History
Llyn Trawsfynydd is set in beautiful natural surroundings in the heart of Snowdonia lying adjacent to the A470 trunk road between the holiday towns of Porthmadog and Dolgellau.
The lake has a surface area of approximately 1,200 acres and extends for a total length of an estimated 5 miles. The lake has a healthy head of natural wild brown trout and is stocked regularly with good quality rainbows. There is also a quantity of coarse fish, the main stock being Perch, with a few Rudd and Pike. For the bird lover there is an abundance of varied water fowl living on the shores and islands of the lake, with occasional visits by ospreys.
In 1922 the first dam was constructed storing water for the Maentwrog Hydro Electric power station. When the Maentwrog Power Station opened in 1928 it was the largest Power Station in the UK.
The dam was raised in early 1960s for the construction of the Trawsfynydd Nuclear Power Station, the extra water being used for cooling purposes. In 1990 the power station was closed and decommissioning commenced. Very quickly the water temperatures returned to normal and seasonal natural insect life began to return. During the past few years, there has been a noticeable increase in insect life in the lake and hatches of buzzers have improved.
For more information on historical sites around Traws please click on the links below: