Bangor Mountain
Encyclopedia
Bangor Mountain is a scarp
face of a hill
below which the city of Bangor
in Gwynedd
, Wales
, sits.
Though not a mountain
in the true sense of the word it is so called because of the way it rears up behind Bangor and appears mountainous, especially from the Glan Adda, High Street and Hirael areas of the city.
Bangor Mountain is much less precipitous on its southern side. Along a substantial part of the crest of the mountain is Bangor Golf Club
—more properly St Deiniol's Golf Club. Because of the shape of the mountain, the golf course is linear and crosses some lanes and minor roads.
There are several rocky outcrop
s at high points on the mountain providing panoramic views of the city centre, the Menai Strait
and over to the east of Anglesey
, including the town of Beaumaris. This is probably the best location from which to see the buildings of the Bangor University
and the cathedral
—as shown in the image below.
Along the side of the high street, the scarp slope is nearly vertical and clothed with trees. The slope is so severe and the mountain so close, that much of the High Street does not receive direct sunlight between November and March.
Bangor Mountain has a diverse ecology with a variety of mixed woods, open grassland
and extensive areas of gorse
although biodiversity appears to be significantly reduced within the confines of the golf course. Around the rocky outcrops and alongside some of the many paths that weave their way around the mountain are large deposits of litter (paper, cans and plastic bags).
The extensive groves of gorse are often set alight by arson
ists in dry summers producing a blaze that can be seen for many miles around. Whilst this may benefit the gorse and the ecosystem based around gorse, the fires often spread into other areas of established woods where considerable damage is caused. These fires can also threaten gardens and outbuildings lining the base of the hill.
Bangor Mountain provides the main southern watershed for the River Adda, the principal river flowing through Bangor. However, as the river has now been culverted throughout its whole length in the built up area of the city, it is little known to the city's population.
Part of Bangor Mountain was removed to provide car parking for a new discount supermarket. As a result the footpath in this area now approaches very close to a precipitous edge protected by two-metre high railings topped with saw tooth edging. The placement of the carpark has occasionally led to vandals damaging parked cars by means of throwing rubble down from the footpath.
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
face of a hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
below which the city of Bangor
Bangor, Wales
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
in Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, sits.
Though not a mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in the true sense of the word it is so called because of the way it rears up behind Bangor and appears mountainous, especially from the Glan Adda, High Street and Hirael areas of the city.
Bangor Mountain is much less precipitous on its southern side. Along a substantial part of the crest of the mountain is Bangor Golf Club
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
—more properly St Deiniol's Golf Club. Because of the shape of the mountain, the golf course is linear and crosses some lanes and minor roads.
There are several rocky outcrop
Outcrop
An outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...
s at high points on the mountain providing panoramic views of the city centre, the Menai Strait
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
and over to the east of Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, including the town of Beaumaris. This is probably the best location from which to see the buildings of the Bangor University
Bangor University
Bangor University is a university based in the city of Bangor in the county of Gwynedd in North Wales-United Kingdom.It was officially known for most of its history as the University College of North Wales...
and the cathedral
Bangor Cathedral
Bangor Cathedral is an ancient place of Christian worship situated in Bangor, Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is dedicated to its founder, Saint Deiniol....
—as shown in the image below.
Bangor Mountain has a diverse ecology with a variety of mixed woods, open grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
and extensive areas of gorse
Gorse
Gorse, furze, furse or whin is a genus of about 20 plant species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green...
although biodiversity appears to be significantly reduced within the confines of the golf course. Around the rocky outcrops and alongside some of the many paths that weave their way around the mountain are large deposits of litter (paper, cans and plastic bags).
The extensive groves of gorse are often set alight by arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
ists in dry summers producing a blaze that can be seen for many miles around. Whilst this may benefit the gorse and the ecosystem based around gorse, the fires often spread into other areas of established woods where considerable damage is caused. These fires can also threaten gardens and outbuildings lining the base of the hill.
Bangor Mountain provides the main southern watershed for the River Adda, the principal river flowing through Bangor. However, as the river has now been culverted throughout its whole length in the built up area of the city, it is little known to the city's population.
Part of Bangor Mountain was removed to provide car parking for a new discount supermarket. As a result the footpath in this area now approaches very close to a precipitous edge protected by two-metre high railings topped with saw tooth edging. The placement of the carpark has occasionally led to vandals damaging parked cars by means of throwing rubble down from the footpath.