Taliesin Monument, Landmarks Trefriw, Conwy County - Wales where to go, what to see and where to stay in Wales

The Taliesin Monument overlooks Llyn Geirionydd, a lake in a valley above the village of Trefriw, North Wales. According to tradition the banks of the Geirionydd were the home of the 6th Century Welsh poet, or bard, Taliesin, and some say both his birthplace and burial place. Largely because of this legendary association, the poet Gwilym Cowlyd chose the site for his annual "Arwest", between 1863 and 1927. This was a cultural festival, similar to an Eisteddfod, but avoiding the formality and Anglicisation of the Eisteddfod at that time. The Monument was erected to commemorate the festival around 1850, and restored in 1994 by the Trefriw Community Council, following damage by lightening. Today the Taliesin memorial is often used by locals as a focal point in the fight to return the valley to the peace and quiet of bygone times and banning the use of noisy power boats and jet skis.