Elidir Fawr is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

Snowdonia Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern 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 It was a commonly held belief that the nam ...

, north

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, the northernmost peak in the

Glyderau The Glyderau (a Welsh plural form, also known in English as the Glyders) are a mountain group in Snowdonia, North Wales. The name derives from the highest peaks in the range, Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach. According to Sir Ifor Williams, the word ...

. Its name means 'Big Elidir', named after a legendary warrior king of the 6th century also known as Eliffer Gosgorddfawr (Elidir of the Great Army). To the north of the summit is a small lake,

Marchlyn Mawr Marchlyn Mawr reservoir is a high level lake in Snowdonia behind Elidir Fawr mountain. It is used as the high level water source for Dinorwig power station, a closed-loop pumped storage hydroelectric generating facility. It is said that nearby ...

, which is the upper

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

for Dinorwig power station, a pump-storage

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

hidden inside the mountain. Water from this lake flows through huge tunnels into the lower reservoir

Llyn Peris Llyn Peris is a lake in Snowdonia, Wales, approximately 1.8 km long and situated close to the villages of Llanberis and Nant Peris, and the smaller twin of Llyn Padarn. The lake was formed glacially and is an example of a moraine-dammed la ...

. From the north, Elidir Fawr is very prominent, and can appear to be higher than the higher mountains behind it.

Slate quarries

From

Llanberis (; ) is a village, community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activities in Snowdonia, including walking, mo ...

, the mountain is dominated by the former Dinorwic slate quarries and the waste they have left behind.

Approach

It is a reasonably short, but steep walk up to the summit, and this can be undertaken from the

Deiniolen Deiniolen (; ; ) is a village in Gwynedd, Wales, at the foot of Elidir Fawr, in Llanddeiniolen Community. Deiniolen has views over Caernarfon (7 miles away) and on a clear day, Holyhead Mountain and occasionally the Wicklow Mountains in Irelan ...

side or from

Nant Peris The Llanberis Pass ( cy, Bwlch Llanberis; alternative English name, Pass of Llanberis) in Snowdonia carries the main road ( A4086) from the south-east to Llanberis, over Pen-y-Pass, between the mountain ranges of the Glyderau and the Snowdon ma ...

. The Deiniolen walk provides views down to Llanberis, while the Nant Peris approach is short and quite steep.Nuttall, John & Anne (1999). The Mountains of England & Wales - Volume 1: Wales (2nd edition ed.). Milnthorpe, Cumbria: Cicerone. . The summit can also be reached from Ogwen Cottage via a traverse of Y Garn and

Foel-goch Foel-goch is a mountain in Snowdonia, north-west Wales, and forms part of the Glyderau range, in Gwynedd. It lies in between Y Garn and Mynydd Perfedd. Good views of Dyffryn Ogwen are seen with Pen yr Ole Wen, Carnedd Dafydd, Tryfan, Glyder ...

. The route makes its way around the headwall of Cwm Dudodyn to Bwlch y Brecan and up to the rocky summit of Elidir Fawr. File:Elidir Fawr.jpg, Elidir Fawr from the slopes of

Moel Eilio Moel Eilio is a mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, that is situated approximately 3 miles north-west of Snowdon itself. It has two subsidiary tops, Foel Gron and Foel Goch (Eilio). The average annual temperature of the mountain is ...

, with the Dinorwic Quarry prominent on its south-west face. File:Elidir Fawr ridge, as seen from the ridge along Mynydd Perfedd, above the reservoir, with Moel Cynghorion in the background.jpg, Elidir Fawr ridge, as seen from the ridge along Mynydd Perfedd, above the reservoir, with Moel Cynghorion in the background

References

External links

Walks to the summit

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of and from Elidir Fawr
{{coord, 53.13074, N, 4.07603, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SH612613), display=title Marilyns of Wales Hewitts of Wales Mountains and hills of Snowdonia Nuttalls Furths Mountains and hills of Gwynedd Llanberis Llanddeiniolen