If you plan to visit Snowdon in Wales this summer, here is some interesting information about the mountain that you might like to know.
Snowdon, in Welsh, is Yr Wyddfa, which means tomb or monument. Legend has it that it is the tomb of Rhita Gawr, an ogre who would kill kings and make cloaks out of their beards. He supposedly met his end when King Arthur climbed to the top of Mount Snowdon and killed him.
No one knows who first conquered Snowdon, but ascents of the mountain became popular when Thomas Pennant published ‘Tours’ in 1781 and included his visit to the summit.
Snowdon, as indeed the surrounding area, has been mined since the Bronze Age, and evidence of copper mining can be seen all over the mountain, from old mine buildings, to old tramways. Care should be taken around these old buildings.
Facts and Figures of Snowdon
Snowdon stands 1,085 metres (3,560 feet) high. Each year 350,000 people reach the summit, some on foot and some by train. The summit has 200 inches(508 cm) of rain per year, and can reach temperatures of 30 centigrade in high summer, and plummet to – 20 centigrade in the winter. Add to this winds of...