coed-y-Bleiddiau was once ancient woodland where it is said that the last wolf in Wales was allegedly killed. There is now another living wolf in woodland, but it’s safe because it’s made form of a living willow sculpture.
Conwy & Conwy Bay
In legend a curse was put upon the town and its entire people by a mermaid hundreds of years ago. She was found stranded on the rocks at low tide by local fishermen, who would not return her to the water no matter how much she begged. She cursed the town saying that the people would always be poor. The curse is now said to have run its course. Read More »
Conwy Castle
Conwy castle and the city walls were built from the years 1283-1289 by approximately 1,500 workers at the height of the construction, to form one of King Edward I (17th June 1239 – 7th July 1307) fortresses in his ‘Ring of Castles’, used to quell the Welsh uprisings. English citizens were moved in to the town and the Welsh people were banned from living there. Read More »
Cors-y-Gedol Burial Chamber
The Cors-y-Gedol burial chamber which still has it's capstone intact is also referred to as Arthur’s Quoit and can be found close to some ancient hut circles known as the Irishmen’s huts on the slope of Moelfre. Read More »
Din Lligwy (Ancient Village)
The ruins of Din Lligwy on the outskirts of Moelfre are the remains of an ancient fortified homestead which was abandoned about 1,600 years ago. Covering an area of about half an acre, enclosed by ash and sycamore trees, the site consists of the foundations of several buildings of varying shapes and sizes, all enclosed by a double wall, which was filled with rubble. Read More »
Dinas Dinlle Iron Age Hill fort
This coastal Iron Age hill fort in the community of Llandwrog was built on an isolated hill of glacial drift known as Boncan Dinas, but it has now been considerably eroded by the Irish Sea and the feet of tourists. There is a popular award winning beach on the foreshore, providing views of the Northern coast of the Lleyn Peninsula and Llanddwyn Island, Anglesey. Read More »
Dinas Emrys
The legendary stronghold of Vortigern, and the place where the young prophet Merlin revealed the fighting dragons. In legend there are two characters associated with the same story with slight variations. One is Vortigern, the Dark Age ruler who let the Saxons into the country, and was responsible in part for their later invasions. Read More »
Dyffryn Ardudwy Cromlechs
Behind the local school at Dyffryn Ardudwy and reached by a sign posted footpath two exposed cromlechs are visible amidst a field of stones. The cromlechs are about twenty feet apart and the stones that surround them mark the remains of the huge cairn that would have covered these graves that date back to the Neolithic period. Read More »
Ellyllon
According to 'British Goblins' (1881) by Wirt Sykes; 'The Ellyllon are the pigmy elves who haunt the groves and valleys, and correspond pretty closely with the English elves. Read More »
Fairies of Llyn Dwythwch
Children were often warned in the past about the dangers of fairies and John Rhys in his 'Celtic Folklore Welsh And Manx' (1901) vouched for an account from a lady who grew up in Cwm Brwynog thirty to forty years earlier. Read More »
Fairy Gold Of Cwmglas Hollow
According to John Rhys in his 'Celtic Folklore Welsh And Manx' [1901] 'The following is a later tale, which Mr. Thomas Davies heard from his mother, who died in 1832:--'When she was a girl, living at Yr Hafod, Llanberis, there was a girl of her age being brought up at Cwmglas in the same parish. Read More »
Fairy Midwife Of Beddgelert
In 1891 the following folk tale appeared in 'The Science of Fairy Tales; An Enquiry Into Fairy Mythology' by Edwin Sidney Hartland. It is one of a number of stories in which human midwives are needed at fairy births. Read More »
Fetching a Halter
The following folk tale entitled 'Fetching a Halter' appeared in 'The Welsh Fairy Book' (1908) by W. Jenkyn Thomas 'A VERY large company came together to hold a merry evening at Bwlch Mwrchan, a farmhouse close by Lake Gwynan, in Snowdonia. It was a stormy night. The wind whistled and howled in the woods, tearing the trees like matchsticks. Read More »
Ffynnon Aelrhiw
Fynnon Aelrhiw can be found in a field below the church. It is a rectangular basin in a larger surround with evidence of flat stone seats. People visited this well because its waters are meant to have a healing effect on skin diseases.
Ffynnon Arian (Silver Well)
Ffynnon Arian in the village of Mynytho on the Llyn peninsula, Gwynedd is an ancient wishing well. It is a natural spring without traces of a structure according to ‘Holy Wells of Wales’.
Ffynnon Fair (St. Mary’s Well), Bryncroes
This well can be found on the roadside in the village of Bryncroes. It is on, what was the main pilgrim route to Bardsey Island through the Lleyn Peninsula. Bryncroes was the probably the final stop for pilgrims heading to embark from Aberdaron. Read More »
Ffynnon Fair (St. Mary’s Well), Aberdaron
Ffynnon Fair can be found on the shore to the east of the precipitous rocks rising out of the sea known locally as ‘the wall’. This well always gives fresh water even though it is often covered over by the sea. It is said that a wish can be fulfilled by running with a mouthful of the water, three times around the quadrangle of the nearby St. Mary’s church. Read More »
Ffynnon Fair (St. Mary’s Well), Llanbedr
Sited within the village of Llanbedr, this well is now just a dried up, empty sunken tank.
Ffynnon Fyw (Well of Life)
Ffynnon Fyw is a well within a stone wall enclosure of about 7.3m2. There is evidence of steps for bathing access. It is said the well was dedicated to Curig and tradition credits it with the belief that it restores sight to the blind and health to the sick.
Fort Belan
Fort Belan is a Grade I listed building dating from 1775 and was built by Member of Parliament, Sir Thomas Wynn, 1st Baron Newborough (born 1736 – died 12 October 1807), as a defence for the Menai Strait against possible naval aggression during the American War of Independence. Read More »
Fynnon Galchog (The Lime Well)
This natural spring is situated on flat ground on the northern side of the headland of Great Orme. It is said that it never runs dry, even in times out drought. The water from the well is also said to be beneficial in the development of strong bones and teeth in children. There is an old story linked to this well. Read More »
Fynnon Powell (Powell’s Well)
This spring on the Great Orme is a water source that doesn’t seem to dry up, even in the driest weather. There is a story associated with the well, which tells of its mysterious formation. Many years ago, the Powell family lived in a dwelling close to where the well is now situated. Read More »
Garn Boduan Hill Fort
Garn Boduan (279 metres in height) is an Iron Age hill fort situated on a steep isolated volcanic hill to the south of Nefyn. The site was surveyed during the 1950’s, when the remains of more than one hundred and seventy round houses, (of which the remains of about one hundred are identifiable whilst on the ground) were discovered. Read More »
Garn Fadryn Hill Fort
Garn Fadryn (371 metres in height), has on its summit a Middle Iron Age hillfort covering an area of approximately twenty-six acres in total. The hill fort construction seems to have been done in stages, the first stage taking place in around 300BC enclosing about twelve acres. Read More »
The Grave of Gelert
'In the 13th century Llywelyn, prince of North Wales, had a palace at Beddgelert. One day he went hunting without Gelert, "The Faithful Hound", who was unaccountably absent. On Llywelyn's return the truant, stained and smeared with blood, joyfully sprang to meet his master. Read More »
Gwydir Castle
Gwydir Castle is nestled in the Vale of Conwy in North Wales, and it has a long and fantastic history. The first recorded owner was Howell ap Coetmor, whose family members are recorded as having fought at the battles of Poitiers (1356), Shrewsbury (1402) and Agincourt (1415). Read More »
Haunted Toilets
I came across a reference claiming that the public toilets opposite the Gwesty’r Llew Coch (Red Lion Hotel) in Dinas Mawddwy are reputedly haunted by the apparition of a silver haired old man. I have no idea what evidence this based upon, or even if there is any.
Haunted Wales: A Guide To Welsh Ghostlore by Richard Holland
The ghosts of Wales are bold and memorable, forceful in character often terrifying and sometimes even dangerous. In a new book by Richard Holland and published by The History Press you realise that Wales is a fearfully haunted place with possibly more ghosts and goblins than in England or any other country. Read More »
Here Is The Story Of Llud And Llevelys
The Story of Llud and Llevelys appears in the The Mabinogion and here is the translation published by Lady Charlotte Guest (1877). Read More »
Ancient Site
Cryptozoology
Featured Site
Festival
Folklore
Haunting
Legend
Occult
Other Mystery
UFO
