Hosiery , also referred to as legwear , describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs . The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier ; and those products are also known generically as hose . The term is also used for all types of knitted fabric, and its thickness and weight is defined by denier or opacity. Lower denier measurements of 5 to 15 describe a hose which may be sheer in appearance, whereas styles of 40 and above are dense, with little to no light able to come through on 100 denier items.
23-590: Canolfan Tryweryn is the National White Water Centre for Wales, and is based near Bala in north Wales . In 1986, it developed the first commercial white water rafting operation in the UK. The centre is home to paddlesport National Governing Body Canoe Wales . The Tryweryn is a river in north Wales . It flows from Llyn Celyn in the Snowdonia National Park and after 19 km (12 mi) joins
46-482: Is not managed like the upper Tryweryn, although the centre has been known to remove fallen trees and other obstructions/hazards quickly. 52°56′49″N 3°39′04″W / 52.947°N 3.651°W / 52.947; -3.651 Bala, Gwynedd Bala ( Welsh : Y Bala ) is a town and community in Gwynedd , Wales . Formerly an urban district , Bala lies in the historic county of Merionethshire , at
69-400: Is similar in format to Dolgellau 's Sesiwn Fawr . Nearby are the mountains Aran Fawddwy and Arenig Fawr . Coleg y Bala is at the top of the hill on the road towards Llyn Celyn . The Victoria Hall is a small old cinema, that had been a community hall. There are several chapels: notably Capel Mawr and Capel Bach. The livestock market on Arenig Street is still going strong. Bro Eryl estate
92-399: Is usually tight-fitting by virtue of stretchy fabrics and meshes. Older forms include binding to achieve a tight fit. Due to its close fit, most hosiery can be worn as an undergarment, but it is more commonly worn as a combined under/outer garment. Hosiery garments are the product of hosiery fabric produced from hosiery yarn. Like the yarn used for making woven fabric, hosiery yarn comes from
115-589: The 2021 United Kingdom census , 72.5 per cent of all usual residents aged 3+ in Bala can speak Welsh. The 2011 census noted 78.5 per cent of all usual residents aged 3 years and older in the town could speak Welsh. The Welsh-language skills of Bala residents were as follows in 2011 and 2021: (2011) (2021) (percentage points) According to the 2011 census, 70.5 per cent of the population noted that they had Welsh-only national identity, with 22.2 per cent noting that they had no Welsh national identity at all. According to
138-680: The Crimea , and who gave her name to the Health Board , came from Bala. Other famous people from the Bala area include Michael D. Jones , Christopher Timothy , Owen Morgan Edwards , born in Llanuwchllyn , and T.E. Ellis , born in Cefnddwysarn . Bala hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1967, 1997 and 2009. The 2009 Eisteddfod was notable because the chair was not awarded to any of the entrants as
161-635: The International Canoe Federation , the European Canoe Union and the British Canoe Union all hold national and international events there. The Canolfan Tryweryn National Whitewater Centre has its home in Bala. There are at least three local campsites that cater for the influx of canoeists from many parts of the world. An annual music festival known as 'Wa Bala' is also held in the town. The venue hosts local Welsh bands and
184-661: The Upper Tryweryn ) is the main part of the Tryweryn, it runs for approximately 1.25 miles (2.0 km) from the site of the chipper down to the Tyn Cornel camping site, and is a good Grade III . It contains most of the main white-water features of the river: Running the 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from the Tyn Cornel campsite down to Bala, this is a good Grade II bordering on Grade III section which finishes spectacularly at Bala Mill Falls (an easily portaged Grade IV rapid). This section
207-536: The Welsh Government funded TrawsCymru network. Services operate westbound to Barmouth via Dolgellau , and eastbound to Wrexham via Corwen and Llangollen . Through ticketing is available for onward connections at Dolgellau, to Bangor , Machynlleth and Aberystwyth . The town lies on the A494 , a major trunk road that leads to Dolgellau , 18 miles to the southwest, and to Ruthin , Mold and Queensferry to
230-636: The 2021 census, 64.8 per cent of the population noted that they had Welsh-only national identity. Set within the Bala Fault , Bala Lake ( Welsh : Llyn Tegid ) is the largest natural lake in Wales at 3.7 miles (6.0 km) in length and 800 metres (870 yards) wide. At 35 metres (115 feet), its depths could hide the tower of St Giles Church in Wrexham and still have 1 metre (3.3 feet) of water above. The lake has occasionally been known to freeze over, most recently in
253-544: The Anglo Saxon word ''hosa'', which meant a woven garment for the lower body and legs. The first references to hosiery can be found in the works of Hesiod , where Romans are said to have used leather or cloth in forms of strips to cover their lower body parts. Even the Egyptians are speculated to have used hosiery, as socks have been found in certain tombs. Most hosiery garments are made by knitting methods. Modern hosiery
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#1732869113620276-579: The course of the river to create eddys , drops and play spots. Access to the centre requires payment for both commercial and non-commercial users. The river is generally split into three sections: Top Site, Centre Section and the Lower Tryweryn. The Top Site (often called the Upper Upper Tryweryn ) is the section of river leading from the stilling basin below the Llyn Celyn dam down to where
299-493: The edge of the town, along a section of the former trackbed of the Great Western Railway 's line between Ruabon and Barmouth . It terminates at Bala (Penybont) railway station , which opened in 1976 on the site of the former Lake Halt station. As of 2020, work is being undertaken to extend the line along the lake foreshore to a new station in the town centre. Bus services are provided by Lloyds Coaches , as part of
322-496: The fish trap was located. The fish-trap – known as the chipper because it resembles a chip-slicer – was removed in November 2019. This section is a nice Grade II to Grade III, with a good play-hole (the "Top-Hole") and a playful weir . The section is often used for safety and rescue courses, as well as kayaking freestyle competitions . Officially there is no raft or canoe access to this top section. This section (commonly known as
345-619: The foundation of the British and Foreign Bible Society . In 1800 a 15-year-old girl, Mary Jones , walked the 25 miles (40 km) from her home village Llanfihangel-y-Pennant to purchase a Welsh Bible in Bala. The scarcity of the Bible, along with the determination of Mary to get one (she had saved for six years), was a major factor in the foundation of the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804. Betsi Cadwaladr , who worked with Florence Nightingale in
368-413: The north end of Bala Lake ( Welsh : Llyn Tegid ). According to the 2021 census , Bala had a population of 1,999 and 72.5 per cent of the population could speak Welsh . The Welsh word bala refers to the outflow of a lake. Tomen Y Bala (30 feet (9 m) high by 50 feet (15 m) diameter) is a tumulus or "moat-hill", formerly thought to mark the site of a Roman camp. In the 18th century,
391-466: The northeast. Nearby villages include Llanfor , Llandderfel , Llanycil , Llangower , Llanuwchllyn , Rhyd-uchaf and Rhos-y-gwaliau . As with the rest of the UK, Bala benefits from a maritime climate , with limited seasonal temperature ranges, and generally moderate rainfall throughout the year. The Afon Tryweryn , a river fed from Llyn Celyn which runs through Bala, is world-famous for its white water kayaking . International governing bodies,
414-596: The northwest. The A4212 starts in the town, and crosses the Migneint to Trawsfynydd . Heading southeast, the B4391 crosses the Berwyn range to the English border and the town of Oswestry . Bala is home to Cymru Premier football club Bala Town F.C. who play at Maes Tegid . Bala's local rugby club is Bala RFC . Hosiery The word hosiery is a morphological derivation of
437-608: The river Dee at Bala . It is one of the main tributaries of the Dee and has been dammed to form Llyn Celyn . Water is stored in winter when flows are high, and released over the summer to maintain the flow in the Dee, meaning that the river often has suitable water levels for kayakers and rafters at time of year when natural rivers throughout Wales may be too low. The dam usually releases between 9 and 12 m/s (2,000 and 2,600 imperial gallons per second). The whitewater rapids have been modified by placing boulders in strategic points along
460-687: The severe winters of 1947 and 1963. The rare Gwyniad fish—trapped in the lake at the end of the last ice age , some 10,000 years ago—is in danger because its natural home is increasingly unsuitable. A member of the whitefish family, it is found only in the lake. Cwm Hirnant, a valley running south from Bala, gives its name to the Hirnantian Age in the Ordovician Period of geological time. The closest major urban areas to Bala are Wrexham at 30 miles (48 km), Chester at 40 miles (64 km), and Liverpool , 52 miles (84 km) to
483-555: The standard was deemed to be too low. Bala hosted the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yr Urdd Gobaith Cymru, National Eisteddfod for the Welsh League of Youth, in 2014. On 16 June 2016, Bala's name was changed to Bale temporarily in honour of Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale . This was only for the duration of UEFA Euro 2016 . Bala, Ontario , Canada, was named after the town in 1868. They have become twin towns . According to
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#1732869113620506-514: The town was well known for the manufacture of flannel , stockings , gloves and hosiery . The large stone-built theological college , Coleg y Bala , of the Calvinistic Methodists and the grammar school (now Ysgol y Berwyn ), which was founded in 1712, are the chief features, together with the statue of the Rev. Thomas Charles (1755–1814), the theological writer, to whom was largely due
529-453: Was built just after World War II . Mary Jones World , a heritage centre about Mary Jones and her Bible is located just outside the town in nearby Llanycil . Bala Town Hall , which now operates as a restaurant, dates back to circa 1800. Bala has been served by various railway stations on the Great Western Railway : The Bala Lake Railway ( Welsh : Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid ) runs for 4.5 miles (7.2 km) from Llanuwchllyn to
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