Discover Penmorfa

If you are considering Penmorfa as a destination for a hotel stay, the village’s landmarks offer several points of interest: church and house history, a historic transport route, and a specifically named section of a cycle route. The church building dates back to the 15th century; its richly carved interior furnishings are from the 19th century. Gorllwyn-Uchaf represents a different type of building, while the Gorseddau Tramway and the old drovers’ road add historic route connections. This allows you to decide whether to focus your trip plans more on architecture, a possible walk, or cycling.

Church: construction, furnishings and name

On the 1888 map, the church in Penmorfa was labelled St Beuno's Church; between 1888 and 1901, it was renamed St Mary's Church. The church building is essentially single-naved and dates from the 15th century. Its furnishings include richly carved work from the 19th century. The structure and interior furnishings thus point to different periods: the building form is older than the carved furnishings.

The churchyard gate also bears a dated inscription. It reads, “Built in 1847 by the Reverend G. Owen MA”. The year 1847 refers to the gate and should be distinguished from the church building’s 15th-century date. The church building, its later furnishings, and the gate are thus separate historical points of reference for the village’s history.

Gorllwyn-Uchaf and its house form

At Gorllwyn-Uchaf, the development of a historic dwelling is the focus. The stone-walled, cruck-framed hall house is incorporated into a two-unit house of the Snowdonian plan type. Gorllwyn-Uchaf is probably a two-storey farmstead dating from the 16th century. These terms describe different aspects: hall house and cruck frame relate to the building form and construction, while “two-unit” and Snowdonian plan classify the house type.

A dendrochronological study of Gorllwyn-Uchaf points to felling in spring 1533. This precise date stands alongside the probable dating of the farmstead to the 16th century, without removing that qualification. Compared with the church, the difference lies in the building types described: here, an essentially single-naved church with carved furnishings; there, a stone-walled hall house incorporated into a two-unit house type.

Historic routes and walking

The Gorseddau Tramway ran through Penmorfa and passed beneath the main road through a short tunnel. This historic route is another point of interest in the village. An old drovers’ road leads from St Beuno Penmorfa to St Cynhaearn Ynyscynhaearn. It gives your walking plans named starting and finishing points. If you plan to take this route, check its condition and access locally.

Cycling between Penmorfa and the long-distance route

National Cycle Network Route 8, also known as Lôn Las Cymru, runs for 436 km between Cardiff and Holyhead. The places named along the route include Brecon, Builth Wells, Machynlleth, Porthmadog and Bangor. The specifically named section between Golan and Penmorfa can be distinguished from this: the minor road between the two places is part of Route 8. This gives you both a long-distance connection and a specific road section to plan around. Route descriptions and alignments can change; check the current route map before setting out.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Criccieth, Llangelynin, Porthmadog, Betws Garmon, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Clynnog-Fawr, Y Felinheli, Tanygrisiau.

Go to the main travel overview: Gwynedd.