| Dwygyfylchi | |
|---|---|
 Dwygyfylchi from above Capel Horeb | |
  Dwygyfylchi Location withinConwy | |
| Population | 1,485 [1] |
| OS grid reference | SH736773 |
| Community | |
| Principal area | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PENMAENMAWR |
| Postcode district | LL34 |
| Dialling code | 01492 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
| 53°16′37″N3°53′46″W / 53.277°N 3.896°W /53.277; -3.896 | |
Dwygyfylchi (Welsh:[dʊɨɡəˈvəlχi]) is a village inConwy County Borough, Wales. It is part of thecommunity ofPenmaenmawr which has a population of 4,353.[1] The electoral ward ofCapelulo which includes Dwygyfylchi had a population of 1,485 in 2011. It forms part of the historic county ofCaernarfonshire.
The name Dwygyfylchi is derived from theWelshdwy, "two", andcyfylchi, a word used almost exclusively in placenames meaning a "circular fortress"; it was first recorded as "Dwykyvelchy" in 1287.[2] There are several old fortifications on the surrounding hills.[2] The origin of the nameCapelulo, the original settlement, lies in its association withSaint Ulo.[citation needed]
Approximately half of Dwygyfylchi forms the most northern tip of theSnowdonia National Park. Half a mile to the south-east of the main village lies Capelulo, which lies at the foot of the picturesqueSychnant Pass, which connects Dwygyfylchi to Conwy. The Pensychnant Conservation Centre and Nature Reserve is nearby.[3] Two headlands separate Dwygyfylchi &Penmaenmawr from its neighbours. Towards the east Penmaenbach divides Dwygyfylchi from the neighbouring town ofConwy Morfa and theConwy Valley leading up toBetws-y-Coed. To the west the larger headland of Penmaenmawr divides them from the town ofLlanfairfechan and the wider coastal plain extending toBangor. To the south an arc of hills and uplands extends east to west from the latter to Penmaen Mawr, beginning with Yr Allt Wen above Dwygyfylchi, Bwlch Sychnant (the old road crosses this pass toConwy) and Pen-sychnant at Capelulo. The rounded hill of Foel Lys, Gwddw Glas (Green Gorge), Bryn Derwydd and the head of Cwm Graiglwyd and finally Penmaenmawr itself. The coastal plain itself is nearly divided by Trwyn-yr-Wylfa, which also marks the boundary between the "Hen Bentra" or "Old Village" of Dwygyfylchi and Capelulo in the east and Pant-yr-afon and Penmaenan in the west . Finally two small rivers flow through the area. The first and larger,Afon Gyrrach, runs for about 4 miles (6.4 km) from the northern slopes of Tal-y-Fan to the sea near Penmaenbach, passing through Nant Ddaear-y-llwynog ("Fairy Glen") and the old villages of Dwygyfylchi and Capelulo. The second,Afon Pabwyr, runs down from wooded Cwm Graiglwyd then under the town centre, Pant-yr-afon, to the beach.
The surrounding landscape is dotted withpalaeolithic,mesolithic,neolithic,Bronze Age andIron Age structures, includingcromlechs,standing stones,stone circles andhill forts. Notable Iron Age hill forts in the area areCaer Seion, at the summit ofConwy mountain, and nearbyBraich-y-Dinas, one of the largest Iron Age hill-forts in Europe (and comparable withTre'r Ceiri nearTrefor on theLlŷn peninsula), at the summit ofPenmaenmawr. Nothing remains of Braich-y-Dinas, however, as the last remnants were destroyed in the 1920s. The 1868 National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland notes: "In this neighbourhood are a great number of antiquities, consisting of cromlechs and single upright stones, the remains of a British camp, with ditches and ramparts, &c."[4]
About a mile or so north of Dwygyfylchi & Penmaenmawr liesLlys Helig. This has been said to have been the palace of PrinceHelig ap Glanawg or Glannog who lived in the 6th century PrinceHelig ap Glanawg owned a large area of land between the Great Orme's Head nearLlandudno and theMenai Strait off the north coast of Gwynedd. This area was inundated by the sea[citation needed] which has given rise to the legend of the drowned kingdom. The legend states the remains ofLlys Helig, said to be his palace, can be seen at exceptionally low tides, this being near the Conwy channel, about a mile or so off the coast atPenmaenmawr. The earliest known use of the name Llys Helig regarding this rock formation is theHalliwell Manuscript which is believed to date to around the beginning of the 15th century, nine centuries later.[5] The Llys Helig rock formation is aglacial moraine left behind by previous subsequent ice ages.[5][6][7] There is a fish weir south of this which tradition dates to the beginning of the 6th century which was used up until the early 20th century.[8] The sea level was low enough around 1600 AD to make the claims ofSir John Wynne of Gwydir feasible.[5][6][8]
TheChurch in Walesparish church, dedicated toSaintGwynin orGwynan, was built between 1888 and 1889. The pews of the present church were made from the roof timbers of the earlier church building constructed in 1760, the foundation stone of which was preserved and mounted on the vestry wall of the present church, where it can still be seen. St Gwynin'sgwyl mabsant (Patronal Festival) is December 31. Dwygyfylchi is also associated withSaint Ulo,Capelulo at the foot of Sychnant reputedly having been the site of an early medieval church. In 1851, in addition to the parish church, with a congregation of 80 and 20 scholars, the village had also aWesleyan Methodist chapel at Penmaenmawr (erected 1841), a WelshCalvinistic Methodist one at Pen y cae Chappel (erected 1818, rebuilt 1840), and a HorebNonconformist (Independent) chapel (erected 1813).[9]
Dwygyfylchi was anancient parish within thehistoric county ofCaernarfonshire.[10] In 1866 the parish was made alocal government district, administered by an elected local board.[11] In 1890, the district's name was changed from Dwygyfylchi to Penmaenmawr, in recognition that Penmaenmawr had become the largest settlement in the district.[12][13]
Such local government districts were reconstituted asurban districts under theLocal Government Act 1894.[14] The name of thecivil parish remained Dwygyfylchi until 1974, when civil parishes were abolished in Wales. As anurban parish, Dwygyfylchi had no separate parish council, with Penmaenmawr Urban District Council being the local authority.[15] Penmaenmawr Urban District was abolished in 1974, with its area becoming a community called Penmaenmawr.[16]
Penmaenmawr Golf Club has a9-hole course located between Dwygyfylchi and Capelulo. Near to this is DwygyfylchiBowling Club. Penmaenmawr Phoenix F.C. plays in the Clwyd Premier League and is located between Dwygyfylchi and Penmaenmawr. This as one of only two roundabouts on the A55
At the top of the Sychnant Pass is Pen Sychnant Nature Reserve, aconservation area of 12 acres (5 ha) with mature shrubs and woodland.
Arriva Buses Wales operates services 5 and X5 every 15 minutes betweenCaernarfon andLlandudno; eastbound, service X5 servesDeganwy and Maesdu and service 5 serves St Gwynan's (for Dwygyfylchi) and Craig-y-don; westbound, both services serveBangor andY Felinheli (Port Dinorwic).
Padarn Bus operate a Saturday service (service X2) that runs direct from Penmaenmawr, eastbound toLlandudno and westbound toLlanberis (via Bangor).
Llew Jones runs the Conwy Clipa service 75 betweenLlanfairfechan andLlandudno.
Dwygyfylchi lies on the route of theA55 Expressway providing access at Junction 16 and at 16A to Penmaenmawr to and from the rest of the north coast. Junction 16 is one of just two roundabouts on the A55 between Chester and Holyhead and is due to be replaced by a grade separated interchange. A mountain route through Capelulo links the towns to Conwy via Sychnant.
