The Berwyn range (Welsh: Y Berwyn or Mynydd y Berwyn) is an isolated and sparsely populated area of moorland in the northeast of Wales, roughly bounded by Llangollen in the northeast, Corwen in the northwest, Bala in the southwest, and Oswestry in the southeast.
Description
The area is wild and largely vegetated by heather about one metre thick, with some acidic grassland and bracken. It is not very popular for hill-walking or scrambling since the peaks are lower than those in nearby Snowdonia. However, the topmost peaks are rugged and have a distinctive character. Nearby towns include Llangollen and Corwen, which are popular tourist destinations.
The main summits are Cadair Berwyn at above sea level, Moel Sych at and Cadair Bronwen at above sea level. The Berwyn range is crossed to the southwest by the B4391 Milltir Cerrig mountain pass at an elevation of .
Cadair Berwyn is the highest point in the Berwyn range, and the highest point in Wales outside the National Parks. Cadair Bronwen and Foel Cedig to the west are the two Marilyns that form the Berwyn range.
The mountain lies on main ridge of the Berwyn range which runs north–south. The eastern side of the ridge is characterised by steep drops and crags including Craig Berwyn north of the summit and Craig y Llyn to the south. Craig y Llyn forms the headwall of a cwm, and it is to this that the word cadair (chair in Welsh) presumably refers. Further north along the ridge is Cadair Bronwen, whilst to south the ridge continues to Moel Sych (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈmɔil ˈsɨːx], meaning "dry hill").
It is often reported that Moel Sych, along the ridge, is of equal height, but Cadair Berwyn's spot height on the Ordnance Survey maps, where the trig point stands, is not the true summit. Cadair Berwyn's summit, south of the trig point, is three metres taller than Moel Sych. This summit is listed as Cadair Berwyn New Top on the Nuttall list.
Several other summits in the area are listed as Hewitts or Nuttalls, including Foel Wen ([ˈvɔil ˈwɛn], Welsh for white hill) and Mynydd Tarw ([ˈmɐnɨð ˈtæɾu], bull mountain).
The summit lies on the border between Powys and Denbighshire, and is the highest point in Denbighshire. The northern end of Craig Berwyn is the highest point in Wrexham County Borough.
History There is a standing stone at SJ080337 near the summit between Cadair Berwyn and Tomle. It was re-erected in June 2008 by High Sports.
The Berwyn range also played its part in causing King Henry II of England to turn back during his invasion of Gwynedd in 1165. Rather than taking the usual route along the northern coastal plain, his army invaded from Oswestry and took a route over the Berwyns. The English invasion faced an alliance of Welsh princes led by King Owain Gwynedd, but there was little fighting – endless days of heavy rain forced the English to retreat.
Alleged UFO crash
At 8.38 pm on 23 January 1974, an earthquake of magnitude 3.5 was felt over a wide area of north Wales and as far as Liverpool. Since earthquakes are uncommon in the UK, it was not generally recognized for what it was, and since a number of unusual lights in the sky had been observed the same evening, it was considered possible that an aircraft had crashed, or a meteorite had impacted. Further confusion was caused by lights seen on the Berwyn Mountains, which subsequently turned out to have belonged to poachers.
Ecology The area supports substantial populations of upland birds including raptors, such as the hen harrier (Circus cyaneus), merlin (Falco columbarius), and peregrine (Falco peregrinus) (about 14–18 breeding pairs of each species, 1%–2% of the total British population), and for this reason it is a Special Protection Area classified in accordance with the European Union's Birds Directive. Much of the area is also designated a national nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest and forms part of the Berwyn and South Clwyd Mountains Special Area of Conservation. Other wildlife include short-eared owl, raven, buzzard, polecat and golden plover.
Etymology The scholar T. Gwynn Jones suggested that a possible origin of the term "Berwyn" was "Bryn(iau) Gwyn (ap Nudd)", where the Middle Welsh word "bre" (hill) had mutated to Ber + Gwyn, Gwyn ap Nudd being the mythological King of the Tylwyth Teg (Fair Folk, or fairies).T. Gwynn Jones, Welsh Folklore and Folk-Custom (1930; new edition 1979). Several other place names in the area also include the element 'Gwyn'. A more likely etymology is "bar" (summit, crest) + "gwyn" (white),D. Geraint Lewis, Y Llyfr Enwau – Enwau'r Wlad: A check-list of Welsh Place Names (2007). with the "a" in "bar" showing i-affection as a result of the "y" in "gwyn", therefore changing from "a" to "e"; the word also shows soft mutation of the letter "g" (which is deleted under soft mutation).
Peaks
+ Name of Peak OS coordinates Geographical coordinatesAllt y Gader 52.749°N, 3.262°WAllt y Main 52.727°N, 3.242°WBryn Du 52.914°N, 3.272°WBryn Gwyn 52.854°N, 3.424°WBryn-llus 52.956°N, 3.363°WCadair Berwyn 52.880°N, 3.381°WCadair Berwyn (N top) 52.883°N, 3.380°WCadair Bronwen 52.900°N, 3.373°WCadair Bronwen (NE top) 52.906°N, 3.358°WCarnedd Das Eithin 52.803°N, 3.409°WCefn Coch 52.826°N, 3.599°WCefn Gwyntog 52.826°N, 3.521°WCefn Gwyntog (N top) 52.834°N, 3.522°WCerrig Coediog 52.937°N, 3.321°WCraig Berwyn 52.891°N, 3.373°WCraig Rhiwarth 52.833°N, 3.405°WCroes y Forwyn 52.777°N, 3.440°WCyrniau 52.815°N, 3.393°WCyrniau Nod 52.839°N, 3.503°WCyrniau y Llyn 52.807°N, 3.484°WFfordd Gefn (Bryn Gwyn) 52.804°N, 3.435°WFoel Cwm Siân Llwyd 52.869°N, 3.494°WFoel Dugoed 52.704°N, 3.639°WFoel Figenau 52.842°N, 3.610°WFoel Goch (Berwyn) 52.848°N, 3.570°WFoel Tyn-y-fron 52.817°N, 3.606°WFoel Wen 52.889°N, 3.340°WFoel Wen (S peak) 52.886°N, 3.336°WFoel y Geifr 52.834°N, 3.579°WGallt y Goedhwch 52.733°N, 3.279°WGlan Hafon 52.834°N, 3.367°WGodor 52.866°N, 3.347°WGodor (N top) 52.869°N, 3.354°WGyrn Moelfre 52.854°N, 3.213°WJericho Hill 52.772°N, 3.243°WLlanymynech Hill 52.791°N, 3.094°WLledwyn Mawr 52.844°N, 3.627°WMoel Bentyrch 52.674°N, 3.399°WMoel Cae-howel 52.884°N, 3.520°WMoel Fferna 52.947°N, 3.317°WMoel Hen-fache 52.843°N, 3.324°WMoel Poethion 52.865°N, 3.365°WMoel Sych 52.875°N, 3.389°WMoel y Fronllwyd 52.748°N, 3.303°WMoel y Gwelltyn 52.840°N, 3.233°WMoel yr Ewig 52.874°N, 3.368°WMoel yr Henfaes 52.935°N, 3.374°WMoel yr Henfaes (Pen Bwlch Llandrillo peak) 52.921°N, 3.356°WMoel yr Henfaes (W peak) 52.926°N, 3.341°WMynydd Feifod 52.950°N, 3.238°WMynydd Mawr 52.847°N, 3.290°WMynydd Mynyllod 52.943°N, 3.486°WMynydd Tarw 52.881°N, 3.321°WMynydd y Bryn 52.833°N, 3.163°WMynydd y Glyn 52.790°N, 3.257°WMynydd-y-briw 52.825°N, 3.227°WPen y Berth 52.704°N, 3.361°WPen y Boncyn Trefeilw 52.842°N, 3.542°WPen y Cerrig Duon 52.840°N, 3.555°WPen-y-coed 52.964°N, 3.153°WPost Gwyn 52.852°N, 3.415°WRhialgwm 52.779°N, 3.402°WRhiwaedog-uwch-afon 52.868°N, 3.579°WRhos 52.881°N, 3.301°WRhwng y Ddwynant 52.811°N, 3.517°WStac Rhos 52.838°N, 3.532°WTir Rhiwiog 52.732°N, 3.587°WTomle 52.891°N, 3.361°WTrum y Gwrgedd 52.842°N, 3.573°WY Golfa 52.654°N, 3.210°WY Groes Fagl 52.848°N, 3.504°WYr Allt 52.684°N, 3.122°W
References