Tryfan ) is a mountain in the Ogwen Valley,

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 ...

, Wales. It forms part of 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 ...

group, and is one of the most recognisable peaks in Britain, having a classic pointed shape with rugged crags. At above sea level, it is the fifteenth-highest mountain in Wales. Tryfan was voted Britain's favourite mountain by ''Trail'' magazine. Between the mid-1980s and June 2010, its accepted height was . However, it was resurveyed using accurate GPS measurements and found to be 2.4 metres (eight feet) higher (which the pre-1980s surveys also recorded). Tryfan is said to be the final resting-place of Sir Bedivere (Bedwyr) of

Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Wester ...

Naming

The name "Tryfan" is thought to derive from the intensifying particle ''try–'' and the noun ''ban'' (‘top, peak’), giving the meaning ‘very high peak’.

Routes of ascent

There are many routes of ascent, ranging from easy ridge

scrambling Scrambling is a mountaineering term for ascending steep terrain using one's hands to assist in holds and balance.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. It is also used to describe terrain that falls between hiking and rock climbing (as a “scramb ...

, to multi-pitch

mountaineering Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...

rock climbs on the east face. A popular ascent route is its north ridge, which starts close to the

A5 road A5 Road may refer to: ;Africa * A5 highway (Nigeria), a road connecting Lagos and Ibadan * A5 road (Zimbabwe), a road connecting Harare and Francistown ;Americas * Quebec Autoroute 5, a road in Quebec, Canada * County Route A5 (California) or B ...

, about one mile (1.5 km) east of Idwal Cottage (a

youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ...

) or Ogwen Cottage (an outdoor pursuits centre). From here a route leads directly up the ridge, a Grade 1 scramble by the easiest line. The difficulty can be increased considerably if the most direct line is followed throughout; particularly in the upper sections of the ridge. About a third of the way up there is a distinctive rock known as "The Cannon" which points upwards at 45 degrees and is visible from the valley. The North Tower is located three quarters of the way up, which can be avoided to the right or climbed directly at a difficulty of Grade 2. Tryfan may also be climbed by the south ridge, which links the mountain (via

Bristly Ridge Glyder Fach is a mountain in Snowdonia, north-west Wales, and is the second highest of the Glyderau and the sixth highest in Wales. Routes to the summit lead from Tryfan and Bristly Ridge to the north, via Glyder Fawr from Pen-y-Pass to the ...

) to

Glyder Fach Glyder Fach is a mountain in Snowdonia, north-west Wales, and is the second highest of the Glyderau and the sixth highest in Wales. Routes to the summit lead from Tryfan and Bristly Ridge to the north, via Glyder Fawr from Pen-y-Pass to the ...

. The route begins at Bwlch Tryfan, the col between Tryfan and Bristly Ridge. The col is reached by a path leading up from Idwal Cottage to the west, passing through Cwm Bochlwyd. This cwm contains Llyn Bochlwyd. The summit of Tryfan is famous for the twin

monoliths A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. For instance, Savandurga mountain is a monolith mountain in India. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often ma ...

of ''Siôn a Siân'' (''Adam and Eve'' in English), a pair of rocks some three metres (10') high and separated by 1.2 metres (4'). The rocks are visible from the Ogwen valley. Those who tackle the "step" between the two rocks are said to gain the "Freedom of Tryfan". However, the exposure on one side is quite great, and mountain writer

Frank Showell Styles Frank Showell Styles (14 March 1908 – 19 February 2005) was an English writer and mountaineer. Biography Showell Styles was born in Four Oaks, Birmingham and educated at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School in nearby Sutton Coldfield. His father ...

said: "In calm dry weather it is not too hard a step but the penalties of failure are unpleasant in the extreme." Two prominent pillar-like boulders are visible on the skyline midway through the approach to the summit via the South ridge. As these can be mistaken for ''Siôn a Siân'' from a distance, they have become known as ''Cain and Abel'', continuing the biblical theme.

Milestone Buttress

Milestone Buttress at the base of Tryfan is a popular location for

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done fo ...

. The Buttress is about 10 minutes' walk from roadside laybys. The most popular route is known as the ''Direct Route'': there are often queues of people waiting to climb it. It is long, and has a

grade Grade most commonly refers to: * Grade (education), a measurement of a student's performance * Grade, the number of the year a student has reached in a given educational stage * Grade (slope), the steepness of a slope Grade or grading may also ref ...

of Very Difficult (VD). The route was first climbed by G. Barlow and H. Priestly-Smith in 1910. There is also a popular Grade 3 scramble incorporating the Milestone Buttress. This route is commonly used as an alternative approach to the North Ridge, as is the nearby slabby wedge of Tryfan Bach, on the other side of the mountain.

Gallery

File:The Cannon Stone, Tryfan.jpg, The Cannon Stone, on Tryfan's north ridge. File:Nwales.tryfan.750pix.jpg, left, Tryfan seen from Ogwen Cottage on the A5 road. File:Milestone buttress.JPG, Milestone Buttress, eastern side. The direct route is highlighted. File:Tryfan mountain goats.jpg, Tryfan and neighboring parts of the Glyderau are home to

feral goat The feral goat is the domestic goat (''Capra aegagrus hircus'') when it has become established in the wild. Feral goats occur in many parts of the world. Species Feral goats consist of many breeds of goats, all of which stem from the wild goat ...

s .

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* Computer generated summit panorama
NorthSouth

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Tryfan and surrounding area
{{coord, 53.11494, -3.99753, type:mountain_region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SH664593), display=title Hewitts of Wales Marilyns of Wales Mountains and hills of Snowdonia Nuttalls Sites of Special Scientific Interest in West Gwynedd Mountains and hills of Conwy County Borough Climbing areas of Wales Furths Capel Curig