Llanrwst Llyn Padarn Llyn Ogwen CARNEDDAU Llanberis A5 Llyn Peris B5427 Tryfan Moelwynion & Cwm Lledr A4086 Nant Peris GLYDERAU B5106 Glyder Fach Capel Curig CWM LLEDR MAP PAGE 123 Climbers’ Club Guide Glyder Fawr LLANBERIS PASS A4086 Llynnau Llugwy Mymbyr Introduction A470 Y Moelwynion page 123 The Climbers’ Club 4 Betws-y-Coed Acknowledgments 5 20 Stile Wall 123 B5113 21 Craig Fychan 123 13 Using this guidebook 6 6 Grading 7 22 Craig Wrysgan 123 Carnedd 12 Carnedd Moel-siabod 5 9 10 23 Upper Wrysgan 123 SNOWDON Crag Selector 8 Llyn Llydaw y Cribau 11 3 4 Flora & Fauna 10 24 Moel yr Hydd 123 A470 A5 Rhyd-Ddu Geology 14 25 Pinacl 123 Dolwyddelan Lledr Conwy The Slate Industry 18 26 Waterfall Slab 123 Llyn Gwynant 2 History of Moelwynion Climbing 20 27 Clogwyn yr Oen 123 1 Pentre 8 B4406 28 Carreg Keith 123 Yr Aran -bont Koselig Hour 28 Plas Gwynant Index of Climbs 000 29 Sleep Dancer Buttress 123 7 Penmachno A498 30 Clogwyn y Bustach 123 Cwm Lledr page 30 31 Craig Fach 123 A4085 Bwlch y Gorddinan (Crimea Pass) 1 Clogwyn yr Adar 32 32 Craig Newydd 123 Llyn Dinas MANOD & The TOWN QUARRIES MAP PAGE 123 Machno Ysbyty Ifan 2 Craig y Tonnau 36 33 Craig Stwlan 123 Beddgelert 44 34 Moelwyn Bach Summit Cliffs 123 Moel Penamnen 3 Craig Ddu 38 Y MOELWYNION MAP PAGE 123 35 Moelwyn Bach Summit Quarry 123 Carrog 4 Craig Ystumiau 44 24 29 Cnicht 47 36 Moelwyn Bach Summit Nose 123 Moel Hebog 5 Lone Buttress 48 43 46 B4407 25 30 41 Pen y Bedw Conwy 37 Moelwyn Bach Craig Ysgafn 123 42 Blaenau Ffestiniog 6 Daear Ddu 49 26 31 40 38 38 Craig Llyn Cwm Orthin Isaf 123 39 53 49 Llyn 7 Carreg Alltrem 54 27 32 48 50 22 Tanygrisiau CWM TEIGL MAP PAGE 123 Conwy 8 Craig Wen 61 39 Craig Llyn Cwm Orthin Uchaf 123 23 20 28 33 51 40 Foel Ddu 123 A4085 21 A496 9 Craig Pont y Pant 62 Croesor 14 41 Allt y Ceffylau 123 Moelwyn Mawr 15 10 Craig Rhiw Goch Uchaf 64 Bethania 19 Moel-ddu A470 42 Craig y Clipiau 123 MOELWYN BACH 11 Craig Rhiw Goch 66 52 43 Clogwyn Holland 123 A498 12 Clogwyn y Gigfran 68 34 35 36 37 16 17 MIGNEINT 44 Craig Fridd y Bwlch 123 45 g 18 13 Mynydd Bychan 70 i o n 45 Moelwyn Bach West Ridge 123 Glaslyn i s t f e F Ffestiniog o f Cwm Teigl page 123 Garreg Rhyd Va l e A487 Arenig Fach Manod & the Town Crags page 123 14 Clogwyn Garw 123 Llyn THE MIGNEINT MAP PAGE 123 Carnedd 46 Maenofferen Incline Walls 123 Tremadog Celyn 15 Carreg y Fran 123 Maentwrog Iago B4391 47 Maenofferen Plateau Walls 123 A487 48 Craig Dan Ysgol 123 Portmadog Penrhyndeudraeth Y Migneint page 123 49 Carreg Gwyn 123 A470 Llyn Arenig Fawr 16 Bryn Castell 123 50 Craig Nant Dwr Oer 123 ARENIG 17 Carreg y Foel Gron 123 51 Chwarel Manod 123 Llyn Arenig Fawr 18 Cerrig y Ieirch 123 52 Chwarel Ystradau 123 Trawsfynydd R 19 Craig Goch 123 53 Craig Bodychain 123 A5212 O Y S Trawsfynydd P R M 0 miles 1 2 Traeth Bach Talsarnau C W North 0 kilometres 5 RHINOGAU Cwt y Bugail Slate Quarry valley started in 1810 but there are in fact four Moelwynion Sarn Helen and The Romans well have been within its domain. Other marching The Quarry located at the head of Cwm Teigl separate slate quarries in Cwmorthin alone, A famous englyn (a very strict form of Welsh verse) Geoff Bennett camps, such as that opposite the Pen-y-Gwryd between Carreg y Fran and Clogwyn Garw is including Rhosydd at the very top of the cwm. dedicated to the Moelwynion was written by Hedd Hotel may or may not have been permanently famous, not only for its production of slate and A modern-day underground caving through-trip Wyn, the famous local poet who tragically died in the If you have ever trudged across the bleak bogs of manned. The strategic importance of this spot, the long internal tramway that carried completed can be made from here to the neighbouring battles of First World War, never knowing he’d won the the Moelwynion on a damp day, spare a thought commanding the routes inland from Caernarfon, slates all the way around the back of the Manod quarry of Croesor on the other side of the hill, National Eisteddfod Bardic Chair in 1917, still the only for the Roman legionaries who were stationed is underlined when you observe the position of Mawr mountain before descending to the involving a boat crossing of an underground lake! posthumously awarded bardic chair and known forev- here nearly two thousand years ago, some four WW2 pill boxes within 300m of the Roman railway station in the middle of Blaenau (literally Commercial slate production of any scale ceased er as the black chair! After the adjudicators announced of whom may well have come from the more camp, with one actually built into it! passing through the bouldering area known as before the second world war, but intermittent work the entry submitted under the pseudonym Fleur de pleasant climes of Spain and North Africa. The ‘the Sidings’), but also for its hidden history. The continued until this century at Cwmorthin mine. Lys was the winner, the trumpets were sounded for Romans had ruthlessly conquered the Ordovices, It is possible to follow what is left of Sarn hidden role of a remote Snowdonia slate mine in Cwmorthin mine was a notoriously dangerous the author to identify themselves. After three such and thus North Wales, by 80AD. The area was Helen on foot or MTB from Betws y Coed, up protecting priceless art from the Nazi bombers of mine to work in, and acquired the nickname ‘lla- summons, Archdruid Dyfed solemnly announced that of interest to them because of its mineral wealth. to Rhiwddolion and on through Pont-y-Pant to World War 2 is a little-known secret. dd-dy’ or ‘slaughterhouse’ due to the high levels the winner had been killed in action six weeks earlier. They certainly mined copper on the Orme & at Dolwyddelan. Ironically, the further settlement of fatalities and rockfalls. The empty chair was then draped in a black sheet. It Parys Mountain on Ynys Môn and though there is of Roman Bridge in the Lledr valley has in fact Many of the priceless pieces of art and sculptures was delivered to Hedd Wyn’s parents in the same con- no hard evidence, it is entirely possibly they also no Roman remains, let alone a Roman bridge, usually stored at the National Gallery in London A ‘Pelton Wheel’, a design of a hydro turbine dition, “the festival in tears and the poet in his grave”, did so at Llyn Llydaw, whilst gold was possibly but is named after the bridge over the Lledr in were secretly transferred to the mines to protect wheel with ‘cups’ to generate more power and as Archdruid Dyfed said. The festival is now referred to mined further south near Dolgellau. Dolwyddelan that carried Sarn Helen southwards which is now the standard design for most hydro them from the enemy bombers and the blitz. as “Eisteddfod y Gadair Ddu” through Cwm Penamnen, straight past and power turbines in the world, was first used to These included works by artists such as Titian, (“The Eisteddfod of the Black Chair”). Conquest was also part of the Roman form of under Carreg Alltrem and up over-looking Cwm generate power at the Cwmorthin Quarry and this Penmachno round the edges of the unpleasantly Michelangelo and Constable and included over Oerei drum, garw’idremynt - ywerioed, ‘offensive defence’: by conquering the Ordovices, can be seen in its restored state in situ in the copse wet Migneint to Llan Ffestiniog. From here the 2000 pieces of important and irreplaceable art- A’i rug iddo’nemrynt; the Moelwynion formed part of what was termed of wood before the ascent to Craig yr Wrysgan route maintained its southward direction to the work. Special airtight brick compartments and air Iachororpraidd a cherrynt the highland military zone, an area crossed by from Cwmorthin. quite extensive fort at Tomen y Mur, on a spur conditioning units were constructed underground A’igreigiau’norganau’rgwynt. military roads and protected at intervals by forts, in the mines of Cwt y Bugail to preserve the art- Clogwyn Holland which defended the civilian lowland zone to overlooking Llyn Trawsfynydd. Indeed it is only work and maintain perfect humidity levels. Plans In 1818 Samuel Holland was a Liverpool mer- Cold its ridges, harsh it’s demeanour – but always, the east and prevented attacks on the legionary by deviating from Sarn Helen that one can fully to transfer the art from London even led to roads chant who took a lease of land at Rhiwbryfdir on With its heather a purple hue; fortresses at Chester and Caerleon. appreciate how much more unpleasant the route and bridges along the route being altered to keep the outskirts of what became Blaenau Ffestiniog to ????????????????????????? would have been without the road! the works safe. prospect for slate. The lease was from the Oakley And its cliffs make organs for the winds. The road which linked these forts can still be seen family of Maentwrog and this initial prospecting and followed in places today and is known as At the end of the war, apparently, many of the grew to become the largest underground slate Sarn Helen.