Harlech

Harlech railway station is located at a level crossing on the A496 in the centre of the town of Harlech in Gwynedd, North Wales. The waiting shelters were installed to cater for the high numbers of schoolchildren commuting to and from the adjacent secondary school, Ysgol Ardudwy.The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Porthmadog, Pwllheli, Barmouth, Machynlleth, Shrewsbury and Birmingham International. Until the 1960s there was a summer service between London Paddington and Pwllheli, via Birmingham Snow Hill, Shrewsbury and Machynlleth.

Harlech Castle (Welsh: Castell Harlech; Welsh pronunciation: [kastɛɬ ˈharlɛχ]) in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales, is a Grade I listed medieval fortification built onto a rocky knoll close to the Irish Sea. It was built by Edward I during his invasion of Wales between 1282 and 1289 at the relatively modest cost of £8,190. Over the next few centuries, the castle played an important part in several wars, withstanding the siege of Madog ap Llywelyn between 1294 and 1295, but falling to Prince Owain Glyndŵr in 1404. It then became Glyndŵr's residence and military headquarters for the remainder of the uprising until being recaptured by English forces in 1409. During the 15th century Wars of the Roses, Harlech was held by the Lancastrians for seven years, before Yorkist troops forced its surrender in 1468, a siege memorialised in the song "Men of Harlech". Following the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, the castle was held by forces loyal to Charles I, holding out until 1647 when it became the last fortification to surrender to the Parliamentary armies. In the 21st century the ruined castle is managed by Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic environment service, as a tourist attraction. UNESCO considers Harlech, with three others at Beaumaris, Conwy and Caernarfon, to be one of "the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe", and it is classed as a World Heritage Site. The fortification is built of local stone and concentric in design, featuring a massive gatehouse that probably once provided high-status accommodation for the castle constable and visiting dignitaries. The sea originally came much closer to Harlech than in modern times, and a water-gate and a long flight of steps leads down from the castle to the former shore, which allowed the castle to be resupplied by sea during sieges. In keeping with Edward's other castles in the north of Wales, the architecture of Harlech has close links to that found in the County of Savoy during the same period, an influence probably derived from the Savoy origins of the main architect, James of Saint George.

Ysgol Ardudwy is a bilingual secondary school for 11–16 year olds at Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales. It serves the seaside communities of Penrhyndeudraeth, Harlech, Abermaw (Barmouth) and nearby villages. It had 316 pupils on the roll in 2022.

Coleg Harlech was a residential adult education college for mature students in Harlech, Gwynedd, later on part of Adult Learning Wales - Addysg Oedolion Cymru.

St. David's Hotel was an Edwardian Era hotel in Harlech, Wales. The building was located on the A496, adjacent to Theatr Harlech (formerly called Theatr Ardudwy) on the campus of Coleg Harlech, and Royal St David's Golf Club.

The Harlech Tramway was a horse drawn railway that ran from near the Cambrian Railways' Harlech station 600 yards (550 m) west to the beach from approx 1878 to 1886.The tramway was developed by Mr Godfrey Morton of Tremadog (1810–1880). It was probably mainly used to facilitate beach loading of ships with slate from the Noddfa slate quarry, although tourist facilities in the Harlech area were being developed at this time, sponsored initially by Samuel Holland, the county's M.P.Photographs and precise details of the line, its gauge and services have so far eluded historians, though it is shown on a 6" OS map. This map shows that the tramway started next to Quarry Cottage approximately 660 yards (600 m) south of Harlech station, running through what in 2016 was the Royal St. David's golf course. Boyd mentions the line and offers a map but in later correspondence acknowledges that his map was a misunderstanding.The line's location south west of the village is corroborated by Rail Map Online, which shows it in the same place as the OS map, but it names the line "Harlech Quarry".The line is not to be confused with the Second World War Harlech Military Railway which was north of Harlech.

The A496 is a major coastal and mountainous road in southern Snowdonia. The road is 32.8 miles in length, from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Llanelltyd, via Harlech. The original northern terminus of the road before A470 re-numbering was Llandudno. The road passes through a diverse landscape, including the mountainous region of Blaenau Ffestiniog, two estuaries, and the Cambrian Coast.

Llanfair is a village and community in the Ardudwy area of Gwynedd in Wales. It has a population of 474, reducing to 453 at the 2011 census.The village of Llanfair is situated to the east of the A496 coastal road between Llanbedr and Harlech, and includes Llandanwg and Pensarn. The parish church of St Mair (St Mary), dating from the 12th century, was restored in the 19th century. It is a grade II* listed building.The Chwarel Hen slate quarry, which operated in the 19th and early 20th century, is situated close to the village and is open to the public.

Ellis Wynne (7 March 1671 – 13 July 1734) was a Welsh clergyman and author. He is remembered mainly for one of the most important and influential pieces of Welsh-language literature.

The Harlech Military Railway was a military branch line in Merioneth, Wales. It ran roughly west-northwest from a junction with the Cambrian Coast Line north of Harlech, and had another branch running north from a reverse junction at the line's western end. The railway was built solely for military traffic during World War II. Contemporary published sources are reticent about the railway due to its military purpose.The line was a standard gauge branch which veered seawards (westwards) off the ex-Cambrian Railways Cambrian Coast Line approximately 430 yards (390 m) north of Harlech railway station. This junction and a substantial section of the line can be seen in two aerial photographs of the period. The line appears on a 1948 Ordnance Survey map of the area. The line's location north of the village is corroborated by Rail Map Online; however, the producers acknowledge that they are not confident that their map adequately represents the line's seaward end.The line's primary purpose was to serve a gunnery range which was under the control of a camp at Bronaber, near Trawsfynydd. The line is not to be confused with the Harlech Tramway which was south of Harlech.

Llandanwg railway station is in the village of Llandanwg in Gwynedd, Wales. It is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with direct passenger services to Harlech, Porthmadog and Pwllheli to the north and west, and Barmouth, Machynlleth, Shrewsbury and Birmingham to the south and east.

Pensarn railway station serves the village of Pensarn in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is an unstaffed halt on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Porthmadog, Pwllheli, Barmouth, Machynlleth and Shrewsbury. The station opened as Pensarn but on 1 April 1885 it was renamed Llanbedr and Pensarn (Welsh: Llanbedr a Phensarn) and then on 8 May 1978 it reverted to its original name of Pensarn. Most trains call only on request. Abergele and Pensarn railway station is on the North Wales Coast Line.