Bala
is an historic Welsh market town
located on the eastern edge of the Snowdonia National 
Park in Wales.
It sits to the North of Bala Lake (Llyn
Tegid) between the towns of Corwen to
the north east, Blaenau Ffestiniog to the west and Dolgellau to the
south west. Today it is a popular inland holiday resort and there is
a wide variety of holiday accommodation available including hotels,
bunk houses and self catering holiday cottages.
The towns most popular attractions include Bala
Lake, which offers facilities for sailing, windsurfing, boating
and angling, and the Bala Lake Narrow Gauge Railway that offers
trips alongside the lake. Being a relatively flat area (for Wales)
Bala is an excellent location for cycling, either mountain biking
or recreational cycling on quiet roads.
But a holiday in Bala would not be complete without a visit to the White
Water Rafting and Outdoor Pursuits Centre at Canolfan Tryweryn
National Whitewater Centre at nearby Frongoch. Canolfan Tryweryn is renowned
as a centre of excellence for white water rafting in Wales and the UK
with full day and half day rafting
adventures down the tumbling waters. Hard hats and lifebelts are compulsory
wear for the boulder dodging, soaking wet experience. But if you do
get a wetting at least it's in a picturesque location and trained staff
are at hand to help and advise. The white water is dependent on the release
of water from the dam at Llyn
Celyn, but don't despair should you visit on a day when water is
in short supply (water shortage in Wales? surely a contradiction in
terms!). The woodlands surrounding the Tryweryn are a beautiful
location for a riverside walk and a bit of bird spotting, The trees
are cloaked in emerald green mosses from 
root to branch and hung with
more ferns than I've seen outside of a garden centre. The wildlife
appreciates this "green" environment as we saw wagtails,
a wren, nut hatches, and a family of dippers during our short visit
to Tryweryn. Fortunately we didn't catch site of the Greater
Bulimic Prescot, and unfortunately neither did we spot the otters
reputed to roam the waters of the Tryweryn. But we were pleasantly
surprised at our serendipitous nature walk.
Another must do is a trip around Bala
Lake whether by the Narrow Gauge
Railway along the east bank of the lake, by bicycle on the narrow country
lanes, or by shanks's pony either walking or running. There are fine
views and places of interest around the lake including the hills of Moel
Ddu, Foel Figenau, Moel Ffenigl, Aran Benllyn, Aran Fawddwy, Arenig Fawr,
the picturesque but delapidated Llangower Church, the village of Llanuwchllyn,
and Llanycil church renowned for the story of Mary
Jones and the Welsh Bible.
But you don't need to walk that far for an interesting walk in Bala.
The town itself is one of those fortunate Welsh towns that, whether by
accident or design, was missed out when the "developers" in
the late 20th century ruined many historic town centres. Take a
walk along the high street and indeed the back streets and you will see
old stone and slated properties full of character, and not a Macdonalds
or Tescos in site!
At the top of High Street are the remains of the castle, Tomen y Bala,
a large grassy mound or motte dating back to the late 11th or early 12th
century. Close by stands the old grammar school, not demolished but given
a new lease of life and converted to a restaurant. A little further down
High Street and there are lovely stone terraced houses intermingled with
a wide variety of shops, banks, churches, hotels
(one a four star) and
more than their fair share of pubs to slake the thirst of the local farmers.
Stroll a little further to the end 
of
the tree lined street and you find yourself in a ....farm yard, well
almost. And just across the road is the old blacksmiths and a row of
traditional Welsh barns and cottages.
However my favourite building in this old Welsh town is the English Presbyterian
Church in the High Street. It is a small building with simple
proportions but what a fantastic stone tower!
A bit of history :
There is a wealth of
history in the area and the lands around Bala would have been fought
over for thousands of years as evidenced by the remains of three Roman
Forts and no less than four earthwork Castles at the North end of the
lake.
One of the signs of medieval occupation of
the land is the Castle of Tomen y Bala. This is a medieval earthwork castle
of the 11th to 12th Century situated close to what is now the High Street
in Bala. The Castle is 40m wide and 9m high and is likely to have been
the administrative centre of the commote of Tryweryn. It was still fortified
in 1202 when Llywelyn
ap Iorwerth drove out Elis ap Madog, Lord of Penllyn.
This predates the actual town of Bala which
although being situated in the Welsh heartlands was originally an English
town. Though we have to go back to the middle ages and the year of 1310
when Bala was founded as an English borough.
Over the years its Englishness dissipated
and Bala has once again become a Welsh stronghold. But the English
are invading again in the 21st Century, ....this time they are hordes
of friendly
tourists on foot, boats and Mountain Bikes enjoying the beautiful
lakes and scenery of this part of Mid Wales.
