Dolgellau is located in Gwynedd and is a little welsh market. It is located on A470 and set on the River Winion just ten miles fro the Barnouth port. It sits at the foot of the mountain range Cader Idris, which makes it the perfect starting place for those who want to tour Snowdonia.

The welsh meaning of the name Dolgellau is Meadow of Groves but the town has been known by a few names. In 1253 the name of the town was Dolkelew and was changes to Dolgethley in 1285. Also the name of the town has been spelled in several different way including, Dolgelley, Dolgella and Dolgelly.

The town started as a serf village and was founded as a town during the 12th century. It was conquered by the Romans in 77 AD but beside a few Roman coins discovered by the present day St. Mary's Church and three forts set on hills whose origin is unknown, there is no empirical evidence that the Romans ever settled in Dolgellau.

In 1657 George Fox, founder of the Quaker religion came to the town. At this time many townspeople converted to Quakerism. They were persecuted and many of them escaped to Pennsylvania and set up home in several counties including, Chester, Bucks, and Philadelphia.

When the town first started the wool industry play a major role in its development and as time progressed the town was supported by the printing industry. The town got an economical boost in the 19th century through a small gold rush. Several royal weddings were supplied with gold from the Clogau St. David's Gold Mine. This tradition began with the deceased Queen Mother. In 2005 it was continued with the wedding of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.

Since 1992 Dolgellau has been the home of a yearly rock festival called Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau, translated that means The Mighty Session at Dolgellue. It was a free festival until 2002. During the summer Dolgellau also holds the Gwyl Cefn Gwald or Festival of the Countryside which is a mixture of celebration and agricultural show.

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The Dolgellau Tourist Board gives comparable information to this page. If you require more information about Dolgellau, you may be able to obtain it from the Dolgellau Tourist Board.