Wales
Garnedd Fawr
569M
1867FT
About Garnedd Fawr
Situated within the wilder reaches of the Arenig range, this 569m summit provides a quieter vantage point than its more prominent neighbours. The landscape is characterized by the high, grassy moorland typical of central Eryri, offering clear, direct perspectives of the massive western face of Arenig Fawr and the distant Arans.
Key Statistics
Rank
216th Highest in Wales
Parent Range
Snowdonia
Prominence
?
47m
Nearest Town
Y Bala
Geology
You are walking on a base of siltstone and mudstone, layered with deposits of hardened volcanic ash.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
SH937423
Latitude
52.9675°N
Longitude
3.5842°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is Welsh, where Garnedd is a form of carnedd, meaning a cairn or stone mound, and fawr means large or great. This suggests the summit was historically recognized for a significant prehistoric burial monument or a prominent landmark cairn.
- •The hill sits on the eastern edge of the Migneint, one of the largest expanses of blanket bog in Wales. As a result, the approach is often a test of a walker's ability to pick a dry line through the notoriously soft terrain.
- •From the summit, the view to the north focuses on the deep blue waters of Llyn Celyn, the reservoir famously created in the 1960s to supply water to Liverpool.
- •Given its proximity to the wetter parts of the Migneint moors, the 'Great Cairn' implied by its name is frequently the only part of the summit plateau that isn't currently a swamp.