Trawsfynydd – South Snowdonia – 32 Cannon Holes
Rock cannon can be found all over north-west Wales, especially near mines and quarries. The cannon were created for firing on celebrations & holidays and were used from the end of the 1700’s until black powder stopped being used in the slate industry. The introduction of sticks of gelignite led to a different style of cannon being devised that didn’t need any holes in the rock.
Making a rock cannon was hard work. All of the holes and grooves for fuses had to be cut with hand tools (please remember this if what you find doesn’t look that impressive!). The cannon were cut into the tops of cliffs, slabs of rock or large boulders, the biggest having nearly 200 holes and the smallest having just 2. Each hole was about 5” deep and 1” in diameter. The later cannon had grooves connecting the holes which were filled with black powder to make the fuse. The channels had to make a long enough fuse for each separate bang to be heard and each flash to be seen.
This particular rock cannon was cut into the top of a 15m high gritstone crag near Llyn Trawsfynydd. Garreg yr Ogof (The Crag of the Cave) is the site of some pleasant, short rock-climbs, most of which are graded V. Diff. It’s a great place to climb on a summer’s evening but you don’t need to rock-climb to get to the cache. There are some lovely views of the Rhinogau & Moelwynion from here – and the nuclear power station too!
The easiest approach to the cache is to park in the village (see waypoint). Trawsfynydd has all sorts of facilities including shops, pubs, a hostel, petrol station and a bank. There is a nicely designed website with loads more information about the village: www.trawsfynydd.com
To find the cache, first find the church and just before you get to it, take the Public Footpath on your right. Follow the path behind some houses and then across the fields & stiles to the cache site. This approach brings you to the top of the cliff – please don’t fall off! Although the crag is in CROW Access Land, please do not let dogs roam around as there are usually cattle in the fields.
The rock cannon is in the top of the crag, at its north end, at the top of “First Fright” 15m V. Diff. I first found the rock cannon by sitting on it to belay a friend when climbing on evening!
The cache is…….?
Once you’ve found this cache, why not return to the village and then cross the foot bridge to Guess Who?’s Llyn Trawsfynydd cache? (GCT694) It is then possible to circumnavigate the lake and include mr sparks’ How Strong is that Concrete? ( GC6D01 )
Books
&“The Rock Cannon of Gwynedd” by Griff R. Jones ISBN 0-9533692-1-8
&“Meirionnydd” Climbers’ Club Guides to Wales ISBN 0-901601-63-2 (Only interesting of you’re a climber!)