Photo: Voice of Clam, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
In a purpose-built building at the Talyllyn Railway's main station, the museum aims to tell the story of the narrow gauge railways across the British Isles. An interesting place to spend an hour even if you are not a trainspotter!
The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum is a purpose-built museum dedicated to narrow-gauge railways situated at the Tywyn Wharf station of the Talyllyn Railway in Tywyn, Gwynedd, Wales.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Eglwys Sant Cadfan
Though some of the church is more recent (14th century onwards), the nave dates from the 12th century. There are records of a church on the site dating to the 9th century, though the earliest structures were wooden and were burnt down by Viking raiders. St Cadfan's is home to the Cadfan Stone on which is carved the oldest known writing in the Welsh language. As can be seen, from some angles it looks a bit like a Doner Kebab. Also of interest is the 14th-century effigy of knight Gruffudd ap Adda, which is locally reputed to shed tears when rain is on the way.
4 motorbike race meetings a year (Easter, Spring Bank Holiday, July, August Bank Holiday) are held by Crewe and South Cheshire MCRR at the Tonfanau cicuit. Tonfanau is a 1-mile, clockwise circuit, built on part of a former military base.
The remains of Iron-Age Celtic Hill Forts can be found at the summit of Craig-yr-Aderyn in the Dysynni Valley, and above the nearby coastal village of Llwyngwril.
Built in the 13th century by the Welsh Prince Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Castell y Bere is not one of the best known of North Wales' many castles. However it is well worth heading off the beaten path to pay it a visit. Though the castle lies in ruins, this only adds to the atmosphere of the site, standing proudly on a rocky outcrop, but towered over in almost every direction by steep mountainsides.
The hamlet has a lovely church and the ruins of Tyn-y-ddol, home of Mari Jones, who in 1800, at the age of 16, famously walked barefoot the 25 miles to Bala to purchase a Welsh-language copy of the Bible. This is said to have been the inspiration for the formation of the British and Foreign Bible Society. There's a small exhibition telling Mari Jones' story in the vestry of the church, along with a beautiful 3D map of the Dysynni Valley, rendered in patchwork by local needle workers.