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Abergwyngregyn is a quiet village in a central position on the North Wales coastline, lying between Llanfairfechan ( 2 miles) and Bangor (approx. 7 miles) on the A55 Expressway, and the main London to Holyhead railway line (the nearest station is at Llanfairfechan). The village lies within easy reach of all the area’s main towns, scenic areas and recreation centers in North Wales. You will find a selection of essential shops and services in the nearby town of Llanfairfechan. Abergwyngregyn is an excellent starting point and base for many walks, to take advantage of viewing woodlands, mountain scenery and seascapes. The walks can be varied to a great extent and selected to suit your available time, fitness levels and the weather conditions.
THE CLIMATE
Abergwyngregyn's climate is mild and equable, being similar to the Isle of Wight. It is well sheltered from the winds, and the air is dry. The average annual rainfall is only about 30 inches, the coastal strip being well outside the area of heavy rainfall on the mountains. Fog is unknown, snow is of short duration, frost almost unknown, fuchsias and hydrangeas flourish in the open air during the winter
This is an extracts from a 1934 Ward Lock & Co Book
Aber.
Fishing,—See under Llanfairfechan.
Hotel.—Aber Hotel, near Station.
Motor Buses to and from Llanfairfechan, Penmaenmawr, Conway, Bangor, etc. Railway Station about a mile north of village (3 miles from Falls). Teas, etc., can be obtained in the village, or at Pont Newydd or at the farm beyond; but there is no accommodation of any kind at the Falls themselves, 1.5 miles from the Bridge. It is, however, an ideal spot for picnics and it is pleasant to note there are usually fewer evidences of former visitors—in the shape of paper, tins and bottles—than is often the case in this land of beauty. " Aber " signifies river-mouth, and it is at the entrance to a deep and romantic glen that we find the village of Aber. As its shore is not adapted for either bathing or walking, Aber has not become a seaside resort, but remains a very primitive place. Its full name is Abergwyngregin, said to signify the Mouth of the Stream of the White Shells. In the village is an artificial mound, called the Myd, on which once stood a castle built by Llewelyn the Great, Prince of Wales, who married Joan, daughter of King John. It was in this castle that the last native Prince of Wales, Llewelyn ap Gryffydd, received and declined the summons of Edward I to attend the English Parliament at Westminster. Attendance meant the voluntary surrender of the independence of Wales. The Prince's refusal was soon followed by the conquest of the Principality. According to a very old tradition, Llewelyn the Great, having taken William de Braose prisoner at the siege of Montgomery, held him captive at Aber, where he won the heart of the Princess Joan, who for reasons of state and not through love had been wedded to Llewelyn. De Braose was ransomed before the prince knew what had been stolen from him, but by means of an invitation to an Easter banquet, Llewelyn got De Braose into his power again, and then, having hanged him, led his wife to a window from which she could see the suspended body. Vehicles can proceed as far as Pont Newydd, whence the Falls are reached by an extremely beautiful path across fields fringed with graceful trees and watered by the burbling stream issuing from the Falls. On either hand rise high hills, glorious with heather and bracken and the shimmering green of closely packed trees. As already stated, there is no " tea-house " at the Falls ; nor are there automatic machines or a motor park, and most visitors confess to a preference for "nature unadorned." There are two falls, of which the finer is that first reached. It is some 120 feet in height, projecting rocks breaking its waters into lesser falls of extreme beauty. The fall is worth seeing at all times—after rain or during dry weather; an interesting time to visit it is when mist shrouds the upper portions and the water roars down upon one from an unseen source.
Another artical about Aber
The village of Abergwyngregyn (Mouth of the River of White Shells) now seems an unlikely place for the location of the main court of the thirteenth century princes of Gwynedd, and from 1265 of a Prince of Wales, so acknowledged by the English crown But stand on the road near the flat topped mound near the centre of the village, and look around. To the north lies Afon Menai (the Menai Strait) with the ancient route way across the vast of Traeth Lafan (Lavan Sands), leading to Llanfaes and Mon Southwards lays the deep valley leading into the mountains and to the Aber falls. Towering above Aber on the eastern side is Maes y Gaer, an iron age hill fort, but doubtless a place of watch and refuge in times of danger in the thirteenth century. To the south west the mountains of Snowdonia tower over the village. From this position one can appreciate Aber`s claim to be the heart of thirteenth century Gwynedd. By the thirteenth century, Aber appears to have replaced Aberffraw as the favourite court, probably because of its greater security and easier access, and because the Princes increasingly looked east and south to the rest of Wales and to England. Ancient roads connecting Conwy and Caernarfon met the route to Mon here Aber also holds the highest recorded temperatures in the British Isles. The Princes and their relatives and the great men and women of Gwynedd probably spent more time here than any other court Its importance is confirmed by the fact that King John occupied Aber in his invasion of 1211.
LATER HISTORY OF THE MANOR
In 1287 the manor of Aber was granted to Henry Somur for five years. In 1323 the manor was held by Edmond de Dynieton. in 1327 by David of Overton and in 1330 by John de Houseum. In 1390 Henry de Coton claimed title to the manor of Aber the manor was seized by the Prince's Escheator and Henry de Coton was compensated with the grant of the manor of Walton upon Trent. In 1417 the manor was granted to John de Pont and in 1437 a petition for a grant of the manor provides for the maintenance of the houses, woods, closes and gardens appertaining to the manor (Rees 1975 61 167 323 451-2). In 1484 the manor of Aber together with the manor of Kemmaes (Cemaes) were granted to Richard Vaughan (UCNW MS 21275 BM Harley MS 433). There then follows a series of disputes over the lessee of the manor of Aber and Cemaes. In 1551 the lesse was Ryce Thomas and in 1610 William Thomas purchased the manors of Aber and Cemaes (UCNW MS 21281 + Plas Coch MS 3263 - 3300). By 1689 the manor had passed to the Bulkleys of Baron Hill (see Baron Hill MS 4726, 4727, 4728 etc), and by 1863 the property was sold to the Penrhyn Estate (Penrhyn MS 1180, 2872 etc)and in 1925 the village was sold at public auction
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