Bala
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Bala High Street | |
Location within Gwynedd | |
Population | 1,999 (2021) |
OS grid reference | SH925359 |
• Cardiff | 142.3 miles |
• London | 207 miles |
Community |
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Principal area | |
Preserved county | |
Country | Wales |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BALA |
Postcode district | LL23 |
Dialling code | 01678 |
Police | North Wales |
Fire | North Wales |
Ambulance | Welsh |
UK Parliament | |
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
Councillors |
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Bala (Welsh : Y Bala) is a town and community in Gwynedd, Wales. Formerly an urban district, Bala lies in the historic county of Merionethshire, at the north end of Bala Lake (Welsh : Llyn Tegid). According to the 2021 census, Bala had a population of 1,999 [1] and 72.5 per cent of the population could speak Welsh. [2]
The Welsh word bala refers to the outflow of a lake. [3]
Tomen Y Bala (30 feet (9 m) high by 50 feet (15 m) diameter) is a tumulus or "moat-hill", formerly thought to mark the site of a Roman camp.
In the 18th century, the town was well known for the manufacture of flannel, stockings, gloves and hosiery.
The large stone-built theological college, Coleg y Bala, of the Calvinistic Methodists and the grammar school (now Ysgol y Berwyn), which was founded in 1712, are the chief features, together with the statue of the Rev. Thomas Charles (1755–1814), the theological writer, to whom was largely due the foundation of the British and Foreign Bible Society. [4] In 1800 a 15-year-old girl, Mary Jones, walked the 25 miles (40 km) from her home village Llanfihangel-y-Pennant to purchase a Welsh Bible in Bala. The scarcity of the Bible, along with the determination of Mary to get one (she had saved for six years), was a major factor in the foundation of the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804.
Betsi Cadwaladr, who worked with Florence Nightingale in the Crimea, and who gave her name to the Health Board, came from Bala. Other famous people from the Bala area include Michael D. Jones, Christopher Timothy, Owen Morgan Edwards, born in Llanuwchllyn, and T.E. Ellis, born in Cefnddwysarn.
Bala hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1967, 1997 and 2009. The 2009 Eisteddfod was notable because the chair was not awarded to any of the entrants as the standard was deemed to be too low. [5] Bala hosted the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yr Urdd Gobaith Cymru, National Eisteddfod for the Welsh League of Youth, in 2014. On 16 June 2016, Bala's name was changed to Bale temporarily in honour of Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale. This was only for the duration of UEFA Euro 2016. [6]
Bala, Ontario, Canada, was named after the town in 1868. They have become twin towns.
According to the 2021 United Kingdom census, 72.5 per cent of all usual residents aged 3+ in Bala can speak Welsh. [7]
The 2011 census noted 78.5 per cent of all usual residents aged 3 years and older in the town could speak Welsh. The Welsh-language skills of Bala residents were as follows in 2011 and 2021:
Welsh language skill [8] [9] | Number and % of persons aged 3+ (2011) | Number and % of persons aged 3+ (2021) | Change (percentage points) |
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One or more Welsh language skills | 1,607 (85.1%) | 1,550 (79.6%) | -5.5 |
Can understand spoken Welsh | 1,472 (77.9%) | 1,424 (73.2%) | -4.7 |
Can speak, read or write Welsh | 1,503 (79.6%) | ||
Can speak Welsh | 1,482 (78.5%) | 1,410 (72.5%) | -6.0 |
Can read Welsh | 1,367 (72.4%) | 1,294 (66.5%) | -5.9 |
Can write Welsh | 1,287 (68.1%) | 1,256 (64.6%) | -3.5 |
Can speak, read and write Welsh | 1,271 (67.3%) | 1,209 (62.1%) | -5.2 |
Total aged 3+ | 1,889 | 1,945 |
According to the 2011 census, 70.5 per cent of the population noted that they had Welsh-only national identity, with 22.2 per cent noting that they had no Welsh national identity at all. [10] According to the 2021 census, 64.8 per cent of the population noted that they had Welsh-only national identity.
Set within the Bala Fault, Bala Lake (Welsh : Llyn Tegid) is the largest natural lake in Wales at 3.7 miles (6.0 km) in length and 800 metres (870 yards) wide. At 35 metres (115 feet), its depths could hide the tower of St Giles Church in Wrexham and still have 1 metre (3.3 feet) of water above. The lake has occasionally been known to freeze over, most recently in the severe winters of 1947 and 1963. The rare Gwyniad fish—trapped in the lake at the end of the last ice age, some 10,000 years ago—is in danger because its natural home is increasingly unsuitable. [11] A member of the whitefish family, it is found only in the lake.
Cwm Hirnant, a valley running south from Bala, gives its name to the Hirnantian Age in the Ordovician Period of geological time.
The closest major urban areas to Bala are Wrexham at 30 miles (48 km), Chester at 40 miles (64 km), and Liverpool, 52 miles (84 km) to the northeast. Nearby villages include Llanfor, Llandderfel, Llanycil, Llangower, Llanuwchllyn, Rhyd-uchaf and Rhos-y-gwaliau.
As with the rest of the UK, Bala benefits from a maritime climate, with limited seasonal temperature ranges, and generally moderate rainfall throughout the year.
Climate data for Bala - Climate Station (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.2 (45.0) | 7.6 (45.7) | 9.5 (49.1) | 12.2 (54.0) | 15.3 (59.5) | 17.7 (63.9) | 19.3 (66.7) | 18.9 (66.0) | 16.9 (62.4) | 13.4 (56.1) | 10.0 (50.0) | 7.6 (45.7) | 13.0 (55.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) | 1.2 (34.2) | 2.0 (35.6) | 3.3 (37.9) | 5.8 (42.4) | 8.6 (47.5) | 10.7 (51.3) | 10.5 (50.9) | 8.4 (47.1) | 6.0 (42.8) | 3.5 (38.3) | 1.6 (34.9) | 5.3 (41.5) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 153.6 (6.05) | 130.1 (5.12) | 100.9 (3.97) | 77.4 (3.05) | 77.4 (3.05) | 75.8 (2.98) | 75.4 (2.97) | 87.5 (3.44) | 96.8 (3.81) | 139.4 (5.49) | 144.6 (5.69) | 176.6 (6.95) | 1,335.5 (52.58) |
Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) | 16.9 | 13.8 | 14.0 | 12.1 | 12.2 | 11.5 | 12.2 | 13.3 | 12.8 | 15.6 | 17.7 | 18.3 | 170.3 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 31.0 | 53.5 | 94.8 | 142.0 | 168.6 | 157.2 | 152.5 | 135.8 | 109.3 | 76.2 | 41.0 | 23.6 | 1,185.5 |
Source: Met Office [12] |
The Afon Tryweryn, a river fed from Llyn Celyn which runs through Bala, is world-famous for its white water kayaking. International governing bodies, the International Canoe Federation, the European Canoe Union and the British Canoe Union all hold national and international events there. The Canolfan Tryweryn National Whitewater Centre has its home in Bala. There are at least three local campsites that cater for the influx of canoeists from many parts of the world.
An annual music festival known as 'Wa Bala' is also held in the town. The venue hosts local Welsh bands and is similar in format to Dolgellau's Sesiwn Fawr.
Nearby are the mountains Aran Fawddwy and Arenig Fawr.
Coleg y Bala is at the top of the hill on the road towards Llyn Celyn. The Victoria Hall is a small old cinema, that had been a community hall. There are several chapels: notably Capel Mawr and Capel Bach. The livestock market on Arenig Street is still going strong. Bro Eryl estate was built just after World War II. Mary Jones World, a heritage centre about Mary Jones and her Bible is located just outside the town in nearby Llanycil.
Bala Town Hall, which now operates as a restaurant, dates back to circa 1800. [13]
Railway stations in Bala | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Bala has been served by various railway stations on the Great Western Railway: [14]
The Bala Lake Railway (Welsh : Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid) runs for 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from Llanuwchllyn to the edge of the town, along a section of the former trackbed of the Great Western Railway's line between Ruabon and Barmouth. It terminates at Bala (Penybont) railway station, which opened in 1976 on the site of the former Lake Halt station. As of 2020, work is being undertaken to extend the line along the lake foreshore to a new station in the town centre. [15]
Bus services are provided by Lloyds Coaches, as part of the Welsh Government funded TrawsCymru network. Services operate westbound to Barmouth via Dolgellau, and eastbound to Wrexham via Corwen and Llangollen. Through ticketing is available for onward connections at Dolgellau, to Bangor, Machynlleth and Aberystwyth.
The town lies on the A494, a major trunk road that leads to Dolgellau, 18 miles to the southwest, and to Ruthin, Mold and Queensferry to the northwest. The A4212 starts in the town, and crosses the Migneint to Trawsfynydd. Heading southeast, the B4391 crosses the Berwyn range to the English border and the town of Oswestry.
Bala is home to Cymru Premier football club Bala Town F.C. who play at Maes Tegid. Bala's local rugby club is Bala RFC.
Snowdonia, or Eryri, is a mountainous region and national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon, which is 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) tall. These peaks are all part of the Snowdon, Glyderau, and Carneddau ranges in the north of the region. The shorter Moelwynion and Moel Hebog ranges lie immediately to the south.
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town in Gwynedd, Wales. Once a slate mining centre in historic Merionethshire, it now relies much on tourists, drawn for instance to the Ffestiniog Railway and Llechwedd Slate Caverns. It reached a population of 12,000 at the peak development of the slate industry, but fell with the decline in demand for slate. The population of the community, including the nearby village Llan Ffestiniog, was 4,875 at the 2011 census: the fourth most populous in Gwynedd after Bangor, Caernarfon and Llandeiniolen. The population not including Llan is now only about 4,000.
Porthmadog, originally Portmadoc until 1974 and locally as "Port", is a coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, Wales, and the historic county of Caernarfonshire. It lies 5 miles (8 km) east of Criccieth, 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Blaenau Ffestiniog, 25 miles (40 km) north of Dolgellau and 20 miles (32 km) south of Caernarfon. The community population of 4,185 in the 2011 census was put at 4,134 in 2019. It grew in the 19th century as a port for local slate, but as the trade declined, it continued as a shopping and tourism centre, being close to Snowdonia National Park and the Ffestiniog Railway. The 1987 National Eisteddfod was held there. It includes nearby Borth-y-Gest, Morfa Bychan and Tremadog.
The River Dee is a river flowing through North Wales, and through Cheshire, England, in Great Britain. The length of the main section from Bala to Chester is 113 km and it is largely located in Wales. The stretch between Aldford and Chester is within England, and two other sections form the border between the two countries.
Bala Lake is a large freshwater glacial lake in Gwynedd, Wales. The River Dee, which has its source on the slopes of Dduallt in the mountains of Snowdonia, feeds the 3.7 miles (6.0 km) long by 0.5 miles (0.8 km) wide lake. It was the largest natural body of water in Wales even before its level was raised by Thomas Telford to provide water for the Ellesmere Canal.
Pwllheli is a market town and community on the Llŷn Peninsula, in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It had a population of 4,076 in 2011, which declined slightly to 3,947 in 2021; a large proportion (81%) were Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of the Welsh poet Sir Albert Evans-Jones.
Dolgellau is a town and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the historic county of Merionethshire until the county of Gwynedd was created in 1974. Dolgellau is the main base for climbers of Cadair Idris and Mynydd Moel which are visible from the town. Dolgellau is the second largest settlement in southern Gwynedd after Tywyn and includes the community of Penmaenpool.
The Bala Lake Railway is a narrow-gauge railway along the southern shore of Bala Lake in Gwynedd, North Wales. The line, which is 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) long, is built on a section of the former standard-gauge Ruabon–Barmouth GWR route that closed in 1965. Another section of the former permanent way is used by the Llangollen Railway. The Bala Lake Railway, which runs on 600 mm -gauge preserved rolling stock, is a member of the Great Little Trains of Wales.
Trawsfynydd is a linear village in Gwynedd, Wales, near Llyn Trawsfynydd reservoir, and adjacent to the A470 north of Bronaber and Dolgellau and 10 km south of Blaenau Ffestiniog. It also neighbours the towns of Porthmadog and Bala.
Cadair Idris or Cader Idris is a mountain in the Meirionnydd area of Gwynedd, Wales. It lies at the southern end of the Snowdonia National Park near the town of Dolgellau. The peak, which is one of the most popular in Wales for walkers and hikers, is composed largely of Ordovician igneous rocks, with classic glacial erosion features such as cwms, moraines, striated rocks, and roches moutonnées.
Y Felinheli, formerly known in English as Port Dinorwic, is a village and community beside the Menai Strait between Bangor and Caernarfon in Gwynedd, northwest Wales.
The Tryweryn flooding or Tryweryn drowning, refers to the flooding of the rural community of Capel Celyn to the north west of Bala in Gwynedd, Wales, in the Afon Tryweryn valley. The village and other parts of the valley were flooded in 1965 to create Llyn Celyn reservoir, in order to supply Liverpool and Wirral with water for industry.
Llanuwchllyn is a village and community in Gwynedd, Wales, near the southern end of Bala Lake. It is one of the most sparsely populated communities in Wales.
The Ruabon–Barmouth line was a standard-gauge line owned by the Great Western Railway across the north of Wales which connected Ruabon, in the east, with Barmouth on the west coast.
Bala (Penybont) is the current terminus of the heritage Bala Lake Railway, in Gwynedd, Wales, since 1976. The site was formerly the location of the Bala Lake Halt railway station, a former station on the Ruabon to Barmouth line.
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) is the local health board of NHS Wales for the north of Wales. It is the largest health organisation in Wales, providing a full range of primary, community, mental health, and acute hospital services for a population of around 694,000 people across the six principal areas of north Wales as well as some parts of Mid Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is the operational name of Betsi Cadwaladr Local Health Board.
Betsi Cadwaladr, also known as Beti Cadwaladr Betsi Davis, and Elizabeth Davis was a Welsh nurse. She began nursing on travelling ships in her 30s (1820s) and later nursed in the Crimean War alongside Florence Nightingale.
Rhun ap Iorwerth is a Welsh journalist and politician who has served as the Leader of Plaid Cymru since June 2023. He has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Ynys Môn since 2013.
Llanycil is a community in the county of Gwynedd, Wales, near Bala; it is 99.9 miles (160.7 km) from Cardiff and 176.2 miles (283.6 km) from London. In 2011 the population of Llanycil was 416, with 80.4% able to speak Welsh. The community includes the small settlements of Parc, Rhyd-uchaf and Llidiardau.
Dafydd Cadwaladr was a Welsh Calvinistic Methodist preacher. He grew up in Llangwm, Denbighshire, where his family had lived for generations. By noting the letters on sheep's backs and then picking his way through the Prayer Book he was able to teach himself to read, and enjoyed reciting works such as the 'Pilgrim's Progress' at the local 'knitting meetings'.