Carneddau

The Carneddau are a group of mountains in Snowdonia, Wales. They form the largest continuous area of high ground over 2,500 feet in the country. The range includes six or seven of Wales’s highest peaks, known as the Fifteen Peaks. It covers nearly 200 square kilometres, about ten per cent of Snowdonia. Lakes such as Llyn Cowlyd and Llyn Eigiau lie within its boundaries. The Aber Falls waterfall also falls inside the range. The area is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and the Conwy valley to the east. The Carneddau contain more than a thousand ancient monuments. Remains of circular stone huts from the Bronze Age have been found across the uplands. Cairns on the summits contain cremated human remains from prominent people of that time. The Romans built a road called Bwlch y Ddeufaen across the northern slopes. Two of the highest peaks are named after Prince Llywelyn the Great and his grandson Dafydd ap Gruffudd. Dafydd was captured and executed in 1283, ending Welsh independence. Walkers find rough grass and heather on the higher ground, with patches of shattered rock. Pen-yr-Ole-Wen dominates the Nant Ffrancon pass on the western edge. The Carneddau ridge leads to Carnedd Dafydd and Carnedd Llewellyn, then lower summits further along. To the east are high cliffs, deep valleys and small lakes. Wild ponies roam the range, the only population of its kind in the United Kingdom.