Bala Lake, Natural lake in Gwynedd, Wales.
Bala Lake is a large freshwater body in Snowdonia National Park in North Wales, stretching about six kilometers between wooded hills. The water remains cool and clear throughout the year, with shores of shingle and grass that drop steeply in some places.
The body of water formed after the last ice age, when glaciers retreated and left a deep basin in the valley. In the 19th century, the natural outflow at the northeastern end was replaced by sluices to regulate water for canal navigation.
The Welsh name Llyn Tegid comes from Celtic mythology and refers to a figure named Tegid Foel. Around the water, summer events take place where visitors can experience the language and music of the region.
Boats and equipment can be rented at the southeastern shore, where there is also a car park and a narrow-gauge railway. A walking path circles the entire perimeter, though some sections on the western side can be steep and uneven.
The water holds the gwyniad, a small whitefish that remained isolated in this valley after the ice age and evolved nowhere else on Earth. Local anglers catch it only rarely, as its population is threatened by introduced species.
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