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Top Attractions in Tan-Y-Bwlch

Plas Tan y Bwlch

Plas Tan y Bwlch in Gwynedd, Wales is the Snowdonia National Park environmental studies centre, administered by the National Park Authority. The centre aims to provide courses which are of interest to all lovers of the countryside who would like to know about the Snowdonia National Park and the part of Wales in which it resides. Plas Tan y Bwlch occupies a position overlooking the valley of the River Dwyryd, and the village of Maentwrog, with no part of the Park more than an hour’s drive away. Plas Tan y Bwlch was built by the rich Oakeley family during the 19th century, it being substantially rebuilt on the site of a first house probably built in the early 17th century. Additions designed by the Chester architect John Douglas were made to the house for W. E. Oakley in 1872. The nearby Oakeley Arms Hotel was also once part of the estate but was sold off in the early 20th century. The Oakeley family owned a huge slate quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Slates were carried from the quarry to Porthmadog by means of the Ffestiniog Railway which passed through the estate. Plas Tan y Bwlch was believed to be the first house in North Wales to be lit by electricity from its own hydro-electric source, this during the 1890s. This was generated by a form of pelton wheel, fed from nearby Llyn Mair by means of a pipeline. The small power house was on the hillside immediately behind the house and is said to have operated until after the opening of Maentwrog public hydro-electric power station in 1928. In June 2013 a new hydro-scheme, costing £400,000, and similarly tapping the water from Llyn Mair, was opened. The water falls 60m to the turbine, and is expected to meet most of the Plass electricity needs. The Tan-y-Bwlch area includes nearby Llyn Mair and Tan-y-Bwlch railway station.

Llyn Mair

Llyn Mair is a 14-acre artificial lake located at SH652412 in North Wales. It lies in the area of Tan-y-Bwlch, a little above Plas Tan-y-Bwlch, and is in the catchment area of the River Dwyryd. It was created by William Edward Oakeley as a 21st birthday present to his daughter Mair and as a water supply. Nearby Plas Tan y Bwlch was believed to be the first house in North Wales to be lit by electricity from its own hydro-electric source, this during the 1890s. This was generated by a form of Pelton wheel, fed from Llyn Mair by means of a pipeline. The small power house was on the hillside immediately behind the house and is said to have operated until after the opening of Maentwrog public hydro-electric power station in 1928. In June 2013 a new hydro-scheme, costing £400,000, and similarly tapping the water from Llyn Mair, was opened. The water falls 60m to the turbine, and is expected to meet most of the Plass electricity needs. The lake is set alongside the B4410 road, a minor road linking the village of Rhyd. The position of the lake bordered with ancient oak woods and its tranquil appearance makes this a popular picnic site for visitors and it also provides a starting point for a number of local country walks. There is some limited parking available just off the road. The narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway runs through the woods above the lake and Tan-y-Bwlch railway station can be reached on foot from the lake. The lake also has a notable echo because of the shape of the surrounding hills.

Plas Halt railway station

Plas Halt is an unstaffed halt on the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway in Wales, which was built in 1836 to carry dressed slate from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for export by sea. The halt was established in 1963. Construction took place on the evening of Friday 30 May 1963 and the morning of Saturday 31 May 1963 and it was officially opened later that same day by Mr John Bibby the then owner of Plas Tan-y-Bwlch. The halt was intended to serve a proposed chalet development on the estate. Subsequently, it has been much used in connection with courses at the Snowdonia National Park Environmental Study Centre now based at Plas Tan-y-Bwlch. A stone passenger shelter was built at Plas Halt by volunteers from the Thames Valley Group of the Ffestiniog Railway Society in 1989. The halt is located at Zigzag Crossing to the North of Tyler’s Curve above Plas Tan-y-Bwlch at a height of 375 ft. and a distance from Porthmadog of 6 miles 19 chains. A century earlier, Mr William E. Oakeley of Plas Tan-y-Bwlch had a private station nearby. Plas Halt is used chiefly by visitors and guests of Plas Tan-y-Bwlch and also by walkers using the footpaths from Zigzag Crossing. Visitors can also walk down into Maentwrog using these paths. The gardens at Plas Tan-y-Bwlch are open to the public and combined train and garden tickets are available. Trains call at this halt only on request and intending passengers are advised to check with the Ffestiniog Railway Company before embarking on their journey.
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