Cribarth
Encyclopedia
Cribarth is a hill in the Brecon Beacons National Park in the county of Powys
, south Wales
. The summit of the hill is at 423m and lies at the southwest end of a mile long ridge. It is marked by a trig point
.
The hill is sometimes referred to as The Sleeping Giant after the resemblance of its skyline to such a figure when seen from further down the upper Swansea Valley
.
rocks and the Namurian
age Twrch Sandstone (former 'Basal Grit') of the Marros Group
(former 'Millstone Grit Series'), also dating from the Carboniferous period. It lies on the northeast-southwest aligned geological structure known as the Cribarth Disturbance
and indeed gives its name to that regionally important structure. The Disturbance is characterised locally by a tight anticline
which follows the alignment of the summit ridge and which is accompanied by one or two lesser ffold
s on its northwestern side.
Numerous crags, restricted areas of broken limestone pavement
and shakeholes adorn the slopes of this hill as do various man-made features relating to its geology and described below.
The hill has been used by generations of geology students for mapping practice.
in the Tawe valley below. The remains of numerous limekilns
can also be seen. Rottenstone was also worked to the north and west of Cribarth.
, Ynyswen and Pen-y-cae. A popular ascent of the hill is by way of a concessionary path starting near Craig-y-Nos Castle
.
Powys
Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
, south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The summit of the hill is at 423m and lies at the southwest end of a mile long ridge. It is marked by a trig point
Trig point
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
.
The hill is sometimes referred to as The Sleeping Giant after the resemblance of its skyline to such a figure when seen from further down the upper Swansea Valley
Swansea Valley
The Swansea Valley , one of the South Wales Valleys is the name often given to the valley of the River Tawe area in South Wales, UK. It reaches southwest and south from the Brecon Beacons National Park down to the city of Swansea. Today, administration of the area is divided between the City and...
.
Geology
The hill is formed from both Carboniferous LimestoneCarboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
rocks and the Namurian
Namurian
The Namurian is a stage in the regional stratigraphy of northwest Europe with an age between roughly 326 and 313 Ma . It is a subdivision of the Carboniferous system or period and the regional Silesian series. The Namurian is named for the Belgian city and province of Namur where strata of this age...
age Twrch Sandstone (former 'Basal Grit') of the Marros Group
Marros Group
The Marros Group is the name given to a suite of rocks of Namurian age laid down during the Carboniferous period in South Wales. These rocks were formerly known as the Millstone Grit Series but are now distinguished from the similar but geographically separate rock sequences of the Pennines and...
(former 'Millstone Grit Series'), also dating from the Carboniferous period. It lies on the northeast-southwest aligned geological structure known as the Cribarth Disturbance
Cribarth Disturbance
The Cribarth Disturbance is a geological structure forming a lineament which stretches across south Wales from Swansea up the Swansea Valley then northeastwards to Brecon and beyond. It comprises both a series of faults and associated folds which were active during the mountain-building period...
and indeed gives its name to that regionally important structure. The Disturbance is characterised locally by a tight anticline
Anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
which follows the alignment of the summit ridge and which is accompanied by one or two lesser ffold
Fold (geology)
The term fold is used in geology when one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, are bent or curved as a result of permanent deformation. Synsedimentary folds are those due to slumping of sedimentary material before it is lithified. Folds in rocks vary in...
s on its northwestern side.
Numerous crags, restricted areas of broken limestone pavement
Limestone pavement
A limestone pavement is a natural karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone that resembles an artificial pavement. The term is mainly used in the UK where many of these landforms have developed distinctive surface patterning resembling block of paving...
and shakeholes adorn the slopes of this hill as do various man-made features relating to its geology and described below.
The hill has been used by generations of geology students for mapping practice.
Industrial archaeology
The tightly folded limestone beds of the summit ridge of Cribarth are intensely fractured making them easy to quarry. Numerous quarries were worked around the summit of the mountain and on its flanks during the nineteenth century and the rock removed by tram. Several kilometres of abandoned tramroads weave around the hill and two major inclines link this high-level network to the former Swansea CanalSwansea Canal
The Swansea Canal was a canal constructed by the Swansea Canal Navigation Company between 1794 and 1798, running for some from Swansea to Hen Neuadd, Abercraf in South Wales. It was steeply graded, and 36 locks were needed to enable it to rise over its length...
in the Tawe valley below. The remains of numerous limekilns
Limekilns
Limekilns, a village in Fife, Scotland, lies on the shore of the Firth of Forth.Unlike the neighbouring village of Charlestown, Limekilns is an extremely old settlement dating back to the 14th century. The oldest building in the village is without doubt The King's Cellar, a large and somewhat...
can also be seen. Rottenstone was also worked to the north and west of Cribarth.
Access
Other than its lower eastern flanks, the entire hill is open country and therefore available for walkers to wander over at will. Various public footpaths and bridleways provide access over its lower slopes from the communities in the upper Swansea Valley such as AbercrafAbercraf
Abercraf is a village within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire, Powys, mid Wales.- Location :Abercraf lies in the extreme south of the county, in the Upper Swansea Valley 2.5 miles northeast of the small town of Ystradgynlais...
, Ynyswen and Pen-y-cae. A popular ascent of the hill is by way of a concessionary path starting near Craig-y-Nos Castle
Craig-y-Nos Castle
Craig-y-Nos Castle , is a Victorian-Gothic country house in Britain. Built on parkland beside the River Tawe in the upper Swansea Valley, it is located on the southern edge of Fforest Fawr in Powys. The former estate of opera singer Adelina Patti, part of the complex is now used as a boutique...
.