Maenan is a rural settlement in

Conwy Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy on ...

, Wales, located approximately 4 miles to the north of

Llanrwst Llanrwst ('church or parish of Saint Grwst'; ) is a market town and community on the A470 road and the River Conwy, in Conwy County Borough, Wales, and the historic county of Denbighshire. It developed round the wool trade and became known als ...

and 3 miles to the south of the village of

Eglwysbach Eglwysbach is a village and community in Conwy county borough, Wales. The village plays host to an annual Agricultural show and horticultural show in August, which includes displays of local cattle, sheep, heavy and light horses, showjumping a ho ...

. The population of the area is approximately 300 people, and more than 75% of the population are Welsh speakers. Maenan shares a community council with the nearby village of

Llanddoged Llanddoged is a small village which lies in the hills a little over a mile to the north of Llanrwst, in Conwy county borough, Wales. The village itself has a small population, with a surrounding rural farming community. Most of the population a ...

. The

A470 The A470 (also named the Cardiff to Glan Conwy Trunk Road) is a trunk road in Wales. It is the country's longest road at and links the capital Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. While previously one had to navigate t ...

trunk road passes through Maenan. The 2001 census Conwy Council 2001 Key Census Stats
shows that the villages of Llanddoged and Maenan had a combined population of 574.

Economy

Most of the population are from

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

background. Maenan has a mixture of dairy and lowland sheep farming. Maenan has a micro-brewery based at Penrhwylfa. The brewery is known as Bragdy'r Nant and started in 2007, and is now supplying to a number of pubs across the region. Tourism is a fairly active trade in Maenan, mostly hospitality. There are a number of self-catering cottages, along with 2 hotels. The

Maenan Abbey Maenan Abbey (formally: The Abbey Church of Saint Mary and All Saints; alternatively: Abaty Maenan, or Maynan Abbey; now Maenan Abbey Hotel) was a monastic religious house located in Maenan, Conwy, Wales. It is situated near Llanrwst. History ...

Hotel is the second site of

Aberconwy Abbey Aberconwy Abbey was a Cistercian foundation at Conwy, later transferred to Maenan near Llanrwst, and in the 13th century was the most important abbey in the north of Wales. A Cistercian house was founded at Rhedynog Felen near Caernarfon in 118 ...

, a

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

abbey. Another hotel in Maenan is The Plas Maenan hotel, located about a mile further north of the Maenan Abbey Hotel on the A470.

Public transport

Maenan is served by

Dolgarrog railway station Dolgarrog railway station is an unstaffed halt, and a request stop, on the Conwy Valley Line from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The station is located on the east bank of the River Conwy just across the A470 road from Plas Maenan, ...

, part of the Conwy Valley Line. Bus services through Maenan are limited. Maenan is best known for a view point known as Cadair Ifan Goch. From this view point most of the

Conwy Valley , name_etymology = , image = Boats in River Conwy.jpg , image_size = 300 , image_caption = Boats in the river estuary at Conwy , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , push ...

can be viewed. The path to the view point starts from the old Ysgol Maenan school building. The walk to the view point is about a mile from the car park, but it's well worth the short walk.

Education

The school, Ysgol Maenan, closed in the early '90s. Children from Maenan now usually travel to Llanddoged or Eglwysbach for primary education, and to Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy in Llanrwst for secondary education. Most are eligible for free school transport.

Religion

Maenan has two chapels: Capel Tan Soar and Capel Salem (on the border with Llanddoged) - both offering services on a Sunday in Welsh.

Famous people

The celebrated Welsh children's author

Mary Vaughan Jones Mary Vaughan Jones (28 May 1918–April/May/June 1983) was a celebrated Welsh children's author and schoolteacher. She was born at 'Firs Cottage', Maenan near Llanrwst in 1918, and died in the Rhuddlan area, Clwyd in 1983. Jones authored a ...

was born at Nant y Pryfaid, now known as Firs Cottage. The family moved to Wigfa, Maenan when she was 7 years old. The census return supports this. She is most famous for creating the character Sali Mali.

Environment

Most of Maenan's meadow land forms part of the

Afon Conwy , name_etymology = , image = Boats in River Conwy.jpg , image_size = 300 , image_caption = Boats in the river estuary at Conwy , map = , map_size = , map_caption = , push ...

flood plain. Several times during the year, significant amounts of land is flooded.

Viewpoint

Views of the Conwy Valley (Welsh: Dyffryn Conwy) can be seen from Maenan from

Cadair Ifan Goch Cadair Ifan Goch (Chair of Ifan Goch, the Giant) is a crag located above the Conwy Valley in North Wales in the community of Llanddoged and Maenan, and owned by the National Trust. The views extend across the whole of the valley to the Carneddau ...

. Legend states that this viewpoint was the chair of the giant Ifan Goch, and it is currently owned by the National Trust. The path up to the viewpoint crosses through a privately owned woodland being managed as a nature reserve. The

Arenig In geology, the Arenig (or Arenigian) is a time interval during the Ordovician period and also the suite of rocks which were deposited during this interval. History The term was first used by Adam Sedgwick in 1847 with reference to the "Areni ...

mountains can also be seen to the south.

References

{{authority control Llanddoged and Maenan Villages in Conwy County Borough