Llysfaen
A hilltop village above Old Colwyn with a medieval church, a quarrying past and long coastal views
About Llysfaen
Llysfaen is a small village and community in Conwy County Borough, set on the hill of Mynydd Marian around one kilometre inland and roughly halfway between Colwyn Bay and Abergele. It sits just above Old Colwyn, with Llanddulas, Dolwen and Betws-yn-Rhos as its other close neighbours; the Peulwys estate of Old Colwyn also falls within the modern community boundary. Its name is Welsh for ‘stone court’. The population was 2,743 at the 2011 census, and has stayed broadly stable for decades.
It's a genuinely small place — a primary school, a village hall, a convenience store, a playgroup, a couple of parks and not much else — but its elevated position gives it a very different character to the seafront towns below, with the countryside of the Clwydian hills close at hand.
St Cynfran's Church
The village's medieval parish church is dedicated to St Cynfran, traditionally said to have founded a religious cell here in 777 AD; a carving of the saint sits above the church entrance. The present twin-naved building is believed to date from around 1377, incorporating stonework from an earlier structure, and was extensively restored in 1870 and again in 1972. The churchyard, enclosed by a stone wall lined with yew trees, has memorials going back to the 17th century, and a holy well — Ffynnon Gynfran — lies around 100 metres to the north.
A Quarrying Past
For much of its modern history, Llysfaen was a working village tied to the limestone quarry it shared with neighbouring Llanddulas. The quarrying firm Raynes & Co. was established in 1873 to produce sodium carbonate and limestone dust for glassmaking, shipping lime out from Raynes Jetty in Llanddulas Bay to Liverpool and Fleetwood. The business passed to the United Alkali Company in 1927 and was absorbed into ICI later that same year. Llysfaen's own railway station, which served the quarry sidings, finally closed in 1931, though its signal box remained in use until 1983.
Mynydd Marian & Walking
Mynydd Marian rises directly to the west of the village — open access land noted for its limestone grassland and a rare dwarf subspecies of the silver-studded blue butterfly, with Craig y Forwyn a little further east. From the hill, and from the village itself, there are wide views north over the Irish Sea, Kinmel Bay, Rhyl and inland to the Clwydian Range. It's an easy, quiet walking area with none of the crowds of the more famous Colwyn Bay viewpoints.
Getting There
Llysfaen sits above Old Colwyn, around a kilometre inland and uphill; the walk up from Old Colwyn or Colwyn Bay is steep in places but manageable on foot, or the village is a short drive via local roads off the A55/A547. There's no railway station in Llysfaen itself — the nearest is Colwyn Bay.
For other quieter villages around Colwyn Bay, see Old Colwyn below and Mochdre to the west.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Llysfaen?
Llysfaen is a small village and community in Conwy County Borough, set on the hill of Mynydd Marian around one kilometre inland, roughly halfway between Colwyn Bay and Abergele. It sits just above Old Colwyn and Llanddulas.
What is Llysfaen known for?
Llysfaen is known for its medieval St Cynfran’s Church, said to have been founded in 777 AD, and for its 19th and 20th century limestone-quarrying industry, which once employed much of the village. It’s also known for wide views over the North Wales coast, including the Irish Sea, Kinmel Bay, Rhyl and the Clwydian Range.
Can you walk on Mynydd Marian from Llysfaen?
Yes. Mynydd Marian rises immediately to the village’s west and is open access land known for its limestone grassland and a rare dwarf subspecies of the silver-studded blue butterfly. It’s a good, quiet spot for walking with coastal views, reached directly from the village.
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