THE latest community news from Harlech

Historical Society

SOME members took advantage of the fine weather to examine the history of Criccieth on Tuesday, 26 June, led by Neil Evans and John Hirst.

They were guided around three stages of the towns’s development.

First of all, the medieval period when it was created around the castle built by Llewelyn Fawr in the 1230s and subsequently developed by his grandson Llewelyn ap Gruffydd and the conquering English kings Edward I and II.

The town remained small and was little more than a fishing village by the time of the Tudors.

The second phase started with the new turnpike road in 1809 which replaced the old road that wound around the coast near the castle.

Tourism developed as a result of this but it was in the third phase after the coming of the railway in 1867 that its growth really took off, becoming significantly bigger than Harlech for the first time.

The Cambrian Railway was unusual in being developed mainly to aid tourism and Criccieth was one of the towns which benefitted most from this.

In the afternoon our Blue Badge Guide Sian Roberts gave us a guided tour of the castle, carefully distinguishing the different stages of building under the two Llewelyn and the two Edwards.

It was an enjoyable day but by the end some felt that the weather had taken advantage of them rather than the other way around!

The society’s next walk will be to Bryn Cader Faner on 10 July.

This Bronze Age monument sits above the old Harlech to Traws road in the hills above Talsarnau and is widely regarded as being the jewel in the crown of Meirionnydd’s prehistoric monuments.

It was built around 2000 BC with angled slabs of stone jutting dramatically out of the body of the cairn.

The closest parking spot is at the top of the minor road leading east out of Eisingrug.

It has a £2 parking charge (the money goes to charity).

Space there is restricted so we’ll meet at Upper Bron y Graig car park at 2pm to share cars.

The walk will be led by local archaeologist Andrew Wolfe and will take about two and a half hours.

If you’re a member of a club, society or group, send your news to [email protected] If the weather is poor the walk will be postponed for a week.