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Merionethshire

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Merionethshire
Sir Feirionnydd
Location Map ( geo)
Merionethshire Flag.png
Cameraicon.png View gallery (13)
Primary Destinations
Bala • Dolgellau
Other Important Destinations
Blaenau Ffestiniog
Current Highway Authorities
Denbighshire • Gwynedd
Borders
Caernarfonshire • Cardiganshire • Denbighshire • Montgomeryshire
Welsh Government Roads
A5 • A458 • A470 • A487 • A494

Merionethshire (Sir Feirionnydd in Welsh) is one of the traditional counties of North Wales. It had its own county council between 1889 and 1974, although local government has been restructured several times since then, such that roads are now maintained by Gwynedd Council and Denbighshire Council.

Geography & Economy

The A470 descends past Blaenau Ffestiniog's spoil heaps

Merionethshire is roughly triangular with its western side on the coast, after which it heads east over the hills into the Dee Valley. Much of the county lies within the Snowdonia National Park and includes mountains such as Cadair Idris in the south and Aran Fawddwy in the east. Wales's largest natural lake, Bala Lake, also lies within the county. The county's traditional industries are farming and slate, the latter concentrated around Blaenau Ffestiniog in the north. The county town of Dolgellau is the centre of Wales's small gold-mining industry. However, tourism is now the most important part of the economy. The county has a number of seaside resorts, for example Barmouth and Tywyn, and the coastal railway line is slow but very picturesque and includes the long, wooden viaduct over the River Mawddach south of Barmouth. The county also has a few narrow-gauge steam railways. Mountaineering is very important, whilst other tourist attractions include Portmeirion and Harlech Castle.

Roads

The B4405 at Tal-y-llyn

The road network of Merionethshire is small, due to mountainous terrain and lack of population. Most of the county's roads radiate from Dolgellau; this is partly the case as it is the furthest downstream crossing of the River Mawddach on a classified road. The main exceptions are the A5 along the Dee Valley in the northeast and the A4212 which crosses the mountains west of Bala on a route which did not exist in full until the 1960s. The A5 is one of the county's trunk roads maintained by the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent; the others are the north-south A470 and A487 and east-west A458 and A494. Most non-trunk roads within the traditional county are maintained by Gwynedd Council, although the Corwen and Dee Valley area is maintained by Denbighshire County Council.

Route From To Length

    

A5 London Holyhead 252 miles View
A458 Quinton Mallwyd 86.6 miles View
A470 Cardiff Llandudno 185.1 miles View
A487 Haverfordwest Menai Bridge 173.8 miles View
A491 Shrewsbury Cemmaes Road 49 miles View
A493 Dolgellau Machynlleth 33.3 miles View
A494 Dolgellau Mollington 61.7 miles View
A496 Llanelltyd Blaenau Ffestiniog 32.8 miles View
A497 Minfford Nefyn 22.5 miles View
A4084 Cemmaes Road Mallwyd 6.0 miles View
A4084 Mallwyd Cross Foxes Inn 7.8 miles View
A4085 Penrhyndeudraeth Caernarfon 19.7 miles View
A4108 Gellilydan Congl-y-wal 4.7 miles View
A4212 Trawsfynydd Bala 17.3 miles View
A5104 Corwen Chester 26.7 miles View   
B4391 Pont Tal-y-bont Pont Felin Newydd 39.7 miles View
B4401 Tre'r-Llan Corwen 11.0 miles View
B4402 Pont Caletwr Bethel 3.5 miles View
B4403 Llanuwchllyn Pont Mwngwl-y-llyn, Bala 5.2 miles View
B4404 Pont Felin-y-ffridd Cemmaes Road 4.4 miles View
B4405 Minffordd Bryncrug 9.9 miles View
B4407 Pont yr Afon Gam Pentrefoelas (W) 9.9 miles View
B4407 Llan Ffestiniog Conwy 29.3 miles View
B4408 Pont Tal-y-bont Blaenau Ffestiniog 3.7 miles View
B4409 Manod Pengwern 1.1 miles View
B4410 Tan-y-bwlch Prenteg 5.4 miles View
B4414 Rhiwbryfdir Pengwern 2.5 miles View
B4416 Pont ar Ddibyn Bont Newydd 2.1 miles View
B4470 Trawsfynydd Bryn Maenllifo 7.7 miles View
B4501 Fron-goch Denbigh 24.3 miles View
B4573 Harlech Glan-y-wern 3.7 miles View
B5104 Clawdd Poncen Broughton 22.0 miles View
B5105 Cerrigydrudion Ruthin 13.6 miles View
B5436 Carrog Fron-newydd 1.4 miles View
B5437 Clawdd Poncen Llidiart-y-Parc 3.3 miles View     
T11 London Holyhead View
T81 Fishguard Bangor View
T83 Shrewsbury Dolgellau View
T84 Dolgellau South of Birkenhead View
T85 Maentwrog East of Conwy View
T106 Cemmaes Road Mallwyd View

Key

Motorway
Primary Route
Non Primary Route
Former Motorway
Defunct Route
E Road
Future Motorway
Future Primary
Future Non Primary
Historical Route
Tourist Route
Roman Road
Unbuilt Motorway
Unbuilt Primary
Unbuilt Non Primary
National Cycle Network
Cycle Route
Eurovelo Cycle Route

Junctions

Main Article: Junctions in Merionethshire


Bridges, Tunnels, and other Crossings

Main Article: Crossings in Merionethshire





Merionethshire
Sections
Crossings
Roads
Places
Miscellaneous
Related Pictures
View gallery (13)
Emergency phone, A494 - Geograph - 449636.jpgLevel crossing on Ffestiniog Railway at... (C) Gareth James - Geograph - 2598412.jpgLevel Crossing at Glanypwll, Blaenau... (C) Peter Trimming - Geograph - 2112082.jpgMerionethshire Flag.pngA470 descending to Blaenau Ffestiniog - Geograph - 2439105.jpg
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