Estuary Views & Old Gold Mines in the Forest
The name “Foel Ispri” probably started as “Foel Ysbryd”, the hill of the spirits. Below Foel Ispri are the village of Llanelltyd and Cymer Abbey. The original abbey and village were founded in the 6th century, by St. Illtud, who came from Brittany and set up a rather more famous settlement in south Wales at Llanilltud Mawr (Llantwit Major). You can see the ruins of the abbey by the caravan park. To the west of Foel Ispri is Cwm Mynach, the Monk's Valley, with the Rhinog mountains at its head. The two biggest features that you can see from Foel Ispri are Cader Idris (893m) and the Mawddach estuary, which starts to be tidal at Llanelltyd bridge and flows about 10 miles down to Barmouth and the sea. The trig-point on Foel Ispri is 321m above sea level (waypoint ISP-TP below) and the hill seems to drop almost vertically 1,000 feet down to the estuary. On week days, you can sometimes stand on the summit and watch low-flying aircraft below you (big Hercules are my favourite!). The drop to the Mawddach gives its name to “The New Precipice Walk” which runs along an old mine tramway on the south face of the hill.
Foel Ispri has so many old mines in it that it is like a piece of Swiss cheese! There were the Cambrian, Prince of Wales, Voel, Gesailgwm and Wnion mines. Most of these were small mines that operated between the 1830s and 1930s and didn't make any money. The mine at the top of Foel Ispri was started in 1853. Over the years it was mined for lead and zinc, as well as gold. In 1890, 60 tons of zinc, 21/4 tons of lead and 88 ounces of gold were produced. Getting the gold was a complicated business. First of all the miners had to sort out the rock with gold in it: the ore. It was then smashed into gravel sized bits by mechanical hammers called "stamps", although sometimes this was done by the miners’ families with lump hammers. The gravel was then crushed to powder, in huge cauldrons with big iron balls rolling around inside called "Britten Pans". All of the machines were powered by waterwheels and Llyn Tan y Graig reservoir was originally built to store water for powering mill machinery. Mercury was then mixed in with the gold, which formed a solution of gold and mercury called an "amalgam". The amalgam could then be poured out of the Britten Pan, leaving the rubbish rock behind. The amalgam was put into a crucible and the mercury was evaporated off to leave a lump of gold (a very dangerous and poisonous thing to do). The miners often poured the waste into nearby streams and mercury can still be found in local rivers, like the Mawddach and the Hirgwm at Bontddu. Sometimes the miners missed bits and the rivers near old gold mines can be good places to pan for gold.
Finding the multi cache will take you on a route that will probably take most folks most of the day. (It takes me about 4-5 hours with a group of 10 year olds but that includes a tea break, lunch stop and regular stops to catch our breath and look at trees, plants, beetles, fungi, rocks and things…) That said, you could run it in a couple of hours. Although you can wander the paths in trainers, boots are probably best along with waterproofs and a bit to eat & drink. The best place to park for the cache is just off the main road in Llanelltyd village (waypoint ISP-CP below). From here there is a good but steep Public Footpath up to Llyn Tan y Graig and the first cache, which is a micro.
There is a real web of paths on the hill and once you’ve found both of the caches, it’s worth exploring a bit more of this fascinating corner of Snowdonia. When you’ve had enough, then you can adjourn to the George III pub, across at Penmaenpool, and sit back and admire where you’ve been. Having rested your feet, why not try to find the Mancubs’ micro-cache, “Third Place” (GC139Z3) before you leave?
Both caches are on CROW access land and much of Foel Ispri is owned by the Forestry Commission, which is also CROW access land. Having said that, please do not explore the old mine workings. Many have false floors made from wood that is now over100 years old. Others have flooded sections and shafts. Most of the workings have been newly fenced off (summer 2006).
Books & More Information
“The Gold Mines of Merioneth” by G.W. Hall ISBN 0-9502116-7-2 (The author was Warden of Kings YHA for many years)
“Geological excursions in the Harlech Dome” by P.M. Allen & Audrey A. Jackson ISBN 0-11-884285-4 (British Geological Survey - Classical areas of British geology) (Quite technical but looks at the geology of the whole area and has a short section on specific sites on Foel Ispri.)
www.wales-underground.org.uk Wales Tourist Board’s website