Llanberis Pass
TheLlanberis Pass(Welsh:Bwlch Llanberis;alternative English name,Pass of Llanberis) inSnowdoniacarries the main road (A4086) from the south-east toLlanberis,overPen-y-Pass,between the mountain ranges of theGlyderauand theSnowdonmassif. At the bottom of the pass is the small village of Nant Peris.
Geography[edit]
The Llanberis Pass lies between the mountain massifs ofSnowdonand theGlyderauin the county ofGwynedd,in northwestern Wales. The summit of the pass is 359 m (1,178 ft) above sea level, and is the site of thePen-y-Pass Hotel,now aYouth Hostel.[1]The Nant Peris valley lies to the northwest descending to the town ofLlanberis,theLlyn PerisandLlyn Padarnlakes and continues on as theAfon RhythallttoCaernarfonand theMenai Strait.The valley is narrow, straight and steep-sided, with rocky crags and boulders on either side of the road.[2]
About one mile to the east of Pen-y-Pass is thePen-y-Gwryd Hotel.To the east of this are the headwaters of theDyffryn Mymbyr,a tributary of theRiver Llugwywhich it joins atCapel Curig.To the south of Pen-y-gwryd are the headwaters of theAfon Glaslynwhich flows southwestwards towardsBeddgelert.[2]
Rock climbing[edit]
Many fine crags are easily accessible from the road, and the area is very popular withrock climbers.[3]On the north side, the principal crags are:Dinas y Gromlech(bearing the famous line ofCenotaph Corner), Carreg Wastad (flat rock), Clogwyn y Grochan (these are together called the Three Cliffs); and further down the valley, Craig Ddu (black rock). On the south side, the principal 'roadside' cliff is Dinas Mot.[4]
The Cromlech Boulders are used forbouldering.These roadside boulders were saved from destruction in a 1973 road widening scheme by a six-year protest by local people, climbers, historians, conservationists, and geologists.[5]
Climbers particularly associated with the area includeJohn Menlove Edwards(in the 1930s and 1940s),Joe Brown(in the 1950s and 1960s),Ron FawcettandPeter Livesey(in the 1970s), andJohnny Dawes,Jerry MoffattandJohn Redhead(in the 1980s). TheBritish 1953 Mount Everest expeditionalso trained in the area, and were based at thePen-y-GwrydHotel at the eastern end of the pass.[6]
Access[edit]
At Pen-y-Pass there is a car park and a cafe, and three different footpaths set off up Snowdon, as well as two others to the east leading to the summits ofGlyder FawrandGlyder Fach.the car park is usually full and a shuttle bus service from Llanberis, with apark and rideruns from near the Vaynol Arms.[7]The Snowdonia Sherpa bus service network run byExpress MotorsandGHA Coachesoperates frequent services betweenBetws-y-Coed,Capel Curig,Pen-y-Gwryd and Pen-y-Pass and also between Pen-y-Pass, Nant Peris (where there are park and ride facilities) and Llanberis.[6]
See also[edit]
- Clogwyn Du'r Arddu,a mountain crag in Snowdonia
- Dinorwic quarry,a slate climbing area near Llanberis
References[edit]
- ^Kendall, Alex (2017).The Snowdonia Way: A walking route through Snowdonia from Machynlleth to Conwy.Cicerone Press. p. 123.ISBN978-1-783-62454-6.
- ^abLandranger 115: Snowdon & surrounding area.Ordnance Survey.ISBN0-319-22115-6.
- ^"The Llanberis Pass".Snowdonia Mountain Guide.Retrieved3 October2023.
- ^Reeves, Mark (1 March 2010)."Llanberis Pass - The fast-beating heart of Welsh rock climbing".Retrieved30 April2016.
- ^Lloyd, Harvey (14 May 2004)."The battle of the boulder".Snowdonia: The adventure destination.Retrieved30 April2016.
- ^abWalley, Noel."Places around Pen-y-Pass".Retrieved1 May2016.
- ^Robert Andrews (2004).The Rough Guide to Britain: North Wales.Rough Guides. p. 876.ISBN978-1-84353-301-6.
External links[edit]
