ghost road west

March 21, 2025

ghost road west

They say the old road is haunted. Haunted as I was by current world events, I sought solace in the peace of an old highway to the west. Along the adjacent A497 which can occasionally be glimpsed through hedges and across fields, the newly emboldened entitled in their paramilitary SUVs race along the peninsula in search of “Cheshire-on-Sea”. Their destination has a pub whose renovation aspires to appeal to a “more discerning” (aka rich) clientele, a press release claims. Others in vehicles recently reframed as “Swasticars”, to their chagrin, now at least virtue-signal apologetic bumper stickers as they glide past. But they all miss the hidden slow lane to nowhere. This former route is fenced off, and has seen no motorised traffic since 2006. It simultaneously signals a green past and greener future.

Already, through cultural immersion, I was starting to believe the “fair folk” (Tylwyth Teg) have influenced the topography of Llŷn. It sometimes feels as though the roads are rolled up at night to reappear in a different configuration the next day, never the same twice. I wondered why it has taken me twelve years to find this historic lane, but there it is. It lies between Pen-ychain and Abererch on the way to Pwllheli.

Between 1946 and 1953, there had been an airfield behind a high wall along the road. It provided flights between Pwllheli and Dublin, and Cardiff, served by long departed Cambrian Airways and Dragon Airways. Learning of the latter, I recalled the synonymous Druk Air of Bhutan (dragon/draig/druk), and also thought of those few nations that celebrate the mythical creature on their national flags: Cymru, Bhutan and Malta. I have now learned too that the aircraft that served Pwllheli was none other than the De Havilland Dragon Rapide. You couldn’t make this up.

The airfield was developed by one Billy Butlin who had created his renowned holiday camp from what had been HMS Glendower naval training camp (“stone frigate”), which he had previously built for the Admiralty at Pen-ychain. The eponymous railway halt still functions, but many still refer to the station as “Butlins”; even those who know how to pronounce Pen-ychain properly (not “penny chain”). Any direct access to the current Haven holiday park is prevented by secure fencing, strangely deterring visitors from arriving by public transport. Others might say it's to keep them in, as captive audience for the entertainments. Unlike the road, the station hasn’t moved, but It’s now a good half mile further away on foot.

The location is inhabited by a thousand years of history since Collwyn ap Tangno (founder of one of the "15 tribes of Gwynedd") built Penarth Fawr nearby. There are more recent echoes of an unlikely and diverse bunch who had stayed in Broom Hall next door. Butlin’s mansion was behind the wall, and the airfield sat on his estate. Guests included politician George Brown, sports commentator David Coleman, presenter Hughie Green (also Butlin’s former pilot) and actors Bill Owen and Jack Warner. If you travel the quiet lane, you might hear strange words whistling in the trees or in the whirring from passing cyclists. “The front wheel crosses the finish line, closely followed by the back wheel”. "Forest have lost every match this season without winning a single game". “I mean that most sincerely”. “Evening all”.

Evening all.

LINKS

Major Frank Bond's Untold Butlin's Story
Broom Hall - UK Airfield Guide