Vale of Ffestiniog

Coordinates: 52°56′38″N 4°00′22″W / 52.944°N 4.006°W / 52.944; -4.006

The Vale of Ffestiniog is a valley in the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, North Wales. It stretches from Blaenau Ffestiniog in the east and runs in a westerly direction towards Tremadog Bay, terminating near Porthmadog. The Afon Dwyryd runs through the Vale; pastoral farming is practised along its length.

The Vale is chiefly famous for the Ffestiniog Railway, a narrow gauge railway line running from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog. Once used for transporting slate mined in Blaenau to docks on the coast, the line is now a major tourist attraction.

Ffestiniog

Coordinates: 52°59′N 3°56′W / 52.99°N 3.93°W / 52.99; -3.93

Ffestiniog is a community in Gwynedd in Wales, containing several villages, in particular the settlements of Llan Ffestiniog and Blaenau Ffestiniog. It has a population of 4,875.

Ffestiniog was a parish in Cantref Ardudwy; in 1284, Ardudwy became part of the county of Meirionnydd, which became an administrative county in 1888. The parish was created an urban district in 1894. On 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, Ffestiniog Urban District was abolished, becoming merged with other districts to form Meirionnydd District, which was itself abolished in 1996. Ffestiniog became a community with an elected town council.

Ffestiniog Golf Club (now defunct) was founded in 1893. The club closed at the end of March 2014.

Toponymy

Celtic place-name in *-ākon "place of", then, "place belonging to, territory of" > Old Welsh -auc, -awg > Welsh -og. The form -iog with an additional /i/ can be explained by the preceding element, which is a personal name ending with -i-us : Festinius. The whole name should be *Festiniākon. Probably same name as Festigny (France, e.g.: Festigny, Marne, Festiniacus in 853)