Machynlleth

[John Ashworth]

I just saw the name "Machynlleth" in an article about a level crossing accident near the Welsh railway station of the same name. I have a rough idea how to pronounce it as my sister used to live at Barmouth (aka Abermawdd), just down the line from Machynlleth (although I doubt whether I would get it 100% correct to the satisfaction of a Welsh-speaker). I was often in Machynlleth, both on the train and also at the nearby Centre for Alternative Technology, which has a water-powered funicular railway. However I'm guessing that most people who see it for the first time will get it wrong.

The Welsh have some spectacular station names, of which Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is probably the most famous.