Uploads from AdarglasPhotos, with geodata

Frozen Snow-covered Llyn Ogwen (Eryri)

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:16:29 -0700

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Llyn Ogwen where the Carneddau meet the Glyderau on the Conwy-Gwynedd border

Nant Ffrancon Valley (Snowdonia)

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:16:32 -0700

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Early spring and snow lays all around the Ogwen valley and both sides on the Carneddau and Glyderau

Llyn Crafnant and Snowdonia from Ardda

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 10:06:28 -0800

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Llyn Crafnant is a lake that lies in a beautiful valley in North Wales where the northern edge of the Gwydir Forest meets the lower slopes of the Carneddau mountains and, more specifically, the ridge of Cefn Cyfarwydd. The head of the valley offers a profile of crags which are silhouetted at sunset, and many people regard the lake as one of the most beautiful spots in North Wales. Indeed, the Forest Park guide (2002) states that "the (view along Llyn Crafnant) is one of the most breathtaking views in all Snowdonia". At 63 acres (250,000 m2) it is the best part of a mile long, although it was clearly once much longer - its southern end shows the evidence of centuries of silting. Jehu’s survey (see references) recorded a maximum depth of 71 ft (22 m).
Crafnant takes its name from “craf”, an old Welsh word for garlic, and “nant”, a stream or valley. Even today the valley of Afon Crafnant smells of wild garlic when it flowers.
The lake can be reached by car only from Trefriw in the Conwy valley, though many visitors walk there from the village or from the neighbouring lake of Llyn Geirionydd, which runs parallel to it, but a mile distant, the two being separated by Mynydd Deulyn – “mountain of the two lakes”. Walkers can also approach the lake from Capel Curig.
There is a Forestry Commission car park with toilets, which is reached just before the lake itself, and the lakeside cafe (open from Easter until late summer) offers car parking for patrons. The lake is a popular fishing spot, and is kept stocked with brown trout and rainbow trout. From the cafe it is possible to hire boats for fishing or for pleasure. Private boating and swimming is not permitted.
The lake is a reservoir, and was dammed at its northern end in 1874, but the dam itself is barely visible as the outflow plunges down steeply from it. By the outflow is an obelisk, erected in 1896 by the inhabitants of Llanrwst which commemorates "the gift to that town of this lake with 19 acres (77,000 m2) of land" by Richard James. The fact that the lake no longer serves this purpose means that the inhabitants of Llanrwst and Trefriw have nowadays to pay for their water like everyone else. The lake is leased to the owners of what is now the cafe.
In the upper part of the valley there is no mains water connection and during the particularly dry summer of 2006 many properties were without water.
The River Crafnant ("Afon Crafnant" in Welsh) joins the River Conwy at Trefriw, but not before some of it has been diverted to pass through the woollen mills to generate hydro-electricity for the mill.
Cornel , a large property in 25 acres (100,000 m2) on the southern banks of the lake, is owned and operated by the Welsh Scout Council.
Areas around the lake were used for location shots in the 1981 fantasy movie Dragonslayer and the lake also appeared briefly in the 1966 film Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment.

Tumbling into Afon Ogwen

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 05:43:48 -0800

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A number of small streams flow into Llyn Idwal from around Cwm Idwal. One small river flows out and joins the Afon Ogwen river at Pont Pen-y-Benglog near Ogwen Cottage, immediately above the Rhaeadr Ogwen waterfall.

Llandudno & The Great Orme from the ruins of Deganwy Castle

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 22:35:46 -0800

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This view taken from the ruins of Deganwy Castle looks towards the Victorian seaside resort of Llandudno and the Great Orme Headland, Pen y Gogarth.

Deganwy Castle (Medieval Latin: Arx Deganhui;[1] Middle Welsh: Caer Ddegannwy; Modern Welsh: Castell Degannwy) was an early stronghold of Gwynedd and lies at the mouth of the River Conwy in Conwy, north Wales. It lies at an elevation of 108 m (354 ft) above sea level on a volcanic plug

The Dark Age fortress, which is now little more than ditches and mounds, was formerly made of wood and constructed on a massive rock outcrop in what is now the suburbs of modern Llandudno. Traditionally, it was the headquarters of Maelgwn Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd (fl. c. 520–547). A nearby hill is called Bryn Maelgwyn and other places in the locality are associated with him. An important coin hoard of 204 Silver Cnut Pennies were found here in July 1979.

Ruins and features of the main entrance to Deganwy Castle seen from one of the "towers"
Deganwy was probably first occupied during the Roman period, but was popular in the years following their departure because it was safe from Irish raids. The area beneath the rocky stronghold may have been the site of a settlement of serfs. The stronghold was destroyed when struck by lightning around the year 860.[2]
The castle was rebuilt in stone for King Henry III of England, but was abandoned and finally destroyed by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales in 1263. Conwy Castle was later constructed just across the estuary.
When the ruins were excavated by archaeologist Leslie Alcock in the 1960s a dozen sherds of Dark Age pottery which had been imported from the Mediterranean were discovered indicating the far-reaching contacts of Gwynedd's royal dynasty.

Llandudno (Welsh pronunciation: [ɬanˈdɪdnɔ]) is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community.[1]
Llandudno, "Queen of the Welsh Resorts", a title first implied as early as 1864,[2] is now the largest seaside resort in Wales, and lies on a flat isthmus of sand between the Welsh mainland and the Great Orme peninsula. Historically a part of Caernarfonshire, Llandudno was formerly in the district of Aberconwy within Gwynedd.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Llandudno

Happy Valentines from this heart shaped Welsh Swan!

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 23:30:30 -0800

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Wintry Slopes of Tal y Fan ( Carneddau) from Roman road

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 08:17:39 -0800

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Tal y Fan is 610 m high, and lies mid-way between the Conwy valley to the east and Penmaenmawr on the coast to the north-west. It is the most northerly 2000 ft summit in Wales.
Bwlch y Ddeufaen separates Tal y Fan from the main Carneddau ridge, the closest summit on which is Carnedd y Ddelw. Pen y Castell is directly opposite to the south.

The Roman Road from which this is taken runs below the summit - extract from Wales directory.com

Roman Road in Wales
The Roman Road above Rowen is part of the route from the Roman Fort of Segontium in Caernarfon to the Fort at Deva (Chester). The route is 74 (Roman) miles long with stations at the forts of Canovium (Caerhun on the banks of the Conwy River) and Varis (presumed to be St Asaph on the banks of the River Elwy).

The road had been a regular route through the mountains for many centuries before the Roman occupation of Britain as evidenced by the abundance of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments to be found in this section of the Welsh Uplands. Ancient hut-circles, burial chambers and standing stones abound alongside the Roman Road, including the Maen y Bardd burial chamber and the standing stones of Bwlch y Ddeufaen.

Although the Romans followed the general direction of the ancient track, they altered the line of the road wherever they thought it necessary. Later alterations to the line of the road have left parts of the Roman Road visible to this day, including a roughly 850m stretch of road/trackway running generally west-north-west from the car park at Bwlch y Ddeufaen (SH72097154 to SH71277188).

Following the Bwlch y Ddeufaen section the road is next seen with any certainty some 5.5km to the west-north-west, at Madryn, between Abergwyngregyn and Llanfairfechan, close to the find-spot of a Roman milestone.

The Roman road is 4.5m wide and appears as either a shelf cut into the hillside (visible to the east of the Bwlch y Ddeufaen car park where the Roman line is above the more modern road) or as a raised bank.

No less than four Roman Milestones from the Caerhun to Aber section have survived, with three to be seen in Bangor Museum. Two stones, dated AD 121 and AD 208 respectively, were found at Rhiwiau Uchaf (SH679727 - west of Coed Rhiwiau). Another, at Madryn (between Abergwyngregyn and Llanfairfechan) was dated AD 262, while another, dated to the fourth century AD, was found to the east of the pass at Bwlch y Ddeufaen (SH719716). ....

From Llyn Idwal to Afon Ogwen, Snowdonia

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:38:25 -0800

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Dusk today, winters evening - A number of small streams flow into Llyn Idwal from around Cwm Idwal. One small river flows out and joins the Afon Ogwen river at Pont Pen-y-Benglog near Ogwen Cottage, immediately above the Rhaeadr Ogwen waterfall.

Nant Ffrancon Snowdonia

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 07:35:00 -0800

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The Nant Ffrancon Pass in Snowdonia, North Wales, is the long steady climb of the A5 road between Bethesda, Gwynedd, and Llyn Ogwen in Conwy. The summit at 312 metres (1,024 ft) is at Pont Wern-gof, about one-third of a mile beyond the eastern end of Llyn Ogwen. From here the road descends through Nant y Benglog to Capel Curig and through to Betws-y-Coed. The A5 is the Holyhead to London trunk road, which was re-engineered by Thomas Telford between 1810 and 1826. The original road through the Nant Ffrancon was constructed by Lord Penrhyn in the late 18th century, and at Capel Curig in 1801 he built a coaching inn, which is now Plas y Brenin, the UK National Mountaineering Centre.
Nant Ffrancon (Valley of the Beavers) itself is a steep-sided glacial valley dropping to Bethesda between the Glyderau and the Carneddau. The valley starts in Cwm Idwal, carrying water from Llyn-y-Cwn through the Devil’s Kitchen and Llyn Idwal to join the Ogwen Valley below the Ogwen Falls on Afon Ogwen. Unlike Lord Penrhyn’s road, which largely followed the valley floor, Telford carved much of his road out of the north-eastern slopes of the Nant Ffrancon, thereby encountering difficulties in construction and future maintenance. But this enabled Telford to observe a maximum grade of 1 in 14 along the whole route from London to Holyhead in order to facilitate the operation of horse drawn mail coaches throughout.
It has been frequently used as a filming location for British film-makers, including doubling for the Khyber Pass in the Carry On film Carry On up the Khyber, and doubling for the Himalayas in the Doctor Who serial The Abominable Snowmen. The Pass was also used as a location in the 1950s film Inn Of The Sixth Happiness.

Peeping Tryfan , Under A5 sitting on old Roman Bridge just visible

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 07:34:59 -0800

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Iclimbed under the road bridge that takes the A5 road over the Afon Ogwen at the top of the Nant Ffrancon pass to get this shot of Tryfan peeping out. Under the bridge still in place is the smaller Roman bridge on which I lay down to take the shot.

Tryfan is a mountain in the Ogwen valley, Snowdonia, Wales. It forms part of the Glyderau group, and is one of the most famous and recognisable peaks in Britain, having a classic pointed shape with rugged crags. At 3,010 feet above sea level it is the fifteenth highest mountain in Wales.
Between the mid-1980s and June 2010, its accepted height was 3,002 ft. However it was resurveyed using accurate GPS measurements and found to be eight feet higher.Until the 1980s, Ordnance Survey maps gave its height as 3,010 ft, and so the new measurement confirms that the earlier survey was correct.

The Afon Ogwen (Welsh, meaning River Ogwen in English) is a river in north-west Wales draining from some of the greatest peaks in Snowdonia before discharging to the sea on the eastern side of Bangor, Gwynedd.

Ogwen, Snowdonia

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 07:35:03 -0800

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Moelwyn Morning

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:56:26 -0800

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Another old photo been looking at- taken early winters morning on the walk up to Cwmorthin from Tan y Grisiau looking back towards Ffestiniog power station and Southern Snowfonia.

Sunrise at Llyn Ogwen; Snowdonia North Wales

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:15:31 -0800

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An old photo taken an early Sunday morning at Llyn Ogwen I've messed about with a bit.

Dramatic Llyn Ogwen, one of the most popular lakes in Wales, is situated south of Bangor, and lies between the two mountain ranges of the Carneddau and the Glyderau. It stands at the head of the Nant Ffrancon Valley approx. four miles from the village of Bethesda.

Camera Phone Shot- forgot Camera! ABER FALLS

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 01:24:26 -0700

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Rhaeadr Fawr - the larger of the two waterfalls that make Aber Falls on the lower slopes of the Carneddau mountains. The water runs down from Drum and Foel Fras then cascades over the rocks. The river runs through the village of Abergwyngregyn emptying at the Menai Straits.

How can you forget your camera, leaving it in the boot going somewhere so beautiful aaaarrrgghhh!

Llyn Ogwen (Snowdonia)

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:16:32 -0700

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Llyn Ogwen at the head of Nant Ffrancon and in the shadow of Tryfan. A good foot of snow and drifts metres high Llyn Ogwen is frozen and snow covered. Both the Varneddau and Glyderau meet at this point and are snow white.

Carneddau Mountains from the Cowlyd Valley; North Wales

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 10:06:05 -0800

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The Carneddau (lit. "the cairns"; Carneddau is a Welsh plural form, and is sometimes anglicised to Carnedds), are a group of mountains in Snowdonia, Wales. It includes the largest contiguous areas of high ground (over 2,500 or 3,000 feet (910 m) high) in Wales and England, as well as six or seven of the highest peaks in the country—the Fourteen Peaks. The range also encloses a number of lakes such as Llyn Cowlyd and Llyn Eigiau, and the Aber Falls waterfalls. It is delimited by the Irish Sea to the north, the Conwy valley to the east, and by the A5 road from Betws-y-Coed to Bethesda to the south and west.
It was in a bog in the northern foothills of Bera Mawr - at a place called Nanhysglain - where Prince Dafydd ap Gruffudd and his family were captured in June 1283. In October Dafydd was executed in Shrewsbury. This ended the 700 year rule of Gwynedd by the family descended from Cunedda Wledig.
The peaks in the central Carnedd ridge are:
Pen yr Ole Wen (978 m)
Carnedd Dafydd (1044 m)
Carnedd Llewelyn (1064 m)
Yr Elen (962 m)
Foel Grach (976 m)
Garnedd Uchaf (926 m)
Foel-fras (942 m)
In September 2009 the peak referred to as Garnedd Uchaf was renamed Carnedd Gwenllian following a campaign by the Gwenllian Society to honour Princess Gwenllian, the daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales.
The Carneddau range is home to the UK's only population of wild horses.

Afon Ogwen; Eryri (Snowdonia)

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 05:43:34 -0800

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The Afon Ogwen (Welsh, meaning River Ogwen in English) is a river in north-west Wales draining from some of the greatest peaks in Snowdonia before discharging to the sea on the eastern side of Bangor, Gwynedd.

The main source of the Ogwen is in Llyn Ogwen, which is situated alongside the A5 road as it starts to descend through Snowdonia. However, the true source of the river lies in the three streams draining into Llyn Ogwen. These are Nant Gwern y Gof, Afon Denau, and Afon Lloer which itself has its source in the upland lake, Ffynnon Lloer.
[edit]Waterfalls

The Ogwen emerging at the western end of Llyn Ogwen immediately descends cataracts and waterfalls, known as Ogwen Falls in English and Rhaeadr Ogwen in Welsh, before continuing in a north-north-westerly direction down the glaciated Nant Ffrancon valley.
[edit]Re-Engineered

In the 1950s and 1960s, this stretch of the river was re-engineered to try to help drain the adjoining farmland. However, the beneficial effects were not significant and the ecological damage was great. In the 1990s, the Environment Agency, working with partners including the Countryside Council for Wales and farming groups, re-engineered the river to recreate pools and riffles with the intention of allowing the river to re-gain its original form and diversity of wildlife.
As the river continues northwards, it passes close to the great waste tips of slate produced by the Penrhyn slate quarry and then past a caravan site where the remains of a long abandoned watermill and mill pond still exist. Passing Braichmelyn village on its eastern bank, it is joined by the substantial tributary, the Afon Caseg, which drains a large area of the Carneddau mountains. The course turns slightly more westwards as the river passes through Bethesda and becomes progressively more wooded and more deeply cut providing some white water conditions enjoyed by canoeists.
The widening river then follows an abandoned railway line (now a cycle path) through a woodland valley crossing under the main north Wales coast line and the A55 before discharging to the Menai Strait at Aberogwen, near Bangor.

Conwy, it's Castle & River (from the ruins of Deganwy Castle) North Wales

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:38:16 -0800

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This view taken from the ruins of Deganwy Castle looks along the Conwy estuary to the quayside, Conwy Castle, the three famous bridges and the River Conwy.

Deganwy Castle (Medieval Latin: Arx Deganhui;[1] Middle Welsh: Caer Ddegannwy; Modern Welsh: Castell Degannwy) was an early stronghold of Gwynedd and lies at the mouth of the River Conwy in Conwy, north Wales. It lies at an elevation of 108 m (354 ft) above sea level on a volcanic plug

The Dark Age fortress, which is now little more than ditches and mounds, was formerly made of wood and constructed on a massive rock outcrop in what is now the suburbs of modern Llandudno. Traditionally, it was the headquarters of Maelgwn Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd (fl. c. 520–547). A nearby hill is called Bryn Maelgwyn and other places in the locality are associated with him. An important coin hoard of 204 Silver Cnut Pennies were found here in July 1979.

Ruins and features of the main entrance to Deganwy Castle seen from one of the "towers"
Deganwy was probably first occupied during the Roman period, but was popular in the years following their departure because it was safe from Irish raids. The area beneath the rocky stronghold may have been the site of a settlement of serfs. The stronghold was destroyed when struck by lightning around the year 860.[2]
The castle was rebuilt in stone for King Henry III of England, but was abandoned and finally destroyed by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales in 1263. Conwy Castle was later constructed just across the estuary.
When the ruins were excavated by archaeologist Leslie Alcock in the 1960s a dozen sherds of Dark Age pottery which had been imported from the Mediterranean were discovered indicating the far-reaching contacts of Gwynedd's royal dynasty.

The River Conwy (Welsh: Afon Conwy) is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is a little over 27 miles (43 km) long. "Conwy" is sometimes Anglicized as "Conway."
It rises on the Migneint moor where a number of small streams flow into Llyn Conwy, then flows in a generally northern direction, being joined by the tributaries of the rivers Machno and Lledr before reaching Betws-y-Coed, where it is also joined by the River Llugwy. From Betws-y-coed the river continues to flow north through Llanrwst, Trefriw (where it is joined by the Afon Crafnant) and Dolgarrog (where it is joined by Afon Porth-llwyd and Afon Ddu) before reaching Conwy Bay at Conwy. During spring tides the river is tidal as far as Llanrwst.

Cwm Idwal - River running into Afon Ogwen

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 11:38:22 -0800

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Dusk today - A number of small streams flow into Llyn Idwal from around Cwm Idwal. One small river flows out and joins the Afon Ogwen river at Pont Pen-y-Benglog near Ogwen Cottage, immediately above the Rhaeadr Ogwen waterfall

Sychnant Pass nr Conwy, North Wales

nobody@flickr.com (AdarglasPhotos) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 06:23:07 -0800

AdarglasPhotos posted a photo:

This morning taking my car for service I took the scenic route to hopefully grab a photo opportunity. A quick clamber up the hill behind the pull in gave me the opportunity to crouch behind a gorse bush in gale force winds and grab this shot.

Sychnant Pass (Welsh: Bwlch Sychnant, "Dry-stream Pass") in Conwy County Borough, Wales, links Conwy to Penmaenmawr via Dwygyfylchi. Much of the pass is in Snowdonia National Park, and a large area of land within it has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Before the coming of the railway to the North Wales coast, the road through Sychnant Pass was the route of choice for mail coaches at high tide, when the faster and safer route along the sands was unusable. After leaving Conwy, the route runs westward through the valley on the south side of Mynydd y Dref (Conwy Mountain), which is topped by Neolithic hut circles and the hillfort of Castell Caer Seion. There are parallel tracks and footpaths (including the North Wales Path) on Mynydd y Dref for most of the way.
At the western end of the valley, the Sychnant Pass Road runs between the stone walls of the Pensychnant estate and through a narrow gap in the surrounding hills before descending steeply to the valley floor at Capelulo, reputedly the site of an early medieval chapel of Saint Ulo. Here there are two inns, a restaurant and a bistro, and in the ravine behind the inns is Nant Ddaear-y-Llwynog (the Fairy Glen), a "Victorian" nature trail. From Capelulo it is an easy walk or short drive to the coast at Penmaenmawr.