| Pumlumon Fawr Mountain/Rock |
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| Page Type: Mountain/Rock Location: Cambrian Mountains, Wales, Europe Lat/Lon: 52.46553°N / 3.78342°W County: Ceredigion Activities: Hiking, Mountaineering Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter Elevation: 2467 ft / 752 m | Page By: Nanuls Created/Edited: Sep 22, 2007 / Apr 14, 2009 Object ID: 339694 Hits: 2147 Loading... Page Score: 90.99% - 41 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Overview"From high Plynlimmon's shaggy side
Three streams in three directions glide;
To thousands at their mouths who tarry
Honey, gold and mead they carry.
Flow also from Plynlimmon high
Three streams of generosity;
The first, a noble stream indeed,
Like rills of Mona runs with mead;
The second bears from vineyards thick
Wine to the feeble and the sick;
The third, till time shall be no more,
Mingled with gold shall silver pour."
Lewys Glyn Cothi (c. 1420 - 1490)
At 752m Pumlumon Fawr (SN 789 869) is the highest, largest and most prominent mountain in the Cambrian Mountains, and the highest point between Cadair Idris in Snowdonia and Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons. The name is often anglicised to Plynlimon, however for continuities sake this page will only refer to its Welsh name. At first glance it might seem unremarkable, a broad, boggy, steep sided lump of a hill with a relatively undistinguished summit area. This image is re-enforced by the fact that it is most accessible from the south, its least interesting aspect, and is therefore most often only viewed and climbed from this angle. However for the more discerning walker, a considerable amount of quality hiking can be found by simply making that little bit of extra effort and driving around to the northern side of the mountain, and lets be fair driving an extra half an hour isn’t exactly the hardest thing in the world, even if the roads are narrow, windy, and riddled with potholes. And the extra effort is definitely worth it; on the northern side there are lakes, large crags, boulder-strewn slopes, screes, deep valleys, waterfalls and even mountain ridges. Of course, as is common throughout the Cambrian Mountains, these features are moderately scattered and never dominate the landscape.
Pumlumon Fach |
In Welsh Pumlumon means Five Mountains or Five Peaks, which is funny considering the mountain actually consists of six summits, two of these, Pumlumon Fach and Pumlumon Cwmbiga, can hardly be classified as separate peaks as they have under 30m of prominence. Nevertheless they are worthy of note and command some superb views of the surrounding area. The highest peak is Pen Pumlumon Fawr, which is located towards the centre of the group, and boasts the most interesting features including large cliffs, a ridge (of sorts) and the cirque lake of Llyn Llygad Rheidol. Despite the fact that there are numerous crags at Lluest y Graig and Cwm Llygad Rheidol there have been no recorded attempts to climb them, leaving a blank canvas for the determined climber.
The northern slopes of the mountain hold the sources for two of Britains most important rivers, the Severn and the Wye. The River Severn (Afon Hafren in Welsh) is Britains longest river and flows out of the mountains and into England 220 miles to its outlet in the Bristol Channel. The Wye (Afon Gwy), at 185 miles is slightly shorter than the Severn, and also runs south out of the mountains and into England before reaching its mouth at Chepstow, a town that straddles the English/Welsh border. Here the Wye joins the Severn and flows out to sea via the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel.
The area is also the location of a significant event in Welsh History, the Battle of Mynydd Hyddgen, which took place in a valley just to the north of Pumlumon. The battle, which occurred in June 1401, was part of the Welsh revolt led by Owain Glyndwr (1359–c. 1416) against English rule between 1400 and 1415, and is considered to be the first victory in the field won by the Welsh leader.
Y Garn |
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Nant y Moch |
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Cwm Hengwm |
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The battle began when a large force of 1,500 English soldiers and Flemish mercenaries from Pembrokeshire attacked the army of Glyndŵr, which was encamped at the bottom of the Hyddgen Valley. They had marched north on the orders of King Henry IV in an attempt to quash the growing rebellion, Glydwr having raised the banner of Welsh independence the September before. Glyndwr had been marching south with a small force of some 120 mounted troops with the aim of pursuing a guerilla war in the English controlled south.
There is only one account of the battle, which can be found in the 'Annals of Owen Glyn Dwr' written by the poet Gruffydd Hiraethog many years later in 1550.
 The monument commemorating the Battle of Mynydd Hyddgen
”The following summer Owen rose with 120 reckless men and robbers and he bought them in warlike fashion to the uplands of Ceredigion; and 1,500 men of the lowlands of Cerediogion and of Rhos and Penfro assembled there and came to the mountain with the intent to sieze Owen. The encounter between them was on Hyddgen Mountain, and no sooner did the English troops trurn their backs in flight than 200 of them were slain. Owen now won great fame, and a great number of youths and fighting men from every part of Wales rose and joined him, until he had a great host at his back.”
How the Welsh managed to defeat such a large force is unknown, however it may be related to the way the armies fought, the small, light and mobile force of the Welsh, probably armed with bows (the Welsh were famed for their skill as archers), probably outmanoeuvred the heavily laden English army which would have been burdened by the presence of women and children and hindered by the boggy valley floor.
A monument commemorating the event is located at the Nant y Moch dam, located several kilometres south of the probable site of the battle.PeaksThis table lists the main peaks of Pumlumon Fawr. Only Pen Pumlumon Fawr can truly be called a mountain in its own right as the others are really just subsidiary summits. It is unlikely that anyone walking on the mountain would not visit Pen Pumlumon Fawr, however few people visit the other summits, and this is a real shame as they offer true solitude in a genuinely amazing setting. The map number included in the table is for the Ordnance Survey 1:50 000 Landranger Series sheet that the mountain appears on.
Mountain ConditionsThis section displays the weather forecast for Devils Bridge, which is located to the south of the mountain. Remember that Devils Bridge is around 200m, while Pen Pumlumon Fawr reaches 752m. This means that when looking at temperature the adiabatic lapse rate must be taken into account, which in Wales is a drop in temperature of between 0.5 and 1°C per 100m in altitude. Exposure and wind speed can significantly lower temperatures.
When to Climb and Essential Gear In the spring and summer the weather is usually quite mild and although the weather is usually warm showers are common, and full waterproofs and quality walking boots are essential for all outings.
In winter the area is much quieter as most tourists prefer to visit the area when it's warm. In winter conditions an ice axe and crampons should probably be carried. Despite the areas comparatively low altitude it can get very cold with temperatures dropping to near Arctic levels, many inexperienced walkers and climbers have been caught out in these conditions most are rescued safely by mountain rescue teams however occasionally the consequences are more serious.Getting ThereThe only way to get to Pumlumon Fawr is along the A44, which runs between Aberystwyth (SN 583 185) and Llangurig (SN 908 798). Don’t bother with the southern side of the mountain; turn off onto an unclassified road at Ponterwyd (SN 749 808) and head north towards the Nant y Moch Reservoir. After around 6km turn right at a fork in the road (SN 762 864) and drive along the road until it ends. Park at the end of the road (SN 774 879), it’s impossible to drive any further anyway.
Nant y Moch and Cwm Hyddgen |
Red TapeNo red tape here, and even if there were there’d be no one around to enforce it. Although unlikely it is worth checking the countryside access map provided by the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) regarding whether or not any restrictions on movement in the area are in place.
Countryside Access Map
Camping and AccommodationCheap camping and accommodation is relatively scarce in the local area, although the local towns such as Aberystwyth and Devils Bridge do offer plenty of options. For a comprehensive guide to the accommodation in the area, Ceredigion tourist website has some excellent pages detailing what’s available in and around its most important towns and villages, pdf dowloads are available for Aberystwyth.
In my personal opinion wild camping is the best option, I guarantee you no one else will be camping for miles around.
Maps GuidebooksThe Cambrian Way – the mountain connoisseurs walk by A.J. Drake
The Mountains of England and Wales: Volume 1 Wales (Cicerone Guide) by John and Anne Nuttall
Hillwalking in Wales Vol 1 (Cicerone Guide) by Peter Hermon
Hillwalking in Wales Vol 2 (Cicerone Guide) by Peter Hermon
External Links
General
Cambrian Mountains Society
Carmarthenshire County Council
Ceredigion County Council
Powys County Council
Countryside Council for Wales
British Geological Survey
The National Trust
CADW
Royal Commission on Ancient & Historical Monuments in Wales
Cefn Croes Wind Farm Campaign
Top Trumps
An explanation of Top Trumps
Bogs
Bog Snorkelling
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
The Wildlife Trusts: Water and Wetlands
Mountaineering and Climbing Organizations
British Mountaineering Council
The Climbers Club
Tourist Information
Welsh Tourist Board
Mid Wales Tourism Partnership
Carmarthenshire Tourist Board
Ceredigion Tourist Board
Powys Tourist Board
Leaping Stiles
Pentir Pumlumon
Local Towns
Builth Wells
Aberystwyth
Lampeter
Llandovery
Llandrindod Wells
Llanidloes
Llanwrtyd Wells
Machynlleth
Pontrhydfendigaid
Rhayader
Tregaron
Weather
Mountain Weather Wales
Weather from the Met Office
Weather Channel UK
Travel
Welsh Public Transport Information
Uk Train Timetable
Accommodation
Hillscape: The Self-guided Walking Specialists
Youth Hostel Association in Wales
Dolgoch Bunkhouse YHA
Tyncornel YHA
Mid Wales Campsites
Maps and Guidebooks
Ordnance Survey
Harvey Map Services
Cicerone Guidebooks
Climbers Club Guidebooks
Welsh Language
Welsh Language Board
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg Welsh language pressure group
Cymuned Welsh language pressure group
Yr Urdd (Welsh Youth Association)
Welsh-English / English-Welsh online translator
Welsh-English / English-Welsh Online Dictionary
Welsh-English / English-Welsh Online Lexicon
Images
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