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Top Attractions in Conwy

Trefriw

Trefriw is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It lies on the river Crafnant in North Wales, a few miles south of the site of the Roman fort of Canovium, sited at Caerhun. At the 2001 census, the community had a population of 924, reducing to 783 at the 2011 census. Trefriw lies on the edge of Snowdonia, on the B5106 road to the north-west of Llanrwst, and about 4½ miles north of Betws-y-coed by road. It is located on the western slopes of the glaciated Conwy valley, below the ridge of Cefn Cyfarwydd, the village having been largely built in a semicircle at the point where the river Crafnant flows from its hanging valley to join the river Conwy. The river Crafnant still provides power for the woollen mill, and in the past provided power for a number of other industries based along its banks, such as a forge which provided quarry tools. Most of the village lies within the Snowdonia National Park, the boundary running down the main street of the village. Apart from its reputation as a good starting point for walks (the village has Walkers are Welcome status and stages an annual walking festival), Trefriw is today mostly known for its woollen mills, and for the nearby chalybeate spa, first known to have been used by the Romans and further developed in about 1700. Its waters were one of very few throughout Europe to have been classified as a medicine due to their high iron content.

Llangernyw

Llangernyw is a rural, mostly Welsh-speaking, village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. At the 2001 census it had a population of 982 in 2001, 67 per cent of which were Welsh-speaking. The figures for the 2011 census were : population 1,079: Welsh speakers= 63.7%. The village lies on the A548 between Llanrwst and Llanfair Talhaiarn, at the point where the Afon Cledwen, a tributary of the Afon Elwy, is crossed by the main road. Situated on the outskirts of the village is Hafodunos, a gothic mansion ravaged by fire in 2004. The churchyard of St Digain's parish church in Llangernyw is the site of an ancient yew tree, Llangernyw Yew, estimated to be around 4,000 years old. Also of note is the Sir Henry Jones Museum, which is dedicated to the life of the philosopher and academic, Henry Jones, who grew up in the village. The museum is his childhood home, a small cottage, which has been preserved internally and externally.

Conwy town walls

Conwy's town walls are a medieval defensive structure around the town of Conwy in North Wales. The walls were constructed between 1283 and 1287 after the foundation of Conwy by Edward I, and were designed to form an integrated system of defence alongside Conwy Castle. The walls are 1.3 km long and include 21 towers and three gatehouses. The project was completed using large quantities of labourers brought in from England; the cost of building the castle and walls together came to around £15,000, a huge sum for the period. The walls were slightly damaged during the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr in 1401, but political changes in the 16th century reduced the need to maintain such defences around the town. The fortifications were treated sympathetically during the development of the road and railway systems in Conwy during the 19th century and survived largely intact into the modern period. Today the walls form part of the UNESCO world heritage site administered by Cadw. Historians Oliver Creighton and Robert Higham describe the defences as "one of the most impressive walled circuits" in Europe.

Llanrhychwyn

Llanrhychwyn is a hamlet in Conwy county borough, Wales. It lies in the Conwy valley, less than a mile south of Trefriw, and a mile north-west of Llanrwst. Today neighbouring Trefriw is a large village with a population of over 1,300, but in the time of Llywelyn Fawr, and up to the early 19th century, Llanrhychwyn was larger than Trefriw, which consisted simply of "a few houses here and there" . Indeed, even today both Trefriw and Llanrhychwyn lie within the parish of Llanrhychwyn. The adjacent Gwydir Forest would have provided work for many of the inhabitants. A number of metal mines were located in the forest, and the heyday of metal mining here was between 1850 and 1919. The forest also provided wood, and both timber and metal were transported from the forest to the quay at neighbouring Trefriw, from where it was shipped downstream to the coast. Llanrhychwyn takes its name from Rhychwyn, son of Helig ap Glannog, the prince who lived at Llys Helig before it was inundated by the sea, and now the subject of myth and legend. Rhychwyn had several brothers who established churches and became saints, including Celynin, who established the old church at Llangelynnin, near Henryd, further down the valley.

Llandudno Junction

Llandudno Junction , once known as Tremarl, is a small town in the county borough of Conwy, Wales. It is part of the ancient parish of Llangystennin, and it is located south of Llandudno. It adjoins Deganwy and is to the east of the walled town of Conwy, which is on the opposite side of the River Conwy. The population is 6,722 and is part of the community of Conwy, and comprises the wards of Marl and Pensarn . The town grew up around Llandudno Junction railway station, which is a junction between the Crewe-Holyhead line and the Llandudno-Blaenau Ffestiniog line. There are through trains from Manchester to Llandudno, but passengers travelling from London, Cardiff, or Holyhead to Llandudno usually have to change trains at Llandudno Junction. Llandudno Junction, in addition to its passenger interchange, had a major steam locomotive servicing depot and extensive goods facilities. This railway depot was called 6G, and a new section of the A546 now crosses the site. The site of the depot and goods yard has been redeveloped, now accommodating a business park, fast food outlets, a leisure centre, a Cineworld multiplex cinema, and a Tesco supermarket. Local employment opportunities changed significantly in the latter quarter of the 20th century owing to the loss not only of the railway depots but also of a major electrical manufacturing facility , of which part of the old factory site is under planning application for three more Car Dealerships. Another part of the factory site has been bought by the Welsh Assembly Government and construction began in 2007 on a new office building that will house around 525 employees, including about 100 tourism, transport and enterprise jobs which will be relocated to the site from Cardiff. The keys to the building were officially handed over from the developers in May 2010. The Old Station Hotel stands opposite the railway station. It is known locally as 'The Killer' or in Welsh 'Y Killer'. One version of the myth on how it got its name is that train drivers would get drunk there, then drive trains, effectively turning them into possible 'Killers'. Another version states that this is where the railway workers would spend their lunch breaks, i.e. 'killed time'. There are two primary schools in Llandudno Junction, Ysgol Maelgwn and Ysgol Nant-y-Coed. The town is home to a 9-screen multiplex Cineworld cinema, Llandudno Junction Leisure Centre, a Tesco supermarket, and a McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut restaurant. Llandudno Junction F.C. enjoys good support from the locals. The town was previously home to Welsh Cup winners Borough United F.C..

Llanddulas

Llanddulas is a village in Conwy county borough, Wales midway between Old Colwyn and Abergele and next to the North Wales Expressway in the community of Llanddulas and Rhyd y Foel. The village lies beneath the limestone hill of Cefn-yr-Ogof . This hill has large caves, and quarrying of limestone was formerly the main industry of the village, with crushed stone being exported from the 200 m long jetty. According to figures from the 2001 census, Llanddulas, combined with nearby village Rhyd y Foel, had a population of 1,572, with around 23% of the population having some knowledge of the Welsh language. Llanddulas is notable as being the place where Richard II was betrayed in 1399. and is also the birthplace of Lewis Valentine. Between 1889 and 1952 the village had its own railway station. According to legend, a cave on the mountain of Pen y Cefn was once the abode of the Devil, until the people of Llanddulas performed an exorcism at the cave to drive him away. In February 1990 a storm and high tide caused extensive flooding to the east of here, especially at Towyn and Kinmel Bay. New coastal defence works were built along 7 miles of coast from Old Colwyn to the River Clwyd. At Llanddulas these consist of Dolos concrete shapes.

Fairy Falls

The Fairy Falls is a waterfall in the village of Trefriw, north Wales. The falls are on the river Crafnant which has its source at Llyn Crafnant, being joined upstream by a tributary, the river Geirionydd. Below the falls the river Crafnant flows on to itself become a tributary of the river Conwy. The main falls are about 25 high, the water falling down an angled rockface, and they were formed during the last Ice Age some 20,000 years ago. As the main glacier passed down the Conwy Valley, it truncated the Crafnant valley, leaving a hanging valley and this series of falls. Not all of the water from the river Crafnant passes over the falls, as a little upstream some is diverted through a pipeline to provide hydro-electric power for the woollen mill. During drier periods this can leave the falls with little or even no water, but most of the year there is a good supply of water, as testified by the erosion of the rocks at the base of the falls. Downstream of the main Fairy Falls are a number of further, lesser, falls, which old postcards also call the "Fairy Falls". Along this lower section of river the water once turned a number of waterwheels which powered various mills. The whole area of this series of falls from the main falls through the lesser falls downstream was known as "Fairy Glen", and was altogether more open than it is today. In Edwardian times there was a proper path alongside the river Crafnant, and a popular stroll was to walk from the banks of the river Crafnant, up through the well-known Fairy Glen, and on beside the river Crafnant up towards Llyn Crafnant. Regarding the name, the information board beside the waterfall states: The Trefriw Fairy Falls were named by the Victorians who were fascinated with fairies and identified many enchanting locations as home to these diminutive, mythical creatures. Whilst there are no documented sightings of fairies at the falls themselves, in 1880 Wirt Sikes referred to numerous local sightings of fairies in his book "British Goblins Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions". The Fairy Falls pub in the village takes its name from the Falls. The Falls are easily accessible on foot from various directions, and are on the route of one of the Trefriw Trails, a series of walks around the village and adjacent areas. Route 4, starting from the village shops, follows the riverside path through Fairy Glen and past the falls. Route 5 also takes this route before heading on to Llyn Geirionydd and Llyn Crafnant.

Llyn Cowlyd

Llyn Cowlyd is the deepest lake in north Wales. It lies in the Snowdonia National Park at the upper end of Cwm Cowlyd on the south-eastern edge of the Carneddau range of mountains, at a height of 1,164 feet above sea level. The lake is long and narrow, measuring nearly 2 miles long and about a third of a mile wide, and covers an area of 269 acres . It has a mean depth of 109 feet and at its deepest has given soundings of 229 feet, this being some 45 ft greater than its natural depth, the water surface having been raised twice by the building of dams. The surrounding hills drop steeply to the waters edge, from Cefn Cyfarwydd and Creigiau Gleision to the east, and Pen Llithrig y Wrach to the west, and as a consequence have not been forested in the 20th century, as were the slopes of neighbouring Llyn Crafnant. Indeed there is not a tree to be seen, and the general aspect is one of bleakness. Dependent on the weather conditions, the waters often appear dark. The supply of water to Llyn Cowlyd is assisted at its south-western end by a leat which runs roughly east-west along the 1370 contour to the south and west of the lake, along the Ogwen Valley. It is also fed by water from Llyn Eigiau. Llyn Cowlyd can be reached by road from Trefriw, some 3 miles to the east, although the metalled road stops at a gate, the best part of a mile from the lake itself, beyond which private vehicles are not permitted. Llyn Cowlyd can also be reached by foot from Capel Curig, some 2 miles away, from the ridge of Cefn Cyfarwydd, or from above Dolgarrog. A good path runs along the north-western shore of the lake. The stream which flows from Llyn Cowlyd is called Afon Ddu. This flows into the river Conwy, passing Pont Dolgarrog on the B5106 road, just south of the village of Dolgarrog. The gorge cut by the river at this point is popular for gorge walking.

Llyn Geirionydd

Llyn Geirionydd lies in a valley in North Wales where the northern edge of the Gwydyr Forest meets the lower slopes of the Carneddau mountains. The lake is almost a mile long and covers an area of 45 acres, but is never any deeper than 50 ft according to Jehu’s survey. The lake can be reached by car from Trefriw or Llanrwst in the Conwy valley, the lane passing through the hamlet of Llanrhychwyn, or from the road through the Gwydir Forest. Access is not particularly easy by either route, but this has not stopped the lake being the only one designated in Snowdonia to permit power boats and water skiing. Many visitors also walk to the lake from the village of Trefriw or from the neighbouring lake of Llyn Crafnant, which runs parallel to it, but a mile distant, the two being separated by Mynydd Deulyn, “mountain of the two lakes”. The lake has a car park and the location is very popular in the summer. This car park site was once a waste tip site for the Pandora mine above, and indeed the planting of conifers in the area of the lake has considerably softened the effects of mining. There are few, if any, fish in the lake, and this, it is believed, is the result of the poisoning of the waters from the adjacent metal mines. Afon Geirionydd, the outflow of Llyn Geirionydd, flows down a steep gorge—Geirionydd Gorge—which is popular for gorge walking. At the bottom of this gorge are the remains of Klondyke mill, which was powered by water from the river. This mill, apart from processing its own metals, also received lead and zinc ore from the Pandora mine, and the route of the tramway from that mine ran partly along the route of the lakeside road, and can be clearly seen running between the road and the lake along the northern half of the lake where the road rises somewhat. This tramway continues to a point above Klondyke mill, from where wagons entered the mine via an aerial ropeway. This last part of the tramway is a right of way which runs above the valley, eventually reaching Trefriw. Below Klondyke Mill Afon Geirionydd joins Afon Crafnant, the outflow from neighbouring Llyn Crafnant, which itself is a tributary of the River Conwy. The current road follows what some believe to be part of Sarn Helen, the Roman road which ran southwards from the fort at Canovium to the fort at Tomen y Mur, and beyond, ultimately reaching Moridunum . The nearest settlement to Llyn Geirionydd is the hamlet of Llanrhychwyn, which has connections with Llywelyn Fawr, a Welsh prince, who had a hunting lodge in Trefriw, but who used Llanrhychwyn church, regarded by many to be the oldest church in Wales. Llyn Geirionydd has a number of literary connections: Ieuan Glan Geirionydd was born on the banks of Afon Geirionydd, and he was renowned for his poetry and hymns. Taliesin, was a 6th-century Welsh bard, and the earliest poet of the Welsh language whose work has survived. He was an inhabitant of the area, living on the shores of Llyn Geirionydd, and this is also where many say he is buried. The Red Book of Hergest XVII contains the line "I being Taliesin, from the borders of the lake of Geirionnydd." Some sources claim that he was also born in this area, but it is more likely that he was born in Powys, as demonstrated by the contemporary poems to Cynan Garwyn, King of Powys. John Roberts was a native of neighbouring Trefriw, and he used that name in his job as a printer and bookseller. In Eisteddfods he would assume the bardic name of Gwilym Cowlyd. He was critical of the Anglicization of the Eisteddfods and in 1865 he founded a separate festival to rival the big National Eisteddfod, and called it Arwest Glan Geirionydd, and the meeting point was Bryn y Caniadau . The Taliesin Memorial by Llyn Geirionydd commemorates these Eisteddfods, although the memorial is not actually on Bryn y Caniadau itself . David Francis made his name as “The Blind Harpist of Meirion” at these alternative Eisteddfods.

Creigiau Gleision

Creigiau Gleision is a mountain in Snowdonia, Wales, near Capel Curig. It is the easternmost of the high Carneddau and is separated from the others by Llyn Cowlyd. Directly across this reservoir from Creigiau Gleision is Pen Llithrig y Wrach. To the north-east it runs into the broad ridge of Cefn Cyfarwydd. Creigiau Gleision affords splendid views in all directions, including northwards to the coast, and down the Ogwen Valley and Dyffryn Mymbyr towards Snowdon. In fact the mountain has three peaks, hence perhaps its plural name. The most southerly peak is the highest, at 678 metres, and the O.S. map also marks the northerly peak at 634 metres . Between these two lie a middle peak, of a height between the outer two, but cairnless and unmarked on the O.S. map. Colin Adams, author of The Mountain Walkers Guide to Wales, has reached the summit of Creigiau Gleision over 450 times. On many occasions he has encountered a ghost there who has spoken to him, and although he makes no reference to this in his book, he wrote about it in 1999.

Pen yr Ole Wen

Pen yr Ole Wen is the seventh highest mountain in Snowdonia and in Wales. It is the most southerly of the Carneddau range. The mountain lies to the north of Idwal Cottage youth hostel on the A5 road, from where it has a pyramidal appearance. It may be climbed from the hostel by a path that leads directly up the south west "corner", climbing 675 m in about 1.5 km . A slightly easier ascent involves starting from Tal-y-Llyn Ogwen, about a mile north-east from the hostel, following the stream until nearing the outflow from the mountain lake Ffynnon Lloer and then branching left to take the path up the ridge. For many years the mountains name was translated as "Head of the White Light", the interpretation of which was a mystery. However in 2004 Professor Hywel Wyn Owen at the Place-Name Research Centre at Bangor University in Bangor, Gwynedd resolved the matter saying that Ole comes from Goleddf, which means slope or hillside, making the correct English translation: "Head of the White Slope". Pen yr Ole Wen is often climbed as part of a longer route on the Carneddau range. It is the same height as Englands highest peak, Scafell Pike. The mountains average temperature hovers around 5 degrees Celsius.
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