Merionethshire
| Merionethshire Welsh: Meirionnydd United Kingdom | |
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| Flag | |
| Tra môr, tra Meirion (While the sea lasts, so shall Meirionethshire) | |
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| [Interactive map] | |
| Area: | 780 square miles |
| Population: | Template:Hcspop |
| County town: | Harlech or Bala |
| County flower: | Welsh poppy [1] |
The County of Merioneth is a triangular shire reaching from the coast on Cardigan Bay high into the mountains.
Merionethshire is also one of the strongest Welsh-speaking parts of Wales. With a total area of 780 square miles and a population of 37,260 at the 2001 census, Merioneth is one of the more sparsely-populated counties in Great Britain.
The lie of the land
Merionethshire is a county on the sea coast and of the mountains. It lies between Caernarfonshire and Denbighshire both to the north and Montgomeryshire to the south. To the west is Cardigan Bay. Much of Merionethshire is in Snowdonia, a land of rough mountainous terrain. The county's two rival county towns lie either side of the Snowdonia massif; Bala in the east at the head of Lake Bala, and Harlech on the coast in the west.
The Merionethshire coast runs from the great inlet of Traeth Bach, south to the estuary of the River Dovey. Between the two is a third deep-cut sealoch, the Mawddach opening into Barmouth Bay.
The coastline consists alternately of cliffs and stretches of sand and the area generally is the most mountainous in Wales. The greatest heights are Aran Fawddwy at 2,970 feet and Cadair Idris at 2,929 feet. The chief rivers are the River Dwyryd, the Mawddach and the River Dovey. Waterfalls and small lakes are numerous, the largest being Bala Lake (4 miles long and 1 mile broad).
Towns and villages
Parishes
- Aberdovey
- Bala
- Arthog
- Barmouth
- Betws Gwerfil Goch
- Brithdir and Llanfachreth
- Bryn-Crug
- Corris
- Corwen
- Cynwyd
- Dolgellau
- Dyffryn Ardudwy
- Ffestiniog
- Ganllwyd
- Gwyddelwern
- Harlech
- Llanbedr
- Llandderfel
- Llandrillo
- Llanegryn
- Llanelltyd
- Llanfair
- Llanfihangel-y-Pennant
- Llanfrothen
- Llangelynin
- Llangywer
- Llanuwchllyn
- Llanycil
- Maentwrog
- Mawddwy
- Pennal
- Penrhyndeudraeth
- Talsarnau
- Trawsfynydd
- Tywyn
Things to see in Merionethshire
- Lake Bala, Bala
- Cadair Idris mountain (SH711130)
Castell y Bere (SH667085)
Cymer Abbey]] (SH721195)- Harlech Castle (SH5731)
- Portmeirion Italianate village (SH589372)
- Rhug Chapel (SJ063439)
- Tomen-y-mur Roman Fort (SH7038)
Ffestiniog Railway (SH6946)- Corris Railway (SH7507)
- Talyllyn Railway (SH5800)
- Fairbourne Railway]] (SH6112)
References
| Counties of the United Kingdom |
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Aberdeen • Anglesey • Angus • Antrim • Argyll • Armagh • Ayr • Banff • Bedford • Berks • Berwick • Brecknock • Buckingham • Bute • Caernarfon • Caithness • Cambridge • Cardigan • Carmarthen • Chester • Clackmannan • Cornwall • Cromarty • Cumberland • Denbigh • Derby • Devon • Dorset • Down • Dumfries • Dunbarton • Durham • East Lothian • Essex • Fermanagh • Fife • Flint • Glamorgan • Gloucester • Hants • Hereford • Hertford • Huntingdon • Inverness • Kent • Kincardine • Kinross • Kirkcudbright • Lanark • Lancaster • Leicester • Lincoln • Londonderry • Merioneth • Middlesex • Midlothian • Monmouth • Montgomery • Moray • Nairn • Norfolk • Northampton • Northumberland • Nottingham • Orkney • Oxford • Peebles • Pembroke • Perth • Radnor • Renfrew • Ross • Roxburgh • Rutland • Selkirk • Shetland • Salop • Somerset • Stafford • Stirling • Suffolk • Surrey • Sussex • Sutherland • Tyrone • Warwick • West Lothian • Westmorland • Wigtown • Wilts • Worcester • York |