Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
I’m sure you’ve all heard of the ridiculously long Welsh village by now, right? This gem is up in the North of Wales, on an island called Anglesey (Ynys Môn in Welsh). When I say island, it is connected to the rest of Wales by some bridges!
The village used to be called a much simpler and shorter name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyll – many of the locals still call it that today. It was made longer back in the 18th century by a tailor in the hope of increasing tourism in the area. With the town name now including a whopping 58 letters, it’s known worldwide and attracts tourists from around the globe. It roughly translates as ‘St Mary’s Church in the Hollow of the White Hazel near a Rapid Whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio near the Red Cave’. A mouthful, I know!
If you’ve got this far in this blog post, I’m almost certain that you have attempted to pronounce the name out loud, hopefully with some success! If you’ve tried and failed, let me give you a helping hand: llan-vire-pooll-gwin-gill-gore-ger-ih-queern-drorb-oll-llandy-silio-gore-gore-goch). Whenever there’s a ‘Ll’, it makes a slightly different sound to the normal English alphabet L. The way to do it goes as follows – place your tongue behind your front teeth and blow out through the sides of your mouth! It should make a sort of hissing sound. Similarly, the ‘Ch’ in Welsh makes another new sound – this time coming from the back of your throat like you’re gurgling water.
I have distant memories of visiting this town when I was younger, and before visiting, spending many hours practising my pronunciation of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll. I remember walking into a chip shop opposite the train station and showing off to the lady behind the counter my hard work, unaware that I probably wasn’t the first 12-year-old who had done this. She didn’t act like it though, giving me smiles and high praise, which meant a lot when I was younger! I figure now that it was most likely because:
1. I was a child and she probably didn’t want any screaming kids in her chip shop, and
2. I made an effort to learn a part of the Welsh language, a language that was once dying (but back on the rise!). Either way, it’s a memory that’s stuck with me for a while! Since then, I have popped over to visit a few more times during my trips to Snowdonia.
There isn’t a huge lot to do in the village if I’m honest, the main spot to see is the train station with the sign displaying the full name, and right next to the station is a large shop selling all kinds of souvenir tat. The train station has a large car park which is practically empty whenever I’ve been, so don’t stress too much about parking, especially during the winter months.
It’s not too far from Snowdonia National Park, so if you’re in the area, then there’s an opportunity for some epic day hikes (which will eventually be in another blog post, which I will link when written!). Alternatively, further North will take you deeper into the small island of Anglesey, which boasts some beautiful beaches and coastlines with amazing views over the National Park.
