Crown of the Carneddau
A trip into the hills, telling the story of four iconic mountains in Eryri.
The Carneddau are one of the least visited ranges in Snowdonia, but feel so unique in comparison to the more popular Glyderau and Yr Wyddfa massifs. With their rolling peaks, soaring higher than anything in England and rivalling Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) itself, you really do feel like you’re on an adventure up there.
The Carneddau have unique ecology and fascinating archaeology dating back to prehistoric Wales, but this adventure will explore some of the social history associated with the area. It will explore one story behind the naming of four peaks: Dafydd, Elen, Llewelyn and, Gwenllian, the last Welsh family to rule over Wales. I acknowledge there are many alternative theories to the naming of these peaks, but this one tells a nice story I wish to share.
To find this cache you will need to complete the Crown of the Carneddau Adventure Lab posted at N53° 08.863 W4° 00.045 on the Adventure Lab App. On completion, the journal entries will show four two-digit numbers from each location. The four numbers correspond to part of the coordinates for the final location of this cache. The posted coordinates have nothing to do with the cache location, but I recommend starting and finishing your adventure from this valley (Ogwen) if you intend to find the cache on the same day.
The coordinates for this cache are- N53 1(Dafydd)(Llywelyn) W004 0(Elen)(Gwenllian). Remember to include a decimal between the digits from Dafydd and Elen.
Only attempt this cache if you feel you are prepared. Mountains hikes aren't like going for a walk in the park (especially in winter). I have set a high difficulty and terrain rating to represent this, but the cache is not placed on the mountains. I have decided not to put this cache on the mountains for safety, so you can stick to your planned route and find the cache once finished. Parking is available in a layby on the A5 near GZ. It’s under a 500m walk to the hide from the layby. If this was a standalone traditional cache, I’d give it a two-star difficulty and two-star terrain.
Pob Lwc! Let the adventure begin…