North Wales...English Newspaper Advised Travelers To Avoid Wales Due To Welsh Language!

This is awful, how dare they attack our Welsh language! Haven't the English done enough damage to Wales and the Welsh over the years, how about showing some respect instead!

And if they don't like our language stay away and holiday in England.

People looking to holiday in Britain this summer should steer clear of Wales because its “place names are weird”, according to a travel article in The Telegraph. The newspaper accepts that Wales is “nearer and cheaper” for holidays but it said the country is let down by its place names.

Ed Grenby, The Telegraph’s travel writer, issued survival tips for UK holidaymakers during the school holidays. He noted that people in Norfolk are “weird” and said visitors to coasts such as those in North Wales “risk frostbite”.

The comments were labeled “narrow and disrespectful" by people living in Wales. Meanwhile, many visitors said the country’s language and culture were the precise reasons why they chose to holiday in Wales.

In the article, “16 golden rules for surviving any UK summer holiday”, Mr. Grenby argued against a long trip to Cornwall. “Do the Duchy and you’re essentially paying a 20% 'putting the jam on the scone first instead of the clotted cream' premium.

“Devon is pretty much identical - but quieter, nearer, cheaper, and the place names are less weird. South Wales is quieter, nearer, and cheaper still, though the place names are also weird.

“In Norfolk, it’s the people that are weird. Go any further north than The Wash, meanwhile, and the people are great but you risk frostbite if you dip your toes in the sea.”

These were “the rules that can make or break a British holiday”, said Mr Grenby, a former editor of Britain’s best-selling holiday title The Sunday Times Travel Magazine. While his comments are slightly tongue-in-cheek, there is alarm over the London-centric attitudes that prevail.

The languages of Cornwall and Wales share common roots. They emerged from the Brythonic (Ancient Britons) group of languages that date back to the Bronze Age and pre-date English by at least 1,000 years.

Welsh places names are often phonetic and, once basic sounds are mastered, are logical to pronounce. And given the historic fluidity of the Wales-England border, many Welsh names crop up across the border. In Shropshire, there are scores, from Selattyn to Hengoed, Trefonen, Llynclys, and Bettws-y-Crwyn.

In contrast, the pronunciation of many place names in England does not follow their phonetic spellings. Examples include Mousehole (“Muzzle”), Bicester (“Bister”), Cholmondeley (“Chumley”), and the River Thames (“River Temz”).

Others include Moggerhanger (“Morhanger”) and Garboldisham ("Garblesham"). And then there are downright peculiar names, like Blubberhouses, Pity Me, Curry Mallet, and Wig Wig, which also manage to add to the country's charm and quirkiness.

Welsh place names are wonderfully evocative, often laden with cultural meaning. They reflect local history, traditions, and mythology, each telling a story.

One example is Bwlch y Saethau in Snowdonia which, in English, means “Pass of the Arrows”. According to legend, it was here that King Arthur was struck by an arrow in battle, later hurling Arthur’s sword, Caledfwlch (Excalibur), into Llyn Glaslyn.

More prosaically, Ynys y Moch (“Island of Pigs”) refers to the drovers who swam pigs and cattle across the Menai Strait before the suspension bridge was built. The pigs were said to have rested on Ynys y Moch. Another island in the Strait is currently up for sale.

Still, there are plenty of Welsh place names that English visitors manage to mangle - there’s a list of them here. Of course, the biggest culprit is Europe’s longest place name – a word made up in the 19th century as a publicity stunt.

Anglesey's Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch means: “The church of St Mary of the pool of the white hazels near the fierce whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave.” Even Amazon's Alexa finds it a struggle.

From...https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/warning-holidaymakers-wales-weird-place-24580681