Nantlle Valley
Encyclopedia
The Nantlle Valley is an area in Gwynedd
, north Wales
, characterised by its large number of small settlements.
Around 80% of the population of the Nantlle Valley speak Welsh
as their first language. Some of the communities came into being as a result of slate quarrying
in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth centuries. There were a number of quarries in the valley, the largest being the Dorothea and Pen yr Orsedd quarries. Although the major quarries are worked out, there remains demand for slate waste for garden decoration. The horse-drawn Nantlle Railway
served the quarries from 1865 to 1963.
In 1991 Antur Nantlle Cyf was established as a community enterprise to work for the benefit of the Nantlle Valley and its surrounding area. The valley was also where Josie Russell and her father lived after the Russell murder case
(even though there are no facilities provided, and diving is officially banned in the quarry); in places the quarry is over 100 metres deep with a network of flooded tunnels, and the unregulated nature and depth of the site has encouraged some divers to overestimate their capabilities – in the decade 1994-2004 21 divers lost their lives in the quarry.
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
, north Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, characterised by its large number of small settlements.
Around 80% of the population of the Nantlle Valley speak Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
as their first language. Some of the communities came into being as a result of slate quarrying
Slate industry in Wales
The slate industry in Wales began during the Roman period when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then expanded rapidly until the late 19th century, at which time the most important slate producing areas were in...
in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth centuries. There were a number of quarries in the valley, the largest being the Dorothea and Pen yr Orsedd quarries. Although the major quarries are worked out, there remains demand for slate waste for garden decoration. The horse-drawn Nantlle Railway
Nantlle Railway
The Nantlle Railway was a Welsh narrow gauge railway built to carry slate from several slate quarries in the Nantlle Valley to the harbour at Caernarfon for export by sea. The line received its Act of Parliament in 1825 and was constructed by Robert Stephenson, brother of George Stephenson. It...
served the quarries from 1865 to 1963.
In 1991 Antur Nantlle Cyf was established as a community enterprise to work for the benefit of the Nantlle Valley and its surrounding area. The valley was also where Josie Russell and her father lived after the Russell murder case
Michael Stone (Russell murder case)
Michael Stone is a British criminal who was convicted of a notorious double-murder in 1998. He has continued to assert his innocence. His original conviction was overturned on appeal but a second trial resulted in another verdict of guilty after another prisoner claimed that Stone had confessed to...
Dorothea Quarry
Since quarrying ended in 1970, the Dorothea Quarry has flooded and become a popular site for scuba divingScuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
(even though there are no facilities provided, and diving is officially banned in the quarry); in places the quarry is over 100 metres deep with a network of flooded tunnels, and the unregulated nature and depth of the site has encouraged some divers to overestimate their capabilities – in the decade 1994-2004 21 divers lost their lives in the quarry.
Settlements
- AberdesachAberdesachAberdesach is a village in the Welsh principal area of Gwynedd.- External links :*...
- CarmelCarmel, GwyneddCarmel is a small village near Y Fron in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. The village is built up mainly of Victorian homes, with a more modern area. The village has its own school, Carmel school and still has managed to keep a couple of shops, one a general store , which is run by Doris Jones, the...
- Clynnog FawrClynnog FawrClynnog Fawr, often simply called "Clynnog", is a village on the north coast of the Llŷn peninsula in Gwynedd, north-west Wales.Clynnog Fawr lies on the A499 road between Caernarfon and Pwllheli, at . It had a population of 130 in 1991...
- DinasDinas, GwyneddDinas is a large hamlet near Bontnewydd, Caernarfon, in Gwynedd, north-west Wales.It is in the ancient parish and modern community of Llanwnda and is served by the parish church of St...
- Dinas DinlleDinas DinlleDinas Dinlle is a small settlement in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, with a large sand and pebble beach with vast areas of sand from mid-tide level. The foreshore consists of natural pebble banks. The popular beach offers views towards the Llŷn Peninsula and towards Ynys Llanddwyn on Anglesey...
- Drws y Coed
- Gyrn Goch
- LlandwrogLlandwrogLlandwrog is a village and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, most notable for the presence of the headquarters of Welsh record label Sain and the site of Caernarfon Airport...
- LlanllyfniLlanllyfniLlanllyfni is a small village near Penygroes in Gwynedd, North Wales.It is a largely Welsh speaking close-knit village. About over 85% of the villagers speak Welsh as their first language....
- NantlleNantlleNantlle is a small village in the slate quarrying Nantlle Valley in Gwynedd, Wales. It lies on the north shore of Llyn Nantlle Uchaf....
- NasarethNasarethNasareth , is a hamlet in the Nantlle Valley in Gwynedd, north Wales.-Population:The Current population of Nasareth is approx. 3,000,000....
- NeboNebo, Gwynedd- Amenities :The local television broadcasting tower is on a mountain and supplies most of the valley below, as well as a large part of Gwynedd. Erected in 1963, it is currently the highest structure in Wales since the addition of a new antenna in 2008 slightly extended it to 317 metres .Nebo has a...
- Pant Glas
- Penygroes
- Pontllyfni
- RhosgadfanRhosgadfanRhosgadfan is a Welsh village in the county of Gwynedd. It is notable as the birth place of Kate Roberts, the author of a book of short stories entitled Te yn y Grug. The Welsh TV programme C'mon Midffild was filmed in the village hall, prior to its destruction. The hall was destroyed in a blaze...
- Rhyd DduRhyd DduRhyd Ddu is small village in Snowdonia, North Wales.Rhyd Ddu is well known as a popular starting point for walks up Snowdon , Moel Hebog, Yr Aran and the Nantlle Ridge....
- TalysarnTalysarnTalysarn is a village in the slate quarrying Nantlle Valley in Gwynedd, Wales.The Welsh language poet Robert Williams Parry was born in 37, Station Road, Talysarn, where a plaque designed by R.L. Gapper commemorates the connection. Other persons connected with the village were Annant, quarryman,...
- Tanrallt
- Y Cilgwyn
- Y FronY FronY Fron is a village in North Wales, near Rhosgadfan and Carmel, in the shadow of Mynydd Mawr.During the 19th century the nearby Y Fron slate quarry was a significant local employer. In 2002 the quarry was used to film Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.The village has one school and is now...
- Y Groeslon
External links
- The Official Nantlle Valley Website
- Antur Nantlle Cyf
- A photographic journey through abandoned Nantlle quarries
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of the Nantlle Valley and surrounding area