Carnedd Gwenllian, previously known as Carnedd Uchaf until 2009, is a minor summit of the Carneddau range in Snowdonia, Wales, and included in the Welsh 3000s. From the summit, distant views to the north can extend as far as Ireland and the Isle of Man, and to the South as far as the Berwyn Ranges.
| Carnedd Gwenllian | |
|---|---|
 Rocky summit of Carnedd Gwenllian looking South-southwest across the Carneddau | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 925 m (3,035 ft) |
| Prominence | 33 m (108 ft) |
| Parent peak | Foel-fras |
| Listing | Hewitt, Welsh 3000s, Nuttall, Furth |
| Naming | |
| Language of name | Welsh |
| Pronunciation | Welsh: [ˈkarnɛð ɡwɛnˈɬiː.an] |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Snowdonia, Wales |
| OS grid | SH687669 |
| Name | Grid ref | Height | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bera Bach | 807 m (2,648 ft) | sub Hewitt, Nuttall, Furth |
It lies between Foel Fras and Foel Grach, but is not always included in the Welsh 3000s, as its summit rises only slightly above the ridge. However, it is classed as a Hewitt. Its slopes, like all those in the northern Carneddau, are largely grassy, although they are steep. The slopes can receive significant accumulations of snow-drifts during blizzards in winter. In the past, snow beds have survived on the mountain as far as June. The annual average temperature on Carnedd Uchaf is relatively cold, ranging between 4-5 degrees Celsius.[1]
For some years there was a campaign by the Princess Gwenllian Society to have the name of this peak changed from Carnedd Uchaf to Carnedd Gwenllian.[2] Gwenllian of Wales (1282–1337) was the only daughter of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. After her father's death, and when still an infant, she was taken to a nunnery at Sempringham in Lincolnshire and held captive there until she died,[3] a few days before her 55th birthday.[4] In September 2009, the summit was renamed Carnedd Gwenllian,[5] and the Ordnance Survey agreed to use the dual name Carnedd Uchaf/Carnedd Gwenllian on its maps from 2010 onwards.[6]
References
edit- ^ Nuttall, John & Anne (1999). The Mountains of England & Wales - Volume 1: Wales (2nd edition ed.). Milnthorpe, Cumbria: Cicerone. ISBN 1-85284-304-7.
- ^ "Bid to rename peak after princess". BBC News. 10 November 2005. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- ^ J. Beverley Smith (15 January 2014). Llywelyn ap Gruffudd: Prince of Wales. University of Wales Press. p. 580. ISBN 978-1-78316-007-5.
- ^ Frederick Maurice Powicke, King Henry III and the Lord Edward: the community of the realm in the thirteenth century, vol. 2 (The Clarendon Press, 1947), p. 684
- ^ "Peak renamed after Welsh princess". BBC News. 26 September 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
- ^ Gwenllian Society news Archived May 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine