Yr Eifl
| Yr Eifl | |
| Caernarfonshire | |
|---|---|
 Yr Eifl from Anglesey | |
| Summit: | 1,850 feet SH364447 52°58’29"N, 4°26’17"W |
Yr Eifl is a mountain or group of three mountains in Caernarfonshire on the north coast of the Llŷn peninsula, rising above the village of Trefor.
Yr Eifl has three summits, each quite separate from the others. The name Yr Eifl means "the forks", though another suggestion derives the name from yr geifl; "the strides". Another supposition has it that name of these three contending mountains is from "the rivals", though there seems nothing to back this idea up.
On a clear day, the views from the top summits reach as far as the Isle of Man, the Wicklow Mountains in County Wicklow in the Republic of Ireland and the Lake District, as well as the entire sweep of Cardigan Bay.
The view of Yr Eifl is especially striking from the south-western coast of Anglesey, notably from Llanddwyn Island.
The three peaks
There are three peaks:
- Garn Ganol, 1,850 feet
- Tre'r Ceiri, 1,591 feet
- Garn For, 1,457 feet
Garn Ganol, the central summit, is the highest point on Llŷn. It has an ancient cairn and a trig point.
Across the pass "Bwlch yr Eifl", and overlooking the sea, is Garn For, the northern summit. It has a microwave radio relay station on it, as well as cairns and granite quarries (producing the material for curling stones; Yr Eifl grantite was used for all the stones at the 2006 Winter Olympics). It is the closest mountain to the sea and a cliff face drops down from Garn For to the Irish Sea.
Tre'r Ceiri, on the south-eastern side has an Iron Age hill fort on its summit. Tre'r Ceiri is believed to mean "home of the giants". It is regarded as one of the best examples in Europe of a prehistoric hill fort. There is a path leading up to this summit.
Surroundings
Routes lead onto the hill from the nearby villages of Llithfaen to the south, Llanaelhaearn to the east and Trefor to the north. On the western slopes of Yr Eifl, beneath the menacing shadow of Graig Ddu (a cliff on the W slope of Garn Ganol), is a small valley leading down to the sea. This is Nant Gwrtheyrn ("Vortigern's Valley"), a valley with no public roads, with a former quarry village.
Another quarry, Trefor granite quarry, can be found to the north of Garn Ganol.