Llanbedr is a village in the Ardudwy area of Gwynedd, Wales.
The village originally grew around the slate quarrying industry. Attractions in Llanbedr include Neolithic standing stones and Bronze Age hut circles. The Morfa Dyffryn sand dunes and Mochras (Shell Island) lie nearby. It also boasts two public houses; Ty Mawr Hotel and The Victoria Inn.
A mile from the village is the hamlet of Pentre Gwynfryn which has an ancient chapel, Capel Salem. The inside of this chapel was made famous by the painter Sydney Curnow Vosper who painted a member of the congregation, Siân Owen, in traditional Welsh costume.
Llanbedr has a (disused) airfield which, until 2004, was operated by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), and QinetiQ as a launch site for remotely-piloted drone 'aircraft' for use as aerial targets by the RAF and other UK forces.[1] Opposite the airport is one of two NACATC units (National Air Cadets Adventure Training Centres) in the UK (the other being in the village of Windermere in the English Lake District)
Llanbedr Airfield (ICAO: EGOD), formerly RAF Llanbedr, is a former military facility located in the Snowdonia National Park near the village of Llanbedr, Gwynedd, northwest Wales. It opened in 1941 as part of RAF Fighter Command's 12 Group.During its life, the base has been known as:
RAF Llanbedr until 1957
RAE Llanbedr until 1992
T&EE Llanbedr until 1995,(Test & Evaluation Establishment)
DERA Llanbedr until 2001, when most of DERA became QinetiQ.
In recent years, the site has been used for agricultural purposes under the terms of an agreement with the Welsh Assembly Government, the current site owners.
It was reported in February 2008 that Welsh Ministers had awarded preferred bidder status for a 125 year lease to the operators of Kemble Airport near Cirencester. In May 2008, the Snowdonia Society, the Brecon Beacons Park Society and the Friends of Pembrokeshire National Park formed an alliance against the development of a new civilian airport at the site without a full public debate "best achieved by making an application for planning permission.
