Foel-fras (944 m / 3,097 ft) 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 ...

in the

Carneddau The (lit. 'the cairns'; is a Welsh language, Welsh plural form, and is sometimes anglicised to ''Carnedds'') are a group of mountains in Snowdonia, Wales. They include the largest contiguous areas of high ground (over or high) in England and W ...

range, about 10 km east of Bethesda in

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

. It lies on the border between the counties of

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 Conwy (, ), previously known in English as Conway, is a walled market town, community and the administrative centre of Conwy County Borough in North Wales. The walled town and castle stand on the west bank of the River Conwy, facing Deganwy ...

. With a summit elevation of 944 metres (3,074 feet), it is officially the eleventh-highest summit in

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 ...

. Foel-fras is located at the northern end of the main ridge of the Carneddau, between

Drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

to the north and Foel Grach to the south with the subsidiary summit of Garnedd Uchaf (925 m / 3,034 ft) between it and Foel Grach. Due south and 400 m below lies the reservoir of Llyn Dulyn, while the smaller

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

of Llyn Anafon lies to the north. Because of its position, it is the first of the

Welsh 3000s The Welsh 3000s are the 15 Welsh Munros. These are mountains in Wales that are over . Geographically they fall within three ranges (the Snowdon Massif, the Glyderau, and the Carneddau), but close enough to make it possible to reach all 15 s ...

reached when doing this walk from the northern end. It can be climbed by driving up the small road signposted " Aber Falls" in the village of

Abergwyngregyn Abergwyngregyn () is a village and Community (Wales), community of historical note in Gwynedd, a county and Principal areas of Wales, principal area in Wales. Under its historic name of Aber Garth Celyn it was the seat of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. ...

, passing the

car park A parking lot or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface. In most jurisdic ...

for the falls and continuing to a small car park at the end of the road. From there it is possible to take the track bearing left, later turning right to the summit of

and continuing along the ridge, or to take the track leading straight on to Llyn Anafon and then climbing up to the ridge between Drum and Foel Fras. An alternate route up the mountain is to start at the Western end of the

Bwlch-y-Ddeufaen is a mountain pass in Conwy county borough, north Wales, traversable only on foot or horseback, following the former Roman road from Caerhun (Canovium) to Caernarfon (Segontium). The route may be followed by road to Rowen, Conwy, Rowen or to ...

pass and take the steep track up the side of Drosgyl, following the fence line all the way to where the ground levels off. Here the views open up and the fence changes direction, running off at almost a right angle to the Southeast (left). From here, follow a small track Southwest until it intersects the larger track previously mentioned - marked by a small quartz-peppered cairn - which will lead you to Drum. From Drum the walk to the summit of Foel Fras is simply parallel to the fence line, which changes into a dry stone wall as you are nearing the summit. Car parking is available at the Eastern end of the pass. The summit plateau has some ornithological interest in that it is one of the best places in Wales to observe dotterel on their spring and less frequent autumn

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

. Foel Fras can also be reached from Llanfairfechan, an equally beautiful route as that from Aber Falls. Follow the road up through the village of Llanfairfechan until Terrace Walk, take the path from Terrace Walk that takes you past Hengae Farm, then follow the path that can take you to the summit of Garreg Fawr, Drum, Foel Fras and more.

Similarly-named hills

There exist also Foel Fras () in central Wales, south of

Machynlleth Machynlleth () is a market town, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales and within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a po ...

, and Foel-fras () in The Moelwyns, north east of

Blaenau Ffestiniog Blaenau Ffestiniog () is a town in Gwynedd, Wales. Once a slate mining centre in historic Merionethshire, it now relies much on tourists, drawn for instance to the Ffestiniog Railway and Llechwedd Slate Caverns. It reached a population of 12,0 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foel-Fras Mountains and hills of Snowdonia Hewitts of Wales Nuttalls Mountains and hills of Conwy County Borough Furths Abergwyngregyn Caerhun Mountains and hills of Gwynedd