Dolgellau is a market town as well as neighborhood in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It is commonly the county town of the historical area of Merionethshire (Welsh: Meirionnydd, Sir Feirionnydd), which lost its administrative standing when Gwynedd was created in 1974. Dolgellau is the major base for mountain climbers of Cadair Idris. Although extremely tiny, it is the second biggest settlement in Southern Gwynedd after Tywyn. The area includes Penmaenpool. The name of the community is of unsure beginning, although dôl is Welsh for "meadow" or "dale", as well as (y) gelli (soft anomaly of celli) suggests "grove" or "spinney", and is common locally in names for ranches in protected spaces. This would seem to be one of the most likely derivation, giving the translation "Grove Meadow". It has likewise been recommended that the name could derive from the word cell, meaning "cell", translating consequently as "Meadow of [monks'] cells", however this appears less most likely thinking about the background of the name. The earliest recorded punctuation (from 1253, in the Study of Merioneth) is "Dolkelew", although a punctuation "Dolgethley" dates from 1285. From after that till the 19th century, many punctuations were along the lines of "Dôlgelly" "Dolgelley", "Dolgelly" or "Dolgelli" (Owain Glyndwr's scribe wrote "Dolguelli"). Thomas Pennant made use of the kind "Dolgelleu" in his Tours of Wales, and this was the kind used in the Church Registers in 1723, although it never ever had much money. In 1825 the Registers had "Dolgellau", which create Robert Vaughan of Hengwrt taken on in 1836. While this type might originate from a false etymology, it became basic in Welsh and is now the basic form in both Welsh and also English. It was embraced as the official name by the regional country area council in 1958. Quickly before the closure of the community's train station it presented indications reviewing otherwise Dolgelly, Dolgelley and Dolgellau.