Trefor
Encyclopedia
Trefor is a village on the north coast of the Llŷn Peninsula
in Gwynedd
, Wales
. Its population, with nearby Llanaelhaearn
is 1,560.
and a beach
with some sand. At the top of the beach is an emergency telephone
to summon help in the event of a maritime emergency. The land behind the beach is made of boulder clay
deposited during the last glaciation, and is being slowly eroded by the sea.
Rising steeply behind the village is Yr Eifl
and its neighbouring hill
s. A granite
quarry, 'Trefor granite quarry' or the Yr Eifl quarry opened there in 1850. The industrial narrow gauge railway—Trefor Quarry railway
—opened in 1865 and brought rock from the quarry to the coast, but was gradually replaced by road transport and was finally closed in 1960. Trefor granite is used to make curling rocks.
There is one school in Trefor, a primary school called Ysgol yr Eifl.
Yr Eifl
is a range of three tall hills that dominate the skyline above Trefor. Tre'r Ceiri, the second highest of the hills has on one the best examples of a stone age
or Neolithic
settlement on its summit in Europe
. Views from the summits, on a clear day, extend to Ireland
, the whole of Cardigan Bay
, Anglesey, Snowdonia
, and the northern mountains of England. The centre peak, and tallest at 564 metres (1,850.4 ft), is called Garn Ganol; the most seaward, and smallest peak, is Garn For, which is home to the quarry.
There is a football
club in Trefor, which was re-established in the 2000–01 season. It has won one cup in its history, in the 2001–02 season. There is also a members club in the village, Clwb Y Twr, which has pool and darts
teams. It is open every night and regularly hosts entertainment.
There are two retail outlets in Trefor: a village shop which opens between 7.00 am and 7.00 pm Monday to Friday with shorter hours on the weekend, and a post office
. To the north end of the village is a children's play area that includes baby and older swings, a climbing frame, bouncy fish and duck, see-saw and rocking horse. It is possible to go on a pushchair-friendly circular walk, starting at the play area, down to the beach, across the headland and back into the village again.
Visitors can surf
the other side of the harbour wall at Trefor. It can be a nice left hand point over a stony reef
thrown off the headland. It holds up well in a southerly wind when the swell wraps around the point.
There is a small pier next to the harbour; it has been deemed unsafe so is currently closed to the public.
Llŷn Peninsula
The Llŷn Peninsula extends into the Irish Sea from north west Wales, south west of the Isle of Anglesey. It is part of the modern county and historic region of Gwynedd. The name is thought to be of Irish origin, and to have the same root Laigin in Irish as the word Leinster...
in Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Its population, with nearby Llanaelhaearn
Llanaelhaearn
Llanaelhaearn is a village and community in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, located on the Llŷn Peninsula. The community includes the village of Trefor, and has a population of 1,067....
is 1,560.
Location and amenities
Located just off the main A499 road, Trefor has a small harbourHarbor
A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
and a beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
with some sand. At the top of the beach is an emergency telephone
Emergency telephone
An emergency telephone is a phone specifically provided for making calls to emergency services and is most often found in a place of special danger or where it is likely that there will only be a need to make emergency calls....
to summon help in the event of a maritime emergency. The land behind the beach is made of boulder clay
Boulder clay
Boulder clay, in geology, is a deposit of clay, often full of boulders, which is formed in and beneath glaciers and ice-sheets wherever they are found, but is in a special sense the typical deposit of the Glacial Period in northern Europe and North America...
deposited during the last glaciation, and is being slowly eroded by the sea.
Rising steeply behind the village is Yr Eifl
Yr Eifl
Yr Eifl is a mountain on the north coast of the Llŷn peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales.It has three summits, each quite separate from the others, and this is often supposed to be the source of the English name The Rivals...
and its neighbouring hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
s. A granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
quarry, 'Trefor granite quarry' or the Yr Eifl quarry opened there in 1850. The industrial narrow gauge railway—Trefor Quarry railway
Trefor Quarry railway
The Trefor Quarry railway was an industrial narrow gauge railway connecting the Trefor granite quarry with the pier at Llanaelhaearn on the Llŷn Peninsula.- History :...
—opened in 1865 and brought rock from the quarry to the coast, but was gradually replaced by road transport and was finally closed in 1960. Trefor granite is used to make curling rocks.
There is one school in Trefor, a primary school called Ysgol yr Eifl.
Yr Eifl
Yr Eifl
Yr Eifl is a mountain on the north coast of the Llŷn peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales.It has three summits, each quite separate from the others, and this is often supposed to be the source of the English name The Rivals...
is a range of three tall hills that dominate the skyline above Trefor. Tre'r Ceiri, the second highest of the hills has on one the best examples of a stone age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
or Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
settlement on its summit in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Views from the summits, on a clear day, extend to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the whole of Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales....
, Anglesey, Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
, and the northern mountains of England. The centre peak, and tallest at 564 metres (1,850.4 ft), is called Garn Ganol; the most seaward, and smallest peak, is Garn For, which is home to the quarry.
There is a football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club in Trefor, which was re-established in the 2000–01 season. It has won one cup in its history, in the 2001–02 season. There is also a members club in the village, Clwb Y Twr, which has pool and darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
teams. It is open every night and regularly hosts entertainment.
There are two retail outlets in Trefor: a village shop which opens between 7.00 am and 7.00 pm Monday to Friday with shorter hours on the weekend, and a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
. To the north end of the village is a children's play area that includes baby and older swings, a climbing frame, bouncy fish and duck, see-saw and rocking horse. It is possible to go on a pushchair-friendly circular walk, starting at the play area, down to the beach, across the headland and back into the village again.
Visitors can surf
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
the other side of the harbour wall at Trefor. It can be a nice left hand point over a stony reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
thrown off the headland. It holds up well in a southerly wind when the swell wraps around the point.
There is a small pier next to the harbour; it has been deemed unsafe so is currently closed to the public.