Llyn y Tri Greyenyn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Llyn y Tri Greyenyn |
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| Llyn Bach | |
‘A View from above the Pool of three Grains, in Merionethshire’, by Samuel Hieronymus Grimm
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 Llyn y Tri Greyenyn
Location in Gwynedd
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| Location | North Wales |
| Coordinates | 52°42′19″N 3°50′49″W / 52.70522°N 3.84704°W |
| Basin countries | United Kingdom |
Llyn y Tri Greyenyn was a small lake in North Wales. It was located near the famous mountain Cadair Idris in the old area of Merionethshire, which is now part of Gwynedd. The name Llyn y Tri Greyenyn means 'the lake of the three grains or pebbles'.
Today, most of the lake is gone. This happened because the road in the area was made bigger. You can still see some parts of the old lake on one side of the road.
A Lake Transformed
The lake was once found in a mountain pass. This pass is called Bwlch Llyn Bach. The name means 'pass of the little lake'. This shows that Llyn y Tri Greyenyn was the 'little lake' in the pass.
Now, the main road, the A487, goes right through where the lake used to be. There is also a small car park built on part of the lake's old location. This car park is sometimes called the 'Mach Loop' car park. People use it to watch military aircraft flying low in the area.
The Giant's Pebbles: A Legend
The name of the lake, 'the lake of the three grains or pebbles', comes from an old Welsh legend. This story is about a giant named Idris Gawr.
The legend says that Idris Gawr was so huge that even tiny stones in his shoe felt like giant boulders. One day, he felt three small stones bothering his foot. He took off his shoe and threw them away.
Because Idris was a giant, these 'small stones' were actually enormous rocks. They landed near the lake, which is how the lake got its name. You can still see at least one of these huge stones near the A487 road today.
This tale was written down by Thomas Pennant in 1781. He described the three rocks as "the ruins of the neighbouring mountain". He also mentioned that local people believed they were the grains Idris threw from his shoe.
Old Names for the Lake
One of the earliest mentions of the lake was around 1700. A researcher named Edward Lhuyd was collecting information about Wales. He sent out questions to different areas. The reply from the Tal-y-llyn area mentioned the lake.
It was called "Lhyn pen Morva" or "Lhyn y tri Grayenyn". This means 'Lake at the end of the Marsh' or 'Lake of the three Grains'. It was noted as being at the head of Cwm Rhwyddfor valley.
Later, on an 1842 map of Dolgellau, the lake was still called 'Llyn Tri Graienyn'. However, maps made by the Ordnance Survey later started calling it 'Llyn Bach', meaning 'Little Lake'.
