Tomen y Bala is a conspicuous mound, clearly visible from the car park at the north-east end of the town, near the River Tryweryn. It is thought to be a late Norman motte, which would have had a wooden tower on its flat top. In the 18th and 19th centuries, knitters gathered there to chat whilst knitting woollen stockings, gloves and caps, for which Bala was famous. The mound was also used for open air religious sermons. From its summit are fine views over the town and countryside.