Tal-y-llyn Lake facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tal-y-llyn Lake |
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| Welsh: Llyn Mwyngil | |
Looking north-east up the Bwlch Llyn Bach pass
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 Tal-y-llyn Lake
Location in Gwynedd
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| Location | North Wales |
| Coordinates | 52°40′21″N 3°53′51″W / 52.67250°N 3.89744°W |
| Type | Natural Ribbon Lake |
| Primary outflows | River Dysynni |
| Basin countries | United Kingdom |
| Surface area | 220 acres (89 ha) |
| Average depth | 3 m (9.8 ft) |
Tal-y-llyn Lake, also known as Llyn Mwyngil in Welsh, is a beautiful lake in North Wales. It is located in a region called Gwynedd. This large lake was formed by glaciers a long time ago. It is a special type of lake called a "ribbon lake". It was created when a huge landslide blocked the valley, trapping the water. The small village of Talyllyn is located at the west end of the lake.
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What's in a Name?
Tal-y-llyn Lake gets its name from the nearby village of Tal-y-llyn. In the Welsh language, "Tal-y-llyn" means "the end of the lake." So, "Tal-y-llyn Lake" literally means "the lake at the end of the lake."
The Welsh name for the lake is Llyn Myngul or Llyn Mwyngil. These names probably come from Welsh words meaning "neck" and "narrow."
Where is Tal-y-llyn Lake?
Tal-y-llyn Lake is found north of Machynlleth in Wales. It sits at the foot of Cadair Idris, a famous mountain. This area is part of the Snowdonia mountain range in Gwynedd.
The River Dysynni flows out of the lake. It passes through the village of Abergynolwyn. The river then empties into the sea near Tywyn.
There is a path near the lake that leads up to the top of Cadair Idris. Also, the Talyllyn Railway is a small, narrow-gauge railway. Its eastern end is near Abergynolwyn. This village is within the area of Tal-y-llyn.
How the Lake Was Formed
Tal-y-llyn Lake is located on a major crack in the Earth's crust. This crack is called the Bala Fault. It stretches across Wales from the Cheshire border to Tywyn. The land along this fault line likely sank over time. Then, glaciers carved out and deepened this area during ice ages.
For many years, people thought the lake was formed in a rock basin. They believed a pile of rocky debris, called a terminal moraine, was on top of the bedrock. However, scientists learned something new in 1962. What looked like solid rock was actually huge pieces of rock and dirt. These were left behind by a massive landslide.
You can still see a huge scar on the side of the valley. This shows where the landslide started. Another landslide a few miles downstream changed the path of the River Dysynni. It made the river flow into a different valley. The upper part of the lake is becoming shallower. This is because mud and sand are building up there.
Tal-y-llyn Lake in Stories
This lake appears in some famous children's books!
It is featured in The Railway Series by Rev. W. Awdry and Christopher Awdry. The lake isn't named in the books. However, the village of Talyllyn is called Skarloey.
The lake was also a setting for the book The Grey King. This book won the Newbery Medal in 1976. It was written by Susan Cooper. In the story, six sleeping figures lie within the lake. They wake up when a character named Will Stanton plays the Harp of Gold. Later, they help the forces of "Light" in another book, Silver on the Tree.
