CARNEDD LLEWELYN

'Carnedd Llewelyn', also spelt 'Carnedd Llywelyn', is a mountain in the Carneddau range in Snowdonia, Wales. It is the highest point of the Carneddau and the second highest peak by relative height in Wales, and lies on the border between Gwynedd and Conwy.^[1]

Contents

Topography and ascent routes

Name

Cultural references

Notes

Further reading

External links

Topography and ascent routes

Carnedd Llewelyn lies in the middle of the main north-east to south-west ridge of the Carneddau, between Carnedd Dafydd to the south-west and Foel Grach to the north. A short subsidiary ridge links it to Yr Elen to the north-west. Its position means that any route to this summit involves a long walk. It can be climbed from Gerlan, above Bethesda, taking the path following Afon Llafar then continuing to the summit of Yr Elen before following the short ridge to Carnedd Llewelyn. Another path starts from Helyg on the A5, taking the track to the reservoir then following the slopes above Craig yr Ysfa to the summit. An alternative is to reach it by following the main ridge, either from Pen yr Ole Wen or from Foel-fras.
Though the summit, like that of many of the mountains in the southern Carneddau, is a flat, boulder-strewn plateau, the cliffs below the ridges are well-known rock climbs, notably Ysgolion Duon (meaning "black ladders") and Craig yr Ysfa.

Name

''Carnedd Llywelyn'' means "Llywelyn's cairn" in Welsh. It is widely believed that Carnedd Llewelyn and the neighbouring Carnedd Dafydd are named after Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and his brother Dafydd ap Gruffudd, the last independent prince of Wales, respectively.^[2] An alternative theory is that the twin peaks are named after Llywelyn the Great, an earlier prince of Gwynedd, and his son and successor, Dafydd ap Llywelyn.^[3] Hubert de Burgh and Wales, 1218-1232, R. F. Walker ''et al.'', , , The English Historical Review, 1972 Other sources cite a combination of the above, i.e. Llywelyn the Great and Dafydd ap Gruffudd. The Mountains of Snowdonia, Carr & Lister, , , Lockwood Press, 1925,
The spelling of the name is also controversial. ''Carnedd Llewelyn'' is the form used by the Ordnance Survey, the mapping agency for Great Britain, and other sources.^[4] In Wales the spelling ''Carnedd Llywelyn'' predominates (it is used on the website of the Snowdonia National Park Authority, for example^[5]); this is also the form preferred by most Welsh writers, among others.^[6] Many authoritative works, from other study groups, also use the Welsh form.^[7] The Welsh personal name ''Llywelyn'', from which the mountain's name is derived, is always spelt thus in the Welsh language, although the forms ''Llewelyn'' and ''Llewellyn'' are found in older English-language sources.

Cultural references

The mountain features in Welsh poetry and literature; the earliest known work is a poem by Rhys Goch Eryri, ''Carnedd Llywelyn'', composed ''c'' 1400.

Notes

1. The Hewitts and Marilyns of Wales, , Alan, Dawson, TACit Press, 1997, ISBN 0-9522680-6-X
2. Snowdonia National Park Guide, Edmund Vale (editor), , , HMSO, 1958,
3. The Mountains of England & Wales - Volume 1: Wales, , John & Anne, Nuttall, Cicerone, 1999, ISBN 1-85284-304-7
4. For example, John and Anne Nuttall, ''The Hewitts and Marilyns of Wales'', cited above; or Irvine Butterfield, ''The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland'' (Diadem, 1986).
5. Snowdonia National Park Authority: Snowdonia's Mountains
6. For example, Dewi Tomos, ''Eryri'' (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2005); Colin Marsh, ''The Mountain Walker's Guide to Wales'' (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2002); or Harvey Superwalker Waterproof Map, ''Snowdonia, the Glyderau and the Carneddau'' (Harvey Maps, 2003).
7. G. H. Howe & P. Thomas, ''Welsh Landforms & Scenery'' (Macmillan, 1963); ''Physical Names for the Map of Britain: Discussion'' (The Geographical Journal ('102'), 1943); or M. O. Hill, D. F. Evans & S. A. Bell, ''Long Term Effect of Excluding Sheep from Hill Pastures in North Wales'' (The Journal of Ecology ('80'), 1992).

Further reading

★ The Mountain Walker's Guide to Wales, , Colin, Adams, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2002, ISBN 0-86381-725-4

★ The Mountains of Wales: an anthology in verse and prose, , Ioan Bowen, Rees, University of Wales Press, 1995, ISBN 0-7083-1163

★ Eryri, , Dewi, Tomos, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2005, ISBN 0-86381-994-X

★ The heart of Northern Wales: Vol. II, , W. Bezant, Lowe, , 1927,

★ The Lakes of Eryri, , Geraint, Roberts, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 1995, ISBN 0-86381-338-0

★ Caernarvonshire, Volume 1: East, Royal Commission on Ancient Monuments Wales, , , , 1956,

External links