Mysterious Britain & Ireland

Country and County: Wales

Ancient Sites

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.

Legends

Swallow Falls (Rhaeadr Ewynnol)

Found on the A5, to the north west of Betws-y-Coed, this much photographed cascade of water is where the Afon Llugwy drops over ancient worn rocks on its journey eastwards. It is the highest continuous waterfall in Wales and one of the most visited beauty spots in the area due to its accessibility.

Apparitions / Featured Sites / Hauntings

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.

Apparitions / Hauntings

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.

Ancient Sites / Legends / Wells

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.

Ancient Sites

The Copper Mines of the Great Orme

The Great Orme officially has ‘The Largest Prehistoric Copper Mines in the World’ according to the Guinness World Records team. There are more than five miles of tunnels and passageways that have been explored so far. The mining began in the Bronze Age, about four thousand years ago, when the mining tools included animal bones and stone hammers.

Ancient Sites / Druidism

Pen Dinas Hill Fort, Great Orme

There was once an Iron Age hill fort at this area called Pen Dinas on the Great Orme. Archaeologists have identified the remains of more than fifty hut circles and some degraded defensive ramparts. Pen Dinas is subsidiary peak that juts out of the Great Orme, and it is a good defensive location for a settlement.

Ancient Sites / Folklore / Folktales / Wells / Welsh Folktales

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.

Ancient Sites / Burial Mounds

Llety’r Filiast

Llety’r Filiast translates into English as "The Lair of the Greyhound Bitch". It is a ruined Neolithic burial chamber situated on the Great Orme. Most of the stone from the cairn has been taken over the years, but it is thought that when it was originally built it would have measured thirty metres long and ten metres wide, and been vaguely egg shaped.

Folklore / Folktales / Welsh Folktales

Llys Helig

This is another sunken palace / drowned town legend from north Wales. As the story goes, Llys Helig was the palace of Helig ap Glannog, and it once stood somewhere in the area that Conwy Bay is today. It is said to have been inundated by a great flood sometime in the 6th Century. There are several different recounts of the legend, but the one below is a popular one.