Plynlimon, or Pumlumon in
Welsh (also historically anglicised as Plinlimon, Plynlymmon or Plinlimmon), is the highest point of the
Cambrian Mountains 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 ...
(taking a restricted definition of the Cambrian Mountains, excluding
Snowdonia, the Berwyns and the
Brecon Beacons), and the highest point in
Mid Wales. It is a
massif that dominates the surrounding countryside and is the highest point (
county top) of
Ceredigion (both the modern council area, and the historic county, also known as
Cardiganshire).
The highest point of the massif itself is Pen Pumlumon Fawr, which is above
ordnance datum. Its other important peaks are
Pen Pumlumon Arwystli,
Y Garn,
Pen Pumlumon Llygad-bychan and
Pumlumon Fach.
Bryn yr Ŵyn, or 'hill of the lambs', is a former Dewey in the foothills.
The longest
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in Britain, the
River Severn, has
its source on the mountain, as do the rivers
Wye and
Rheidol.
Folklore
Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
says there is a sleeping giant in Plynlimon.
Etymology
''Plynlimon'' is anglicised from the Welsh name ''Pumlumon'',
which is thought to mean "five tops" or "five beacons".
The first element is
Old Welsh
Old Welsh () is the stage of the Welsh language from about 800 AD until the early 12th century when it developed into Middle Welsh.Koch, p. 1757. The preceding period, from the time Welsh became distinct from Common Brittonic around 550, ha ...
''pimp'', meaning "five" (
Modern Welsh ''pump''),
and the second is , "beacon",
an element whose
Brittonic equivalent underlies the Scottish hill-names
Lomond Hills and
Ben Lomond.
Habitat and restoration
The Plynlimon area is the source of the rivers Wye, Severn and Rheidol.
Since 2007 the
Wildlife Trusts of Wales have been working to improve the habitat as a "living landscape" project. This watershed area has been affected by
loss of biodiversity, erosion of the peaty soils' structure, and accelerated drainage.
[The Pumlumon Project]
'A pioneering, science-based project to revive the ecology and economy of the Welsh uplands', Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust ''www.montwt.co.uk'', accessed 14 April 2022
Like most of the
uplands across Wales, intensive land use activities have resulted in many habitats being either lost or degraded. Over-grazing of sheep has induced soil compaction, which has resulted in increased flooding of the lowland areas. The principal land cover within the project area is dominated by a complex mosaic of locally, nationally and internationally important habitats and species, such as dry and wet dwarf-shrub
heathland, blanket
bog, unimproved acid
grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...
and a number of
oligotrophic
lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
s. Agriculturally improved grassland, broadleaved
woodlands and
forestry plantation are also characteristic features of the area.
The Plynlimon area is also important for breeding, wintering and feeding bird fauna particularly
hen harrier,
merlin,
short-eared owl and
red and
black grouse, and a number of
Red Data Book and UK
BAP invertebrates.
[Nuttall, John & Anne (1999). The Mountains of England & Wales - Volume 1: Wales (2nd edition ed). Milnthorpe, Cumbria: Cicerone Press. .] The
red kite also frequents the area.
Golden plovers have declined by 92% since 1992.
[Crisis in the hills]
22 June 2012 Birdguides ''www.birdguides.com'', accessed 3 July 2021
Severn Way
The
Severn Way runs for 210 miles (337 km) along the
River Severn between its source at Plynlimon and the mouth of the Severn at
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
, England.
References
External links
* Computer generated summit panorama
Plynlimon
Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust
www.geograph.co.uk ; photos of Plynlimon and surrounding area
{{Authority control
Mountains and hills of Ceredigion
Hewitts of Wales
Marilyns of Wales
Nuttalls
Elenydd
Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Ceredigion