Penglais

About Penglais

Perched above Aberystwyth, Penglais is less of a rugged wilderness and more of a scholarly ascent. Home to a university and the National Library, it is the only Welsh 'fell' where you are more likely to encounter a frantic academic than a wandering ewe.

Key Statistics

Find It

Did You Know?

• •The hill is home to the imposing National Library of Wales, a legal deposit library that guards over 6.5 million books and various national treasures within its grand walls.
• •Penglais Woods sits on the slope, an ancient woodland and former quarry site that now provides a peaceful, bluebell-filled escape from the busy university campus and surrounding town.
• •The area is the local stomping ground of Welsh international footballer Rhys Norrington-Davies, who grew up in the nearby village of Bow Street before ascending to the professional ranks.
• •The summit offers a magnificent panorama of Cardigan Bay, a view so distracting it has been blamed for decades of missed student lectures and general academic procrastination.
• •While technically classified as a 'TuMP' hill, most locals consider the ascent of Penglais Hill less of a hike and more of a vertical survival test for car clutches and student lungs.