Minffordd

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Minffordd (roadside in Welsh) is a village within the village community of Penrhyndeudraeth in the county of Gwynedd in North Wales. It is situated on the A487 road between Porthmadog and Penrhyndeudraeth.

The village has two adjacent railway stations, which are served both by Cambrian Line mainline train services and the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway.

The stations are approximately quarter of a mile from the start of the mile-long drive to the Italianate hotel-village of Portmeirion. A recent addition to that hotel's facilities is a restaurant established in Castell Deudraeth formerly the modern castellated home of Sir Osmond Williams Bt., which adjoins Portmeirion and includes the very minor remains of a medieval castle (known variously as Castell Deudraeth, Castell Gwain Goch and Castell Aber Iau). The castle was first recorded by Giraldus Cambrensis (Gerald of Wales) in 1188.

Garth Quarry at Minffordd was opened in 1870 to produce granite setts for transport to developing towns and cities by the newly opened Cambrian Railways. The quarry now produces roadstone and railway ballast.

At Minffordd is the hostel where some volunteers working on the Ffestiniog Railway stay.