The Grapes Hotel
In the village of Maentwrog on the A496, the Grade II listed Grapes Hotel is the local hostel. It was originally a 17th Century coaching inn but its cellar dates from the 13th Century.
Country and County: Snowdonia
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.
Llyn Coch (Red Lake)
If you ascend Yr Wyddfa (Mount Snowdon) on the Snowdon Ranger path you will encounter Llyn Coch. Legend has it that this lake is a favourite abode of the Tylwth Teg (Fairy Folk). There is a ‘Fairy Bride’ legend associated with the lake, one version of which goes something like this:
Llyn Dulyn (Black Lake)
Llyn Dulyn is a small cirque lake bound by the high cliff faces of Garnedd Uchaf and Foel Grach on the edge of the Carneddau mountains. It is approximately 33 acres in area, has a mean depth of 104 feet, and is 189 feet at its deepest point. The lake has a dam which was constructed in 1881, and it now serves a reservoir for Llandudno.
The Thirteen Treasures of the Island of Britain
These treasures are ancient magical items of Welsh tradition that are mentioned in 15th and 16th Century manuscripts. Most of the treasures are from and in ‘The North’ of the Island of Britain.
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.
Saint Mary’s (and Saint Bodfan’s) Church, Llanaber
Almost two miles north of Barmouth on the A496 is the parish of Llanaber, and the not to be missed, Llanaber church. It dates from the early 13th Century, and is dedicated to St. Bodfan with a later dedication to the Virgin Mary.
Roman Steps
On a popular walking route for ramblers and hikers, from Cwm Bychan through Bwlch Tyddiad and around Rhinog Fawr, you will encounter the Roman Steps. These steps made in the hills are commonly said to have been constructed by the Romans to facilitate the ascent and descent of their sentries to and from the pass of Bwlch Tyddiad (1,294 ft and 7.5 miles out of Llanbedr).
Meini Hirion (Llanbedr Standing Stones)
The Meini Hirion or ‘long stones’ are a pair of standing stones situated in Llanbedr. They are in a livestock field on the left hand side of the village as you travel north towards Pen-sarn. The field regularly floods when there is a high tide, and the stones are partially obscured by a large tree which grows close by them.
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).
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