Glyder Fach is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

Snowdonia Snowdonia, or Eryri (), is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales Welsh 3000s, over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (), which i ...

, north-west

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, and is the second highest of the Glyderau and the sixth highest in Wales. Routes to the summit lead from

Tryfan Tryfan () is a mountain in the Ogwen Valley, Snowdonia, Wales. It forms part of the Glyderau group, and is one of the most recognisable peaks in Britain, having a classic pointed shape with rugged crags. At above sea level, it is the fifteent ...

and Bristly Ridge to the north, via

Glyder Fawr Glyder Fawr is a mountain in Snowdonia, Wales, the highest peak in the Glyderau range at just over 1,000 metres. It is the fifth-highest mountain in Wales and has several walking and scrambling routes leading to its summit. According to Sir I ...

from

Pen-y-Pass Pen-y-Pass is a mountain pass in Snowdonia, Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is a popular location from which to walk up Snowdon, as three of the popular routes (the Miners Track, the Pyg Track and the ascent via Crib Goch) can be started here. ...

to the south, and along the Glyder ridge to the east, towards

Capel Curig Capel Curig (; meaning " Curig's Chapel") is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Historically in Caernarfonshire, it lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy, and has a population of 226, reducing slightly to 206 ...

. It is a popular spot for climbers. According to Sir

Ifor Williams Sir Ifor Williams, (16 April 1881 – 4 November 1965) was a Welsh scholar who laid the foundations for the academic study of Old Welsh, particularly early Welsh poetry. Early life and education Ifor Williams was born at Pendinas, Tregarth nea ...

, the word "Glyder" derives from the Welsh word "Gludair", meaning a heap of stones. Situated near the summit is ''Y Gwyliwr'', a large rock which from the correct angle appears to be precariously balanced, making it a popular place for photographs. (The name means 'The Sentinel', but is usually anglicised as The Cantilever.) Another notable feature, west of the summit, is

Castell y Gwynt Castell y Gwynt is a top of Glyder Fach in Snowdonia, north-west Wales. It has the merit of being the only 3000 ft Welsh summit classed as only a Nuttall, hence it is not included in the Welsh 3000s. It has a prominence of 15.7 m (51.5 ft), a ...

, a spiky rocky outcrop.Nuttall, John & Anne (1999). ''The Mountains of England & Wales - Volume 1: Wales (2nd edition ed.)''. Milnthorpe, Cumbria: Cicerone. . The Cantilever

Bristly Ridge

Bristly Ridge ( Welsh: Y Grib Bigog) is a

scramble Scramble, Scrambled, or Scrambling may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Scramble'' (film), a 1970 British children's sports drama * ''Scrambled'' (film), a 2023 American comedy-drama * ''Scrambled!'', a British children' ...

. It is located on the north side of Glyder Fach. Consensus puts the difficulty at Grade 1, but it is at the upper end of the grade and some lines qualify as Grade 2. There are some exposed and steep sections of climbing, particularly the upper pitch of Main Gully (also sometimes known as Dexter Gully) and the direct descent into Great Pinnacle Gap. However these sections may be by-passed in favour of easier lines (e.g., Sinister Gully may be ascended instead of Main Gully; an easier descent into Great Pinnacle Gap can be found on the left (east) side by crossing a sloping slab), reducing the overall difficulty to Grade 1.Bristly Ridge
A Fellwalker in East Anglia

Incidental Information

"Castell y Gwynt" and the "Cantilever Stone" featured in

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

's 1981 movie

Dragonslayer A dragonslayer is a person or being that slays dragons. Dragonslayers and the creatures they hunt have been popular in traditional stories from around the world: they are a type of story classified as type 300 in the Aarne–Thompson classifica ...

; this was one entrance to the Dragon's lair. Glyder Fach and

are mentioned in, and form part of the setting for, the

Half Man Half Biscuit Half Man Half Biscuit are an English rock band, formed in 1984 in Birkenhead, Merseyside. Known for their satirical, sardonic, and sometimes surreal songs, the band comprises lead singer and guitarist Nigel Blackwell, bassist and singer Neil Cr ...

song "Evening Of Swing (Has Been Cancelled)".

External links

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Glyder Fach

Glyder Fach Routes and summit Photographs

References

{{coord, 53.10491, N, 4.00905, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SH656583), display=title Hewitts of Wales Mountains and hills of Snowdonia Nuttalls Mountains and hills of Conwy County Borough Furths Capel Curig