Lȏn Landing, Porth Neigwl
Most of the place-names in the area date from many centuries ago, but Lȏn Landing has its origins in the Second World War.
Lȏn Landing is the name used locally for the road between Towyn farm and Porth Neigwl car park. The surrounding fields are called Landing. The name refers to the use made of the land during the war when nearby farms were requisitioned by the Air Ministry for training purposes.
Before the war, a farmhouse called Punt y Gwair occupied the area between the lane and the river Soch. It’s visible in the distance on the right in the old photo. The farmhouse was demolished to make way for the RAF training site.
Replica gun turrets were placed in some of the fields, where trainee air gunners shot at model German aircraft circling rapidly along a narrow-gauge track. There were also targets on the sea for planes to aim at. On the field between the road and the sea there was a wharf / landing strip for the planes, and this was the ‘landing’ that gave the road its name. The RAF moved aircraft to new hangars here after RAF Penrhos, near Pwllheli, was repeatedly damaged by German bombs in 1940.
With thanks to Diogelu Enwau Llanengan