Llanfairpwllgwyngyll
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (Llanfair PG for short) is a small, quiet town on the island of Anglesey off the northwest coast of North Wales, famous for having the longest place name in Europe. Apart from its name it is similar to other nearby villages.
Understand
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (llan-vire-pooll-guin-gill-go-ger-u-queern-drob-ooll-llandus-ilio-gogo-goch), usually shortened to Llanfair-pwll or Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, is a Welsh word that translates roughly 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".
The name was coined as a publicity gimmick in the 1860s by concatenating the names of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll ("St Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel"), the nearby hamlet of Llantysilio Gogogoch ("the church of St Tysilio of the red cave"), and the chwyrn drobwll ("rapid whirlpool") between them.
Locals refer to the village as Llanfair, or as Llanfair PG (pronounced roughly "Hlan-var Pee Gee"), to distinguish it from other places in Wales called "Llanfair(something)". Although typed as 58 characters, it is only 50 letters, because in Welsh ll ng and ch are treated as single letters.
The village is divided into two sections. The upper village has mostly older residences, while the lower village has newer commercial buildings and the train station.
Get in
By train
1 Llanfairpwll railway station is a request stop on the main line between Holyhead, where ferries from Ireland berth, and Bangor, just across the Menai Strait on the Welsh mainland.
By car
The main route is the A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway, which skirts the town. This is the main route from the Welsh mainland across the Britannia Bridge in one direction and from Holyhead in the other. A secondary route is the A5 from Bangor, which crosses the Menai Suspension Bridge to the town of Menai Bridge and thence to Llanfair.
Get around
Walking is recommended.
See
- 1 Bryn Celli Ddu (take the A4080 past Plas Newydd Country House and turn right where Bryn Celli Ddu is signposted on the road to Llanddaniel Fab). Daily 10am–4pm. A burial chamber from about 2000 BC on the site of a Neolithic henge from about 3000 BC. Free.
- 2 Marquess of Anglesey's Column, Parc Twr, LL61 5NJ. A 27-metre (89 ft) Doric column. It is best viewed from afar, for example from the Menai Suspension bridge. It is no longer possible to enter or climb the monument, due to its poor and unsafe condition.
- 3 Plas Newydd Country House and Gardens, A4080 (south-west of the town), ☏ +44 1248 714795, plasnewydd@nationaltrust.org.uk. Opening hours vary seasonally. National Trust owned. Home of the Marquess of Anglesey that was built in the 18th century.
- 4 Rail Station platform sign. The main attraction in town is easy to find: it's the town's name spelled out on a long sign at the train station. The name is also used on several nearby signs within town, although Llanfairpwllgwyngyll is used on some signs there and on road signs leading to it.
- 5 St Mary's Church. The town's eponymous church.
Do
- 1 Anglesey Walking Holidays, 3 Penrallt, Menai Bridge, Anglesey LL59 5LP, ☏ +44 1248 713611, info@angleseywalkingholidays.com. Tailor made walking and cycling holidays on the Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path, Snowdonia, Wales Coast Path (North Section) and Offa's Dyke - packages include accommodation, luggage transfers, maps, routes.
Buy
There are many hand craft shops in Llanfairpwll, including Pringles (near the train station). Loads of hand crafted goods.
Eat
- The Marquis Restaurant, Holyhead Road, ☏ +44 1248 713340.
- The Penrhos Arms, Holyhead Road.
Drink
- The Penrhos Arms is a pub opposite the train station.
Sleep
- 1 Plas Coch Holiday Park, Llanedwen, Anglesey, LL61 6EJ, ☏ +44 1248 711920, toll-free: +44 800 717 707, enquiries@plascochholidayhomes.co.uk. Awarded 5* by the Wales Tourist Board, it is set in over 60 acres of parkland near the Menai Straits.
Hotel
- 2 Gwesty Carreg Bran Hotel, Church Lane, LL61 5YH, ☏ +44 1248 719134.
B&B
- Carreg Goch, ☏ +44 1248 430315.
- 3 The Outbuildings, Bodowyr Farm, Llangaffo, Anglesey LL60 6NH, ☏ +44 1248 430132, info@theoutbuildings.co.uk. Restaurant with rooms. Five luxurious en-suite bedrooms, restaurant and events venue with wedding licence. £90.
Go next
The other villages of Anglesey offer similar small-town Welsh character and remote seaside landscapes, including lovely beaches and rugged cliffs.
- Beaumaris – 7 miles to the north-east
- Brynsiencyn – 5 miles to the south-west, has the Anglesey Sea Zoo, Wales' largest marine aquarium
- Llangefni – 12 miles away towards the centre of Anglesey
- Menai Bridge – a town less than 2 miles away, where a bridge crosses to the mainland
| Routes through Llanfairpwllgwyngyll |
Follows  to Holyhead ← |
W  E |
→ Menai Bridge → Bangor |
| Holyhead ← Llangefni ← | W  E |
→ Bangor → Llandudno |