Gors Lydan

About Gors Lydan

Rising from the trackless plateau of the Cambrian Mountains, this high moorland summit offers a sense of profound isolation. The terrain is typical of the 'Desert of Wales'—spongy peat hags and tussocky grass that demand a sturdy pair of boots. Reaching the top reveals a vast horizon including the distant Plynlimon range.

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Did You Know?

• •The name is Welsh in origin, with 'Gors' (a mutation of cors) meaning bog or marsh and 'Lydan' meaning broad or wide. It serves as a literal and honest description of the expansive, sodden moorland that characterises this part of the Cambrian range.
• •Situated in a remote stretch of Central Wales, the hill sits north of the Claerwen Reservoir in one of the most sparsely populated areas of the United Kingdom.
• •The summit provides an excellent vantage point to survey the surrounding wilderness, with clear views across to the high ground of Pen y Garn and the rolling, uninhabited hills that divide the Elan Valley from the Teifi Valley.
• •To qualify as a Hump, Gors Lydan must have at least one hundred metres of 'prominence', meaning it stands significantly clear of the surrounding landscape despite the deceptively level appearance of the high plateau.
• •Given the Welsh weather and the summit's name, the primary challenge of the ascent is rarely the gradient, but rather the strategic navigation required to avoid sinking into the local geography.