Dyffryn Mymbyr
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Dyffryn Mymbyr is a valley in
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 ...
, in 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 ...
, approximately in length, and leading up from
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 ...
to the
Pen-y-Gwryd Pen-y-Gwryd is a mountain pass, pass at the head of Nantygwryd and Nant Cynnyd rivers close to the foot of Snowdon in Gwynedd, Wales. The area is located at the junction of the A4086 road, A4086 from Capel Curig to Llanberis and Caernarfon and t ...
hotel. The river
Nantygwryd Dyffryn Mymbyr is a valley in Snowdonia, in north-west Wales, approximately in length, and leading up from Capel Curig to the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel. The river Nantygwryd, originally called Y Mymbyr in Llywelyn the Great's charter of 1198, starts ...
, originally called Y Mymbyr in
Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (, – 11 April 1240), also known as Llywelyn the Great (, ; ), was a medieval Welsh ruler. He succeeded his uncle, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, as King of Gwynedd in 1195. By a combination of war and diplomacy, he dominate ...
's charter of 1198, starts at Llyn Cwm-y-ffynnon, high above the
Pen-y-Gwryd Pen-y-Gwryd is a mountain pass, pass at the head of Nantygwryd and Nant Cynnyd rivers close to the foot of Snowdon in Gwynedd, Wales. The area is located at the junction of the A4086 road, A4086 from Capel Curig to Llanberis and Caernarfon and t ...
hotel, and flows into Llynnau Mymbyr going 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 ...
. The valley, like the river, lies both in
Gwynedd Gwynedd () is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The ci ...
and
Conwy County Borough Conwy County Borough () is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the north Wales, north of Wales. It borders Gwynedd to the west and south and Denbighshire to the east. The largest settlement is Colwyn Bay, and Conwy is the administrativ ...
. Today there are at least two active, hill rearing, sheep farms; Garth, featured in the 1967 BBC Wales documentary "Shepherds of Moel Siabod", and Cwm Farm. The area commands excellent views of the
Snowdon horseshoe Snowdon (), or (), is a mountain in Snowdonia in North Wales. It has an elevation of above sea level, which makes it both the highest mountain in Wales and the highest in the British Isles south of the Scottish Highlands. Snowdon i ...
, which (viewed left to right) takes in the peaks of
Y Lliwedd Y Lliwedd is a mountain, connected to Snowdon in the Snowdonia National Park, North Wales. Its summit lies above sea level. The eastern flanks are steep cliffs rising above Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw. Y Lliwedd is the most conspicuous of ...
,
Snowdon Snowdon (), or (), is a mountain in Snowdonia in North Wales. It has an elevation of above sea level, which makes it both the highest mountain in Wales and the highest in the British Isles south of the Scottish Highlands. Snowdon i ...
(Yr Wyddfa),
Crib Goch Crib Goch is a knife-edged arête in the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The name means "red ridge" in Welsh. The highest point on the arête is above sea level. All routes which tackle Crib Goch are considered mountaineering rou ...
and
Crib y Ddysgl Garnedd Ugain, also known as Crib-y-Ddysgl, is a pyramidal mountain in Wales that forms part of the Snowdon Massif. It is the second-highest peak in Wales, (Although with a far greater topographical prominence Carnedd Llywelyn is usually co ...
. The valley is the location of the Capel Curig weather station, which on many occasions has recorded the wettest weather in Wale


Literature from the Valley

Dyffryn Mymbyr is also the location of 'Dyffryn', the farm in Thomas Firbank's best-selling autobiographical novel (first published in 1940) entitled "I bought a mountain". In the book he describes life in Dyffryn Mymbyr after he bought the farm in 1931 when he was just 21. The farm included the southern slopes of the Glyders, and neither Firbank nor his wife, Esme, whom he married in 1934, had any previous experience of farming. However, they succeeded in winning the respect of their employees and neighbours, and slowly built up a healthy stock of 3000 sheep. The couple later divorced, and Esme (as Esme Kirby: see he
obituary
and her husband Peter Kirby went on to be founder members of the
Snowdonia Society The Snowdonia Society () is a members based environmental charity working to protect and enhance the beauty and special qualities of Snowdonia and to promote their enjoyment in the interests of all who live in, work in or visit the area both now ...
, the farm acting as home to the society before it moved to '' Ty Hyll'' ("The Ugly House"). The location of Dyffryn Mymbyr, the farm, dates back to 1350, and the current property is now owned by the
National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
. The farmhouse and cottage are now available to rent from the National Trust as holiday cottages, the money raised from their rental helps the National Trust with conservation work. Dyffryn Mymbyr can lay claim to one of the finest examples of a self-taught botanist, certainly in the UK, if not wider - Evan Roberts (Botanist). Evan Roberts lived at Gelli in
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 ...
where he lived and would explore all of Snowdonia, and in doing so compiled an unparalleled knowledge of the plant life in North Wales. Although he spent the first 40 years of his life as a quarry worker, he went on to become the colleague of academics. He was awarded the honorary degree of M.Sc. of the
University of Wales The University of Wales () is a confederal university based in Cardiff, Wales. Founded by royal charter in 1893 as a federal university with three constituent colleges – Aberystwyth, Bangor and Cardiff – the university was the first universit ...
, in 1956, at the same ceremony as the architect
Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...
, and his portrait was painted by
Kyffin Williams Sir John Kyffin Williams, (9 May 1918 – 1 September 2006) was a Welsh landscape painter who lived at Pwllfanogl, Llanfairpwll, on the Island of Anglesey. Williams is widely regarded as the defining artist of Wales during the 20th century. Pe ...
.


Geology

The valley contains the location of an unusual pisolitic ignimbrite. Very soon after eruption roughly spherical pilli - droplets of siliceous magma - of similar density to the ignimbrite fell into the still hot and fluid deposit. Later folding of the cooled and solid ignimbrite layer distorted the solidified pilli from spheres into elliptical shapes reflecting the structural changes undergone by the entire rock layer.


Recreation & Sport

There are many walks in the valley, and also walks that lead out of the valley. From
Plas y Brenin Plas or Plass may refer to: People * Plas Johnson (born 1931), American saxophonist * Adrian Plass (born 1948), British author who writes primarily Christian humor * Gilbert Plass (1920–2004), Canadian-born physicist * Maria Plass (born 19 ...
an old path leads up and over
Moel Siabod with unknown meaning of 'Siabod') is a mountain in Snowdonia, Wales, which sits isolated above the village of Dolwyddelan. At , it is the highest peak in the Moelwynion mountain range. The UK National Mountain Centre, Plas-y-Brenin, is located ...
. This route goes past the old slate mine and then into hill farming country. The ascent of Moel Siabod affords commanding views of the entire valley. There is a great deal of history to this mountain. In the 1990s Esme Kirby established a low level walk along the length of the valley, starting from and returning to Capel Curig, via Gelli, which used to be the stagecoach Inn before becoming the Capel Curig Hotel, again changing its name to the Royal Inn around 1870. It is now
Plas y Brenin Plas or Plass may refer to: People * Plas Johnson (born 1931), American saxophonist * Adrian Plass (born 1948), British author who writes primarily Christian humor * Gilbert Plass (1920–2004), Canadian-born physicist * Maria Plass (born 19 ...
, the National Mountain Centre in Wales. The "Heritage Walk", produced by the "Friends of St. Julitta's Church" in Capel Curig, circumnavigates the whole village and takes about 3 hours. The photographs illustrate the scenery to be seen, when it's not raining

There is Moderate (Mod) to Very Difficult (V Diff) climbing on "The Racks" near Dyffryn Farm, "The Pinnacles" (''Y Pincin'' to the locals) in the centre of Capel Curig. There are two outdoor shops in Capel Curig which cater for all outdoor needs. The lake Llynnau Mymbyr is actively used for
kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...
and
canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...
both by
Plas y Brenin Plas or Plass may refer to: People * Plas Johnson (born 1931), American saxophonist * Adrian Plass (born 1948), British author who writes primarily Christian humor * Gilbert Plass (1920–2004), Canadian-born physicist * Maria Plass (born 19 ...
and many
local education authorities Local education authorities (LEAs) were defined in England and Wales as the local councils responsible for education within their jurisdictions. The term was introduced by the Education Act 1902, which transferred education powers from school bo ...
. The lake has also been used for fly fishing and sub-aqua courses, although these are no longer active. Some believe there are no fish in the lake, but this is incorrect. The fish are small but like most brown trout are very feisty when on the hook. The Dragon Ski (The Welsh Junior & Senior Ski Team) used to train here every year, based at Plas y Brenin, using the dry ski slope, dry cross country ski slope, local footpaths as running tracks and the training pool. The Dragon Ski Club was successful both in the UK but also abroad, culminating in winning the home championships beating, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, held in Val D'Isere, France. The club had at least six boys and one girl at international standard in downhill ski racing. The woods, surrounding hills, footpaths and forestry tracks are used for camping, walking and orienteering.


References


External links


OS map location
* Maps of grid reference
Plas-y-Brenin website

Pen-y-Gwryd Website



National Trust Holiday cottage website for farmhouse

National Trust Holiday cottage website for cottage
*
Dyffryn Mymbyr – A House History
' by Frances Richardson for the Dating Old Welsh Houses Project, 2011.

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