The Longest Welsh Town Name, How to Get There and Pronounce It!

The longest Welsh town name is, as you’d imagine, also the longest Welsh word. Welsh is a pretty hard language to grasp at the best of times without learning a word with 58 letters (in English alphabet, only 53 in the Welsh alphabet but more on that later). Luckily, this article will teach you how to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is the longest Welsh place name so read on for how to get there and see the place name in all its glory and hear it being used by the residents!

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About The Longest Train Station Name in Wales

As you know by now, the Welsh town long name is as above but people don’t say this every time they mention the town so it is often shortened to Llanfairpwll or Llanfair pg. Keep reading to learn how it’s pronounced in Welsh!

Llanfairpwll is found on the island of Anglesey (also known as Ynys Mon) in North Wales and is one of the first towns as you cross the bridge from the mainland.

While the name of the town is very large, the population is actually small with just over 3000 residents. Of course, the tourists are always attracted here to see the signs of the longest place name in Wales. Not only Wales mind, it’s also the longest place name in UK!

Image of train station platform with longest Welsh place name in Welsh and phonetic beneath.

But it’s not quite the longest town name in the world as that record is held on the other side of the globe, at 85 letters in New Zealand’s North Island. The New Zealand long place name is: Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. See here for how to pronounce the town with longest name in the world in the Māori language.

How To Get To Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Wales

To get to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, you must head to the Isle of Anglesey in North Wales.

Car is the best way to reach Anglesey because the road and crossing the bridge is easy as Llanfair pg is just 5 minutes from Menai Suspension Bridge!

Llanfair to Liverpool: 1 hour 30 minute drive
Bangor to Llanfair: 10 minute drive
Llanfair to Llandudno: 30 minute drive
Wrexham to Llanfair: 1 hour 15 minute drive
Cardiff to Llanfair: 4 hours drive

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch postcode: SY21 0SF

Rent a car here:

However, train is another easy option and in order to see the longest train station name, you’ll want to head to Llanfairpwll train station. Trainline is the best place to book trains around the UK and easy to book for seeing the long Welsh town name if travelling from another England and Wales train station. Click here for the latest train prices to see the longest town name in Wales.

There isn’t one Anglesey train station, you can choose from several to reach the island but the Llanfairpwllgwyngyll train station is the first after the mainland (and the most interesting).

Llanfair Map:

Llanfairpwllgwyngyll

Related Post: Learn The Best Sayings in South Wales

How To Say Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

I won’t lie to you, Welsh is not the easiest language to learn so to learn the longest town name in Wales pronunciation is not straight forward but hopefully these tips will help you!

Firstly, I need to touch on the Welsh alphabet letters that are included in the longest name in Wales.

LL – This is one letter and the ‘ll’ is said as if you were saying a ‘k’ for the word ‘key’ but putting your tongue behind your teeth and blowing air through either side of your tongue.
CH – This is one letter and the ‘ch’ is a sound that you need to accentuate to get right and listening to it is easiest. You must make a ‘ch’ sound as if you were going to say ‘chlorine’ but really drag the ‘ch’.
F – The letter ‘f’ on its own is pronounced the same way as ‘v’ in English.

Next I will phonetically spell (in English) the Llanfairpwll pronunciation.

Chlan-vire-pool-gwin-gil-gor-gerich-ween-drob-ooll-chlan-tis-ileo-go-go-goch

To listen to the Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch pronunciation, see my YouTube video here:

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Meaning

The longest town name isn’t widely known to have a ‘Welsh meaning’ because most places names in Wales are just place names and aren’t looked into as meanings, a bit like New York or New South Wales, but it roughly translates in English as more of a story. Or really, really, really detailed directions!

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch Translation:

The church of Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce whirlpool and the church of Tysilio by the red cave.

Very detailed directions if you ask me!

You can find the longest Welsh name in Welsh and English on the Welsh train station in Llanfairpwll as pictured below.

Image of train station platform with longest Welsh place name in Welsh and phonetic beneath. Picture taken from behind white fence.

Learn the longest place name in Wales pronunciation and more Welsh yourself:

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How To Get A Picture With The Longest Word in Welsh

If you’re going to come to Llanfair PG, you need to get some snaps of this Welsh town with long name around the town. You have four options for a picture with the best Llanfairpwll signs.

Most people aim to go to the longest train station in Wales for the snap and while here, there are two places in and around the longest Welsh train station sign to get a picture:

On the platform on the usual Welsh Trainline signs.
On the building adjacent to the platform and as seen in my YouTube video.

Image of Shireen with umbrella and building adjacent to train station with long Welsh word in centre on Burgundy banner

Image of building adjacent to train station with long Welsh word in centre on Burgundy banner

In addition, around the Welsh town you can find the long name on three shop signs such as:

Coop Llanfairpwll.
Tyn Lon Volvo Garage.
James Pringle Weavers of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll department store (this place also has the English translation of the long name Wales can boast for visitors to understand its meaning).

James Pringle Weavers of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll department store (this place also has the English translation of the long name Wales.

Now you can say this long place name, show off with this notebook 😉

Llanfairpwll Tours

Why not join a guided tour that includes Llanfairpwll train station as a stop on the trip? The following tours are ideal as they include a visit to the place with the longest railway sign with guided information and history of Llanfair and you also get to explore the rest of beautiful North Wales!

Follow me on Instagram to hear my Welshness!

Accommodation Near the Longest Place Name in Wales & UK

Stay in this small town for the big name!

Booking.com

Other Welsh Place Names & Where To Find Them

Welsh is, some may say, a peculiar language, especially if you have never learned or heard much of the mother tongue spoken. Worse when you see it written because the letters may just look like a WiFi password!

Along with some funky words that we have in the Welsh language are some funny Welsh place names that are hard to pronounce. If you want to learn Welsh, I’d start by learning the alphabet (remember, LL is one letter and FF is also one letter).

Laugharne – Pronounced ‘larne’

Dylan Thomas, a much-loved Welsh treasure and author of Under Milk Wood made this place in Wales famous from his boathouse and local haunts that he drew upon for his writing inspiration. You’ll find it in West Wales between Narberth and Swansea (Thomas’s birthplace). Thomas also invented the Welsh town name of ‘Llanreggub’. Read it backwards for its meaning.

Llanelli – Pronounced ‘chlan-elch-ee’

Just outside of Swansea and one of the hardest Welsh town names to pronounce. Remember, the ‘ch’ is said as if you were saying a ‘k’ for the word ‘key’ but putting your tongue behind your teeth and blowing air through either side of your tongue.

Beddgelert – Pronounced ‘beth-gel-airt’

The meaning of this place name is ‘Grave of Gelert’. Read more about the story of Gelert here. The ‘th’ in this word is pronounced the same as if you were about to say ‘there’.

Aberystwyth – Pronounced ‘ab-er-ist-with’

Found in Mid West Wales and shortened to Aber is a university seaside town and home to the National Library of Wales. The ‘th’ is pronounced in this word the same as if you were about to say ‘thought’.

Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant – Pronounced ‘chlan-hryd-er-um-mokk-nant’

Another one of the long Welsh names, and found in Mid Wales county of Powys.

Skrinkle Haven

Not specifically Welsh but definitely a funny name and found in gorgeous Pembrokeshire South.

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The Longest Welsh Town Name | How to Find and Pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch!