Day 22: Beddgelert (Snowdonia)

On our last day in Snowdonia we travelled to Beddgelert. This is a quaint and picturesque village above the confluence of the River Glaslyn and River Colwyn with many old stone buildings and a beautiful stone twin arched bridge. 

Twin arched bridge 

Beddgelert Village

Church at Beddgelert

The name Beddgelert in English means literally Gelert’s Grave and there is a well visited tourist attraction which is claimed to be the grave of a dog belonging to Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd. In this legend, Llywelyn returns from hunting to find his baby missing, the cradle overturned and covered in blood. Gelert greets him with a blood-smeared mouth and believing the dog had savaged the child, Llywelyn draws his sword and kills him. After the dog's dying yelp Llywelyn hears the cries of the baby, unharmed under the cradle, along with a dead wolf which had attacked the child and been killed by Gelert. Llywelyn is overcome with remorse and buries the dog with great ceremony. After that day Llywelyn never smiles again. It is an emotional tale but apparently the grave site was built by the late 18th-century landlord of the Goat Hotel, who created it in order to encourage tourism.

Sculpture of Gelert

Bespoke gate on Gelert's Grave walk

Bespoke gate on Gelert's grave walk

Being a day of tales and legends, we took a short walk to the remains of the ancient hill fort, Dinas Emrys. The trail took us past old stone walls and a beautiful waterfall and pool over which we crossed a clapper bridge which is formed by large flat slabs of stone. The climb up to the hill fort was relatively easy however we could see why this site was chosen for the fort, from the top we could see for miles up the valley in both directions.

View from top of Dinas Emrys

View from top of Dinas Emrys in other direction

This site is steeped in tales and legends. The 5th-century King Vortigern was trying to build a castle there and every day his men would work hard erecting the first of several proposed towers; but the next morning they would return to find the masonry collapsed in a heap. This continued for many weeks until Vortigern was advised by his councillors that the sacrifice of a fatherless boy was required to appease the supernatural power there. The King sent his soldiers out across the land to find such a lad. The boy they found was a smart lad and instead explained that the hillfort could not stand due to a hidden pool containing two fighting vermes (dragons). The pool was exposed, and the dragons flew free. One was white and the other red. The boy explained how the White Dragon of the Saxons though winning the battle at present, would soon be defeated by the Welsh Red Dragon. This boy was called Myrddin Emrys or Merlin of King Arthur fame.

Clapper bridge over stream

Close up of clapper bridge over stream

Foundations of tower at top of Dinas Emrys

Foundation of building at Dinas Emrys

In the afternoon we visited the nearby Victorian Sygun Copper mine. Approaching the mine entrance the air felt like walking into a fridge. The old Victorian mine workings had been made safe for tourists however we did wonder walking under piles of tailings being held up by old bits of timber visible with it all being supported by modern steel girders. We ascended through the mine to different levels with informative recorded commentary. I was struck by two things: One was that it was a bloody hard life being a miner working in appalling, damp and cramped conditions and two, that I would not like being in the mine during an earthquake.

Entrance to Sygun Copper Mine

Stalactites and stalagmites in Sygun Copper Mine

Towards the end of the day we drove back to Caernarvon where we had booked accommodation for the night.