Madam,

Regarding the letter from Graham Tottle, Llanbedr, he seems to think that Tremadog has become some sort of a collapsed village since its bypass was built.

Please let me put him straight on this. Entering Tremadog from the direction of Porthmadog, the first place he will see is the old house where Lawrence of Arabia was born. This is in the process of being converted into a hotel, so is rather untidy at the moment.

On getting nearer the village square, he will pass the fish and chip shop on his right. This business seems as busy as ever with HGVs still coming off the bypass so that the drivers can buy their fish and chip lunches.

The next business on the left is a successful beauty parlour. On going round the square clockwise, the first business is the Sgwâr Restaurant. This place is so successful that you have to book a table well in advance.

Then he will pass the Golden Fleece Inn. Another very busy inn-cum-restaurant.

From there he will see the old Madog Hotel. This place was closed before the bypass was built, but is now being restored to make a new hopefully successful business.

The old Town Hall was also closed before the bypass arrived, but is now open as offices for a local civil engineering company that employs several people. The next business is the Union Inn. This had to close down due to flooding that had nothing to do with the bypass. It is now restored and making good business.

The next place is a ladies’ hairdresser, also as busy as ever. Then what Graham calls our “tiny” convenience store. Well we are a small village so a tiny store is perhaps large enough.

But the store has actually being extended since it took over the village post office. The post office closed due to retirement and nothing to do with the bypass.

If Graham walks along the Caernarfon Road he will see the only business that has closed down in the village since the bypass was built. This was a family-ran furniture shop but has reopened as Martial Arts Academy that is very popular with the local youngsters.

The village school is also prospering as much as ever.

So perhaps we are only a small village with a tiny convenience store, but the place is as busy and prosperous as ever it was. So Graham, whatever your problem is with the Llanbedr bypass, don’t use Tremadog as an example of a village that has gone in to decline since it had a bypass built. Whatever Tremadog is, it is certainly not collapsed as you claimed in your letter to the Cambrian News last week.

Yours etc,

Fred Jeffreys,

78 Isgraig, Tremadog.