Llynnau Mymbyr are two lakes located in

Dyffryn Mymbyr Dyffryn Mymbyr is a valley in Snowdonia, in north-west Wales, approximately in length, and leading up from Capel Curig to the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel. The river Nantygwryd, originally called Y Mymbyr in Llywelyn the Great's charter of 1198, starts ...

, a valley running from the village of

Capel Curig Capel Curig (; meaning " Curig's Chapel") is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Historically in Caernarfonshire, it lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy, and has a population of 226, reducing slightly to 206 ...

to the

Pen-y-Gwryd Pen-y-Gwryd is a pass at the head of Nantygwryd and Nant Cynnyd rivers close to the foot of Snowdon in Gwynedd, Wales. The area is located at the junction of the A4086 from Capel Curig to Llanberis and Caernarfon and the A498 from Beddgele ...

hotel in

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-west

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 A4086 runs along their northern banks. Strictly speaking this is one lake, originally called Llyn Mymbyr, with a maximum depth of 30 feet. About 3/4 mile long in total, a delta has built up midway along the north shore, and this has to all purposes cut the lake in two - hence the plural name. The river feeding the lakes is the

Nantygwryd Dyffryn Mymbyr is a valley in Snowdonia, in north-west Wales, approximately in length, and leading up from Capel Curig to the Pen-y-Gwryd hotel. The river Nantygwryd, originally called Y Mymbyr in Llywelyn the Great's charter of 1198, starts ...

(or Nant-y-gwryd), which has its source at

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 valle ...

, also marked on maps as the Nant Gwryd, which is a tributary of the

Afon Llugwy River Llugwy (Welsh: ''Afon Llugwy'') is a tributary of the River Conwy, and has its source at Ffynnon Llugwy, a lake in the Carneddau range of mountains in Snowdonia in north-west Wales. Location and catchment area The average annual rai ...

. The two rivers join at Capel Curig. The lake was used for fly-fishing and sub-aqua courses in the 1960s and is still used today as a canoe training resource by

Plas y Brenin Plas y Brenin, located in Conwy County Borough, Wales, is a National Outdoor Centre owned by Sport England. 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 ...

and other

local education authorities Local education authorities (LEAs) were local councils in England that are responsible for education within their jurisdiction. The term was used to identify which council (district or county) is locally responsible for education in a system wit ...

Geographical and Geological Context

The lakes lie in a depression formed by a ring of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

called the Capel Curig Volcanic Formation which can be vaguely seen in the panorama below which was taken from the north side. The igneous rocks of

Moel Siabod Moel Siabod ( Welsh for "bare hill" with unknown meaning of 'Siabod'), is a mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales, which sits isolated above the village of Dolwyddelan. At , it is the highest peak in the Moelwynion mountain range. The UK National Mo ...

can be seen behind the lakes which are linear but in the panorama appear to bend at the delta between the two.

External links

Plas y Brenin
{{authority control Capel Curig Mymbyr Mymbyr