Blaenau Ffestiniog

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Blaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog (Gwynedd, Wales)
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Population 4830
OS grid reference SH705455
Principal area Gwynedd
Ceremonial county Gwynedd
Constituent country Wales
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BLAENAU FFESTINIOG
Postcode district LL41
Dial code 01766
Police North Wales
Fire North Wales
Ambulance Welsh
UK Parliament Meirionnydd Nant Conwy
European Parliament Wales
List of places: UK • Wales • Gwynedd
Blaenau Ffestiniog, seen from Moelwyn Bach, showing the large waste heaps that dominate the town.
Blaenau Ffestiniog, seen from Moelwyn Bach, showing the large waste heaps that dominate the town.

Blaenau Ffestiniog is a small town in North Wales. It has a population of 4,830 (2001 census).

Contents

[edit] Geography

Located in the mountains of Snowdonia, the town was once a major centre of the slate mining industry. This industry declined during the early 20th century. The town's economy is now largely dependent on tourism. Although the town is in the centre of the Snowdonia National Park, the boundaries of the Park are specifically arranged to omit the town with its substantial slate waste heaps from the Park.

The hills around Blaenau Ffestiniog form the watershed between the River Conwy flowing to the north and the River Dwyryd flowing to the west.

[edit] Education

Ysgol y Moelwyn is the main secondry school in the area, covering Blaenau, Manod, Tanygrisiau, Llan Ffestiniog, Trawsfynydd, Gellilydan, and even streching into the Vale of Ffestinog. There are many secondry schools in the area, many are due for closure of merges with other schools[1].

[edit] Tourism

Blaenau Ffestiniog boasts several major tourist attractions, including the Ffestiniog Railway, and also the Llechwedd Slate Caverns, a former slate mine open to visitors. Llechwedd is regularly listed as one of Wales' top 5 visitor attractions [2].

Blaenau Ffestiniog hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1898. It is traditionally part of Merionethshire.

[edit] Pronunciation

The "official"[1] Welsh pronunciation of Blaenau Ffestiniog (IPA) is [ˈblaɪnaɪ fesˈtɪnjɒg] but the first word is more commonly pronounced [ˈblaɪna] by local Welsh speakers.

[edit] Transport links

The main access route to Blaenau Ffestiniog is via the A470 road which runs from the north to the south of Wales. The A497, which runs West to East, feeds the Lleyn Peninsula into the A487 (which runs from Bangor through Caernarfon and into Porthmadog, which in turn connects with the North South A470. The Immediately to the north of the town the road climbs steeply to the Crimea Pass and meets the A5 at Betws y Coed.

At various times the town has been the terminus for four independent railway lines, each with its own station or stations:

Today Blaenau Ffestiniog railway station on the site of the former Great Western station serves as a combined station for the Ffestiniog Railway and the Conwy Valley line, their previous stations being no longer in use.

[edit] Noted current & former residents

[edit] Local Divides

Locals divide Blaenau Ffestiniog into "parts". Among these are...

  • Tanygrisau
  • Manod
  • Blaenau Ffestinog (as istelf, towards the centre of the town)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ G. M. Miller (Ed), BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names, Oxford University Press, 1971. ISBN 0-19-431125-2

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 52.99113° N 3.93075° W

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