Wales
Bryn-y-tail
403M
1323FT
About Bryn-y-tail
Rising above the Llyn Clywedog in the Pumlumon uplands, this grassy Tump offers a quiet perspective on mid-Wales. Its slopes are defined by the industrial legacy of 19th-century lead mining. The summit provides a clear, earned view across the reservoir toward the rolling moorland of Pen y Gurnos.
Key Statistics
Rank
529th Highest in Wales
Parent Range
Central Wales
Prominence
?
125.7m
Nearest Town
Y Fan
Geology
You are walking on layers of sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone. These rocks formed from ancient underwater landslides, creating the rugged foundation of this fell.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SN916874
Latitude
52.4737°N
Longitude
3.5973°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is Welsh, where 'Bryn' means hill and 'tail' typically refers to manure or muck, likely a reference to the waste 'tailings' produced by the lead mines on its slopes.
- •At the hill's foot lie the Bryntail Lead Mine buildings, a Cadw-managed site that preserves the 19th-century crushing floors used to process ore before it was transported to nearby Llanidloes.
- •The summit serves as a grandstand for viewing the 72-metre high Clywedog Dam, which was the tallest concrete gravity dam in Britain when it was completed in 1967.
- •Beyond the reservoir to the west, the horizon is dominated by the broad, peat-covered massif of Pumlumon Fawr, the highest point in the Cambrian Mountains.
- •Despite the name's earthy literal translation, the actual summit is a clean, breezy spot that feels far removed from the 'muck' suggested by its etymology.