Abandoned Landscapes - Snowdon Gwynedd

Submitted by TimPrevett on Monday, 09 October 2006 Page Views: 6981

Country: Wales County: Gwynedd
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PART 2: EXPLORING THE HIGH GROUND
Snowdon

Some of the best mountain and landscape writers in the English language have used their gifts to describe the Snowdon range. What is there left to say about the archetypal 'mountain' shape of Yr Wyfdda?

Its emblematic status as the heart of Northern Wales; the legends and its more recent history as a focus for tourists, walkers and climbers? No, I have nothing new to offer here; rather my intention is to peer through this thick accumulation of familiar knowledge and examine the archaeological geography of this massif.

Roughly rectangular in shape, it covers an area of about 85 sq. km with three of the four sides formed by deep glacial valleys. The internal topography is dominated by Yr Wyfdda, the peak commonly referred to as Snowdon, which sits in the centre, from which several ridges radiate creating the broad divisions of its territorial structure.

A good deal of the terrain is high, rocky and mountainous, whilst lower down it is often steep, or boggy and poorly drained. On the fringes of this unwelcoming environment and in the cwms which penetrate deep into the range there is much evidence for human usage and settlement, with homesteads and hut sites up to about 350m, with sheepfolds and shelters being fairly common, even in rough terrain, up to about 500m. Despite its physical grandeur and symbolic importance the Snowdon massif does not lie adjacent to or across any of the really major prehistoric zones of movement (although there are some fascinating routeways and passes which are described below), and this ancient isolation combined with its ruggedness may explain the relative paucity of prehistoric evidence such as Neolithic tombs, Bronze Age cairns or ritual sites.

Before venturing into this place, we should first consider the natural boundaries in more detail. The North West edge is the least well-defined, perhaps being located on the far side of the minor hill of Cefn Du, now marked by the minor road between Llanrug and Waunfawr only three or four miles from Caernarvon. Being low and adjacent to the coastal lowland, the northern slopes of Cefn Du have a concentration of prehistoric sites including a standing stone, burnt mounds, hut circles and early field walls. Its most northerly point is marked by a small hillfort, Caer Carreg-y Fran (site 1, 547627) RCHMW 1960 216-7, site 1314).

From this edge we enter the broad Llanberis valley, the bottom of which is now occupied by Lyn Padarn, Llyn Peris and the slate-quarrying town of Llanberis. This is an historically important location; to the west is a natural breach across the hills at Bwlch y Groes, between Cefn Ddu and the main range which provides passage between the Llanberis valley and the coast (site 2). Standing above the town beside the entrance to the pass is Dinas, another small hillfort (site 3, 566598; RCHMW 1960, 169 site 1136). Accessible from here is the series of upland cwms which form a naturally-bounded zone below the curving ridge of Moel Eilio. This 'Llanberis territory' is the main subject of the outing described below. An obviously ancient route runs almost directly south from Llanberis through this territory over Bwlch Maesgwym and into the parallel valley of Nant y Betws near Ryhd Du (site 4, see below).

Beyond Llanberis to the south east, the main valley narrows and rears up as we reach the old settlement of Nant Peris, sited at the upland/lowland boundary. The next three miles take us through the Pass of Llanberis, an unbroken narrow tract with rocky outcrops rising hundreds of feet on either side. Even despoiled by the tarmac road and the lines of fume-belching cars, travelling through here is one of the most inspiring experiences encountered in Snowdonia [note 1].

Here and there the terrain on either side of the pass is tame enough to have provided sufficient usable land to support settlements and farmsteads. Nant Peris is the main settlement but there are also isolated sites such as Ynys Ettws where stone-walled fields struggle up the slope and into Cwm glas Mawr.(622568) and near Pont y Gromlech (site 5, 626 566). At the latter there is a small probable prehistoric round hut, and recent survey and excavation on the remains of a rectangular house close by showed it was of probable Medieval origin with a single room with a hearth on a stone slab at the uphill end, being abandoned and then modified and reused in the 18th or 19th century. This reminds us of the tendency for reuse of favoured settlement sites near communication routes in a land where good locations are restricted (AIW 37 1997, 93-4).

The head of the valley is reached at Pen y Pass, now the most popular starting point for the serious walking routes up Yr Wyfdda via the Miners Track, the Pig track and the famous scramble round the 'Snowdon Horseshoe'. A youth hostel, information centre and a substantial car park contrive to make this a busy spot but its former barren isolation can still be tasted in foul weather and out of season. The modern road descends and then kinks north east to Pen y Gwryd, where the celebrated hotel (the centre of 19th and earlier 20th century climbing in Snowdonia) sits inside the earthwork defences of a Roman marching camp. It then makes a hairpin bend southwards into Nant Gwynant, which form the south east side of the range. Extending for six miles this vale is broader and much gentler than the Llanberis pass, being at least 500m wide in places, enticing settlement, ancient and current, along its basin.

Two of Yr Wyfdda's important cwms open into this valley, both of which offer tracts of land suitable for stock farming. The first and largest is Cwm Dyli, a secluded Elysium, which to my mind is the most evocative place in all North Wales. Perhaps surprisingly there is no defended prehistoric site associated with this catchment area.

Further down is Cwm y Llan, a harsher and more enclosed landscape. Continuing south west along Nant Gwynant, the mountain slopes are generally turf-covered but tend to be steep, wet and unattractive. A mile or so before the end of Nant Gwynant stands the important Iron Age and Dark Age and Medieval defended site of Dinas Emrys which must owe part of its importance to its strategic position at a narrowing of this green valley (site 6, 606492; RCHMW 1960 25-6 site 742). A little further on, where the vale meets the valley of the Colwyn, stands Dinas, another small hillfort, which overlooks the touristic village of Bedgellert (9592488; RCHMW 1960 25 site 743). A noticeable quantity of Bronze Age metalwork has been found in this general area, much of it probably ritually deposited, hinting that this was an area of activity and significance during this period [note 2].

From here we follow the north west side of the range along Nant Colwyn and Nant Betwys north west until we reach our starting point on the coastal plain at Waunfawr. This valley is broadly similar to Nant Gwynant, with a relatively wide, fertile floor, partly occupied by Llyn Cwellyn, with fields and farmsteads struggling up the valley sides. But there is no Cwm Dyli to relieve the tedious expanse of water-sodden pasture on the often steep mountain slopes higher up. Undoubtedly the lonely glacial amphitheatre of Cwm Clogwyn is a place of sombre grandeur but at over 500m and in the dark shadow of the great ridges curving down from Yr Wyfdda, it is perhaps too unwelcoming to have offered more than summer pasture.

The four ancient passes across the massif form a sparse web of communication. As mentioned above, Pen y Bwlch (site 2) is a straightforward low level pass from the Llanberis valley to the coastal plain. The other three all converge at Rhyd Ddu in Nant y Betwys, a nodal point providing communications up and down the valley and also west to the coast along the Nantlle valley (site 7, 570530). The most significant crossing was Bwlch Maesgwm (site 4), giving passage from here to the Llanberis valley, whilst Bwlch Cwm Brwynog (site 8) offers a longer variation on this route and was probably only of very localised use. Bwlch Cwm y Llan provides a 'short cut' to Nant Gwynant through Cwm y Llan (site 9). None of the passes has marker cairns or other indications of symbolic attention, suggesting they were not regarded as significant routes, at least in Neolithic or Bronze Age times, and only Pen y Bwlch appears to have merited a defended settlement.

Note 1: Waddilove thought that a Roman military road from Caer Llugwy (in the Conwy Valley) ran past the Pen y Gryd marching camp, along the Llanberis Pass, over Bwlch-Y-Groes and then to Segontium (Caernarvon) (Waddilove 1999 279-93).

Note 2: A bronze axehead from the 'top of Dinas lake' (620500), a leaf-shaped sword (624476), another sword (574488) and a hoard of 'about 50 short swords or daggers (594483) (RCHMW 1960 xli-lv)]

See here for contents page, or here for the bibliography.

Note: This is part of an original series of articles written by archaeologist M M Robinson.

Contributor Bio for TimPrevett: Based in Warrington, contributing since 2012. Favourite site: Taversoe Tuick. Occupation: Creative Media.

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