Carneddau

The Carneddau from near Pentir. Yr Elen centre with Carnedd Llywelyn behind, Carnedd Dafydd right

Yr Elen with Carnedd Llewelyn behind

Aber Falls at the foot of the Carneddau

The Carneddau or the Carnedds are a group of mountains in Snowdonia, Caernarfonshire. The name Carneddau literally means "cairns", taken from the names of three of the tops: Carnedd Llewelyn, Carnedd Dafydd and Carnedd Ychaf (now known also as Carnedd Gwellian).

This group includes the largest contiguous areas of high ground (over 2,500 or 3,000 feet high) in Great Britain south of the Scottish Highlands, as well as six or seven of the highest peaks south of the Highlands.

This group also encloses a number of lakes such as Llyn Cowlyd and Llyn Eigiau, and the waterfalls known as the Aber Falls.

The Carneddau are delimited by the Irish Sea to the north, the Conwy valley to the east, and to the south and west by the valley bearing the A5 road from Betws-y-Coed to Bethesda.

Four of these mountain peaks are, by coincidence or design, named after members of ther family of Llywelyn the Last: Llewelyn, Elen, Dafydd and Gwenllian, albeit that the latter name was given recently to complete the pattern. Dafydd ap Gruffudd, last of the house of Gwynedd, was captured amongst these hills, beneath Bera Mawr, in June 1283.

The peaks in the central Carnedd ridge are:

• Pen yr Ole Wen, 3,209 feet
• Carnedd Dafydd, 3,425 feet
• Carnedd Llewelyn, 3,491 feet
• Yr Elen, 3,156
• Foel Grach, 3,202
• Carnedd Gwenllian, 3,038
• Foel-fras 3,091 feet

Carnedd Gwenllian has only been known as such since 2009, before which it was Garnedd Uchaf, as indeed it is still in many publications. The new name was the result of a campaign by the Princess Gwenllian Society to honour Gwenllian, the only child of Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, known as Llywelyn the Last

The Carneddau range is home to the only population of wild horses in mainland Great Britain.

Outside links

• Walks in the Carneddau