Dyffryn Mymbyr
Encyclopedia
Dyffryn Mymbyr is a valley in Snowdonia
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
, approximately 5 miles (8 km) in length, and leading up from Capel Curig
Capel Curig
Capel Curig is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, in Wales. It lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy, and has a population of 226...
to the Pen-y-Gwryd
Pen-y-Gwryd
Pen-y-Gwryd is a pass at the head of Nantygwryd and Nant Cynnyd rivers in Gwynedd, North Wales and a quarter of a mile from the boundary with Conwy in northern Snowdonia, close to the foot of Snowdon...
hotel.
The river Nantygwryd, originally called Y Mymbyr in Llywelyn the Great
Llywelyn the Great
Llywelyn the Great , full name Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, was a Prince of Gwynedd in north Wales and eventually de facto ruler over most of Wales...
's charter of 1198, starts at Llyn Cwm-y-ffynnon
Llyn Cwm-y-ffynnon
Llyn Cwm-y-ffynnon is a lake in Snowdonia, below the summit of Moel Berfedd in Cwmffynnon. The lake's original name was Fynnon Mymbyr as outlined in Llywelyn ap Iorwerth's charter of 1198. As the name suggests the lake nestles in a short valley, a cwm, high above the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel...
, high above the Pen-y-Gwryd
Pen-y-Gwryd
Pen-y-Gwryd is a pass at the head of Nantygwryd and Nant Cynnyd rivers in Gwynedd, North Wales and a quarter of a mile from the boundary with Conwy in northern Snowdonia, close to the foot of Snowdon...
hotel, and flows into Llynnau Mymbyr
Llynnau Mymbyr
Llynnau Mymbyr are two lakes located in Dyffryn Mymbyr, a valley running from the village of Capel Curig to the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel in Snowdonia, north-west Wales. The A4086 runs along their northern banks....
going towards Capel Curig
Capel Curig
Capel Curig is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, in Wales. It lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy, and has a population of 226...
. The valley, like the river, lies both 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...
and Conwy county borough.
Today there are at least two active, hill rearing, sheep farms; Garth, featured in the 1967 BBC Wales documentary "Shepherds of Moel Siabod", and Cwm Farm.
The area commands excellent views of the Snowdon horseshoe
Snowdon Massif
The Snowdon Massif is one of the three mountain groups in Snowdonia, north Wales, to include mountains over 3,000 feet high. It occupies the area between Beddgelert, Pen-y-Pass and Llanberis...
, which (viewed left to right) takes in the peaks of Y Lliwedd
Y Lliwedd
Y Lliwedd is a mountain, connected to Yr Wyddfa in the Snowdonia National Park, North Wales.Its summit lies 2,946 ft above sea level....
, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon
Snowdon
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, and has been described as "probably the busiest mountain in Britain"...
), Crib Goch
Crib Goch
Crib Goch is described as a "knife-edged" arête in the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The name means red comb in the Welsh language, presumably referring to the serrated ridge and the colour of some of the rocks....
and Crib y Ddysgl.
The valley is the location of the Capel Curig weather station, which on many occasions has recorded the wettest weather in Wales http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/uk_weather_records.
Literature from the Valley
Dyffryn Mymbyr is also the location of 'Dyffryn', the farm in Thomas FirbankThomas Firbank
Thomas Firbank was a Canadian/Welsh author, farmer, soldier and engineer.He was born in Quebec, Canada, to an English father and a Welsh mother. Following his father's early death, he was raised among his mother's hill-farming community in the Berwyn Mountains of North Wales...
's best-selling autobiographical novel (first published in 1940) entitled "I bought a mountain". In the book he describes life in Dyffryn Mymbyr after he bought the 2400 acres (9.7 km²) farm in 1931 when he was just 21. The farm included the southern slopes of the Glyders, and neither Firbank nor his wife, Esme, whom he married in 1934, had any previous experience of farming. However, they succeeded in winning the respect of their employees and neighbours, and slowly built up a healthy stock of 3000 sheep. The couple later divorced, and Esme (as Esme Kirby: see her obituary) and her husband Peter Kirby went on to be founder members of the Snowdonia Society
Snowdonia Society
The Snowdonia Society is a members based environmental charity. Formed in 1967, it is concerned with all aspects of the Snowdonia National Park. Members take part in practical activities to improve the environment and engage in campaigns to prevent inappropriate development in the area...
, the farm acting as home to the society before it moved to Ty Hyll ("The Ugly House"). The location of Dyffryn Mymbyr, the farm, dates back to 1350, and the current property is now owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
. The farmhouse and cottage are now available to rent from the National Trust as holiday cottages, the money raised from their rental helps the National Trust with conservation work.
Dyffryn Mymbyr can lay claim to one of the finest examples of a self taught botanist, certainly in the UK, if not wider - Evan Roberts (Botanist)
Evan Roberts (botanist)
Evan Roberts MBE, M.Sc., .Evan Roberts was an internationally known and recognised botanist who lived and worked all his life in Capel Curig , in Snowdonia, Gwynedd, North Wales....
. Evan Roberts lived at Gelli in Capel Curig
Capel Curig
Capel Curig is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, in Wales. It lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy, and has a population of 226...
where he lived and would explore all of Snowdonia, and in doing so compiled an unparalleled knowledge of the plant life in North Wales. Although he spent the first 40 years of his life as a quarry worker, he went on to become the colleague of academics. He was awarded the honorary degree of M.Sc. of the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
, in 1956, at the same ceremony as the architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
, and his portrait was painted by Kyffin Williams
Kyffin Williams
Sir John "Kyffin" Williams, KBE, RA was a Welsh landscape painter who lived at Pwllfanogl, Llanfairpwll on the Island of Anglesey...
.
Recreation & Sport
Ther are many walks in the valley, and also walks that lead out of the valley.From Plas y Brenin
Plas y Brenin
Plas y Brenin, is currently the The National Mountain Centre for Wales . The Centre is situated in Dyffryn Mymbyr, the Mymbyr Valley, in Snowdonia and is less than a quarter of a mile south-west of the centre of Capel Curig on the A4086 road....
an old path leads up and over Moel Siabod
Moel Siabod
Moel Siabod is a mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, which sits isolated above the villages of Betws-y-Coed and Capel Curig. At 872m it is the highest peak in the Moelwynion mountain range. The UK National Mountain Centre, Plas-y-Brenin, is located at the foot of Moel Siabod...
. This route goes past the old slate mine and then into hill farming country. The ascent of Moel Siabod affords commanding views of the entire valley. There is a great deal of history to this mountain.
In the 1990s Esme Kirby established a low level walk along the length of the valley, starting from and returning to Capel Curig, via Gelli, which used to be the stagecoach Inn before becoming the Capel Curig Hotel, again changing its name to the Royal Inn around 1870. It is now Plas y Brenin
Plas y Brenin
Plas y Brenin, is currently the The National Mountain Centre for Wales . The Centre is situated in Dyffryn Mymbyr, the Mymbyr Valley, in Snowdonia and is less than a quarter of a mile south-west of the centre of Capel Curig on the A4086 road....
, the National Mountain Centre in Wales.
The "Heritage Walk", produced by the "Friends of St. Julitta's Church" in Capel Curig, circumnavigates the whole village and takes about 3 hours. The photographs illustrate the scenery to be seen, when it's not raining. http://www.visitcapel.fsnet.co.uk/heritagewalk.htm
There is Moderate (Mod) to Very Difficult (V Diff) climbing on the "The Racks" near Dyffryn Farm, "The Pinnacles" (Y Pincin to the locals) in the centre of Capel Curig. There are two outdoor shops in Capel Curig which cater for all outdoor needs.
The lake Llynnau Mymbyr
Llynnau Mymbyr
Llynnau Mymbyr are two lakes located in Dyffryn Mymbyr, a valley running from the village of Capel Curig to the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel in Snowdonia, north-west Wales. The A4086 runs along their northern banks....
is actively used for Kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
and Canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
both by Plas y Brenin
Plas y Brenin
Plas y Brenin, is currently the The National Mountain Centre for Wales . The Centre is situated in Dyffryn Mymbyr, the Mymbyr Valley, in Snowdonia and is less than a quarter of a mile south-west of the centre of Capel Curig on the A4086 road....
and many Local Education Authorities. The lake has also been used for fly fishing and sub-aqua courses, although these are no longer active. Some believe there are no fish in the lake, but this is incorrect. The fish are small but like most brown trout are very feisty when on the hook.
The Dragon Ski (The Welsh Junior & Senior Ski Team) used to train here every year, based at Plas y Brenin, using the dry ski slope, dry cross country ski slope, local footpaths as running tracks and the training pool. The Dragon Ski Club was successful both in the UK but also abroad, culminating in winning the home championships beating, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, held in Val D'Isere, France. The club had at least six boys and one girl at international standard in downhill ski racing.
The woods, surrounding hills, footpaths and forestry tracks are used for camping, walking and orienteering.