B4416

This article is about the current B4416 through Brithdir.
For the original B4416, now at the end of the A497, see B4416 (Nefyn).

The B4416 is a short cut between the A470 and the A494 to the east of Dolgellau; however, whilst it is considerably shorter than sticking to the A roads, it is also narrow and winding making any time saving minimal. The road was originally unclassified but it gained its number in 1935.

The route is now a little longer than it once was, having grown slightly along the old A470 route when it was realigned through the bends north of the Cross Foxes Inn. So, the first couple of hundred metres are the old A470, which then disappears into long grass as nature reclaims the line. This has massively improved the junction with the A470, which used to be a sharp turn and drop at the same time, making it especially difficult to exit the B road.

The B4416 southwest of Brithdir

The B4416 then swings around through almost 180 degrees to cross the narrow Pont ar Ddibyn over the Afon Clywedog. This narrow single-track bridge is the worst bottleneck on the route, with difficult visibility lines when the trees are in leaf, and a sharp bend on the south end. The road then climbs up past a school and a series of churches into the village of Brithdir. This section of the road is marked on the map as being Roman, although with the number of bends it seems possible that the Roman line may have been forsaken at some point!

A sharp left-hand bend in the village takes us off the Roman line, which seems to continue past a fortlet for a couple of miles before disappearing on the hillside. Scattered houses continue alongside our road, making the village seem bigger than it really is, and then a steep descent around a sharp bend brings the road down to Bont Newydd over the Afon Wnion. This bridge once crossed the railway line too on the further bank, although today it is so overgrown with trees that it is difficult to tell you are even crossing a bridge! On the far side of the bridge, the B4416 ends on the A494, at a crossroads with limited visibility. The unclassified road opposite climbs steeply up the side of the valley, while the A494 sticks to the riverside as it winds through the trees.