| Glaslyn | |
|---|---|
 Looking east from Snowdon: Glaslyn at bottom, Llyn Llydaw above | |
  Glaslyn | |
| Location | Snowdon, Wales |
| Coordinates | 53°4′14″N4°3′58″W / 53.07056°N 4.06611°W |
| Basin countries | United Kingdom |
| Max. length | 500 m (1,600 ft) |
| Max. width | 300 m (980 ft) |
| Surface area | 0.1 km2 (0.039 sq mi) |
| Max. depth | 39 m (128 ft) |
| Surface elevation | 600 m (2,000 ft) |
Glaslyn ( Welsh for 'Blue lake') is a lake in the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, north-west Wales.
It is found at approximately 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level in a cwm on the eastern flanks of Snowdon. It is a rough ellipse in shape, about 500 metres (1,600 ft) east–west and about 300 metres (1,000 ft) north–south, and the Miners' Track runs along the northern shore. [1]
It has a maximum depth of 39 m (127 feet), and contains about 59 million cubic feet (1.7 million cubic metres) of water. [2]
Glaslyn is the source of the Afon Glaslyn, the major river of Gwynedd, which runs east to the reservoir of Llyn Llydaw before turning south-west to reach the sea at Porthmadog.
In 2020, small particles of microplastic pollution – deposited by rain – were found in the lake, triggering a further investigation of the extent of environmental damage in UK lakes and mountains. [3]
In Welsh folklore, Arthur had Bedivere throw his sword Excalibur into Glaslyn, where Arthur's body was later placed in a boat to be carried away to Afallon. Arthur's men then retreated to a cave on the slopes of Y Lliwedd, where they are said to sleep until such time as they are needed. [4] [5] Merlin is supposed to have hidden the golden throne of Britain among the cliffs north of Crib y Ddysgl when the Saxons invaded. [6]
Glaslyn was also the final resting place of a water monster, known as an afanc (also the Welsh word for beaver), which had plagued the people of the Conwy valley. They tempted the monster out of the water with a young girl, before securing it with chains and dragging it to Glaslyn. [4] [7] A large stone known as Maen Du'r Arddu, below Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, is supposed to have magical powers. Like several other sites in Wales, it is said that if two people spend the night there, one will become a great poet while the other will become insane. [8] Llyn Coch in Cwm Clogwyn has been associated with the Tylwyth Teg (fairies), including a version of the fairy bride legend. [9]
Snowdonia, or Eryri, is a mountainous region and national park in northwestern Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon, which is 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) tall. These peaks are all part of the Snowdon, Glyderau, and Carneddau ranges in the north of the region. The shorter Moelwynion and Moel Hebog ranges lie immediately to the south.
Snowdon, or Yr Wyddfa, is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd.
The National Three Peaks Challenge is an event in which participants attempt to climb the highest mountains of England, Scotland and Wales within 24 hours. It is frequently used to raise money for charitable organisations. Walkers climb each peak in turn, and are driven from the foot of one mountain to the next. The three peaks are:
Crib Goch is described as a "knife-edged" arête in the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The name means "red ridge" in the Welsh language.
Llyn Llydaw is a natural lake in Snowdonia National Park on the flanks of Snowdon, Wales' highest mountain. This long thin lake has formed in a cwm about one-third of the way up the mountain. It is one of the most visited lakes in the United Kingdom. Thousands of people every year visit Snowdon and many walk past this lake on the Miners' Track.
The Carneddau are a group of mountains in Snowdonia, Wales. They include the largest contiguous areas of high ground in Wales and England, as well as six or seven of the highest peaks in the country—the Fifteen Peaks. The range also encloses a number of lakes such as Llyn Cowlyd and Llyn Eigiau, and the Aber Falls waterfall. It is delimited by the Irish Sea to the north, the Conwy valley to the east, and by the A5 road from Betws-y-Coed to Bethesda to the south and west. The area covers nearly 200 square kilometres (80 sq mi), about 10% of the area of Snowdonia. The area is bordered by three main roads—the A55, the A5 to the south and the A470 to the east.
Glyder Fawr is a mountain in Snowdonia, Wales, the highest peak in the Glyderau range at just over 1,000 metres, having had its height recalculated in 2010 using GPS. It is the fifth-highest mountain in Wales and has several walking and scrambling routes leading to its summit. According to Sir Ifor Williams, the word "Glyder" derives from the Welsh word "Gludair", meaning a heap of stones.
Aran Fawddwy is a mountain in southern Snowdonia, Wales, United Kingdom. It is the highest point of the historic county of Merionethshire. It is the highest peak in the Aran mountain range, the only peak in Wales outside North Snowdonia above 900m, and higher than anywhere in the United Kingdom outside Northern Snowdonia, the Scottish Highlands and the Lake District. The nearest small settlements to the mountain are Dinas Mawddwy to the south, Llanymawddwy to the southeast, Llanuwchllyn on the shores of Bala Lake to the north, and Rhydymain to the west. The nearest settlements with around 2,000 people are Bala and Dolgellau. On the eastern slopes of Aran Fawddwy is the small lake named Creiglyn Dyfi, the source of the River Dyfi. Its sister peak is Aran Benllyn at 885 metres (2,904 ft). There is also a middle peak: Erw y Ddafad-ddu.
Moel Cynghorion is a mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales. It lies two miles north-west of Snowdon, and forms part of the Moel Eilio Horseshoe walk. The summit is situated on a wide plateau, marked by a pile of stones. The southern slopes are gentle, while the northern aspect is precipitous. The summit has close views of Clogwyn Du'r Arddu and Snowdon. Views from the summit can extend as far as Holyhead in Anglesey to nearby towns and villages in Gwynedd such as Caernarfon, Llanrug and Llanberis. On a clear day the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland can be seen across the Irish Sea, at a distance of approximately 80 miles.
The Llanberis Pass in Snowdonia carries the main road (A4086) from the south-east to Llanberis, over Pen-y-Pass, between the mountain ranges of the Glyderau and the Snowdon massif. At the bottom of the pass is the small village of Nant Peris.
Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, or "Cloggy", is a north-facing rhyolite set of cliffs located on the northern flank of Snowdon mountain. Cloggy is considered to be one of the best traditional climbing areas in Britain, and has been called "The shrine of British climbing", and a "crucible for the development of most of the finest climbers in Britain and the scene of many of their finest achievements".
Llyn Cwellyn is a reservoir in North Wales which supplies drinking water to parts of Gwynedd and Anglesey. It lies on the Afon Gwyrfai in Nant y Betws between Moel Eilio and Mynydd Mawr in the northern part of Snowdonia National Park. It has an area of 215 acres (0.87 km2), and is over 120 ft (37 m) deep. At the southern end is the small village of Rhyd Ddu.
Nant Gwynant is a valley in northern Wales. The A498 road descends 600 feet (180 m) into the valley in about two miles (3 km) from Pen-y-Gwryd; it follows the Nant Cynnyd, the Afon Glaslyn and alongside Llyn Gwynant, then beside the Nant Gwynant river to Llyn Dinas and passing below Dinas Emrys to Beddgelert. The road continues through the Aberglaslyn Pass to Porthmadog.
Mynydd Graig Goch is the western end peak of the Nantlle Ridge, and is a subsidiary summit of Craig Cwm Silyn. It is also the most westerly 2000 ft peak in Wales. For many years it was excluded from lists of the Welsh 2000 ft mountains due to a spot height of 609 metres (1998') on OS maps. However, this changed in 2008; after years of speculation a group of hillwalkers carried out a precise GPS survey of the peak, measuring the absolute height as 609.75 metres.
Yr Arddu is a large hill in Snowdonia, Wales. It lies approximately 2.5 km south east of the village of Beddgelert and just over 1 km from the rather more famous mountain Cnicht. It is a rugged hill with widespread rock outcrops and cliffs. A small lake, Llyn yr Arddu, is located on the flanks of the mountain. The recognised summit is at 388m to the South of the hill, but the highest point, named Cerrig-y-Myllt on only the most detailed UK Ordnance Survey mapping, is at 463m above the two small lakes to the North of the hill. The craggy nature of the hill is due to the presence of lavas and tuffs dating from the Ordovician period when Snowdonia was characterised by numerous volcanic eruptions; Yr Arddu is a particularly good location to see the record of Ordovician volcanism. The Yr Arddu Tuffs may be the earliest eruptive phase of the Lower Rhyolitic Tuff Formation.
The Summit railway station is the southern, upper terminus of the Snowdon Mountain Railway, located within yards of the summit of Snowdon. In 2009 a new station building was opened, which was named Hafod Eryri.
Philip "Jimmy" Jewell was a British rock climber and free soloist who was active during the 1970s and 1980s.
The geology of Snowdonia National Park in North Wales is dominated by sedimentary and volcanic rocks from the Cambrian and Ordovician periods with intrusions of Ordovician and Silurian age. There are Silurian and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks on the park's margins. The succession was intensely faulted and folded during the Caledonian Orogeny. The region was uplifted as the North Atlantic Ocean opened during the Cenozoic. The current mountainous landscape arises from repeated glaciations during the Quaternary period.
The Afon Gwyrfai is a short river in Gwynedd, Wales. For half of its length it flows through Snowdonia National Park. Exiting Llyn y Gader it flows north through the small village of Rhyd-ddu to enter the southeastern end of Llyn Cwellyn. Downstream of the lake it flows northwest past Betws Garmon, leaving the national park and continues to the southern edge of Waunfawr. It then turns slightly west to flow on to Bontnewydd beyond which it turns slightly south to enter Foryd Bay. The tidal channel within the bay flows north into the western end of the Menai Strait. Principal tributary streams include the Afon Treweunydd which contributes water from the reservoir of Llyn Ffynnon-y-gwas and from the lakes of Llyn Glas, Llyn Coch and Llyn Nadroedd in Cwm Clogwyn immediately west of the summit of Snowdon. The tidal channel of the Gwyrfai within Foryd Bay also accepts the flow of the left bank tributaries, the Afon Foryd, Afon Rhyd and Afon Carrog. The river is shadowed by the line of the Welsh Highland Railway for much of its length, and by which it is crossed four times.
This is a list of place-names, particularly geographic features, such as lakes, that the Eryri National Park Authority, announced they are to use when referring to features in Snowdonia, which they refer to by its Welsh name Eryri.