Llyn Crafnant - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Llyn Crafnant is a lake that lies in a beautiful valley in North Wales

North Wales

North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...

where the northern edge of the Gwydir Forest

Gwydir Forest

Gwydir Forest, also spelled Gwydyr, is located in Conwy county borough and the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales. It takes its name from the ancient Gwydir Estate, established by the John Wynn family of Gwydir Castle, which owned this area....

meets the lower slopes of the Carneddau

Carneddau

The Carneddau , are a group of mountains in Snowdonia, Wales. It includes the largest contiguous areas of high ground in Wales and England, as well as six or seven of the highest peaks in the country—the Fourteen Peaks...

mountains and, more specifically, the ridge of Cefn Cyfarwydd

Cefn Cyfarwydd

Cefn Cyfarwydd is a ridge in Conwy county borough, north Wales. It is located above the village of Trefriw on the western side of the Conwy valley, and dramatically separates the rugged mountains of the Carneddau from the greener, lusher Conwy valley....

. The head of the valley offers a profile of crags which are silhouetted at sunset, and many people regard the lake as one of the most beautiful spots in North Wales. Indeed, the Forest Park guide (2002) states that "the (view along Llyn Crafnant) is one of the most breathtaking views in all Snowdonia

Snowdonia

Snowdonia is a region in north 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:...

". At 63 acres (254,952.2 m²) it is the best part of a mile long, although it was clearly once much longer - its southern end shows the evidence of centuries of silting. Jehu’s survey (see references) recorded a maximum depth of 71 ft (21.6 m).

Crafnant takes its name from “craf”, an old Welsh word for garlic

Garlic

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...

, and “nant”, a stream or valley. Even today the valley of Afon Crafnant smells of wild garlic when it flowers.

The lake can be reached by car only from Trefriw

Trefriw

Trefriw is a village in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It lies on the river Conwy in North Wales, a few miles south of the site of the Roman fort of Canovium, sited at Caerhun. The parish population in 2001 was 924....

in the Conwy valley, though many visitors walk there from the village or from the neighbouring lake of Llyn Geirionydd

Llyn Geirionydd

Llyn Geirionydd lies in a valley in North Wales where the northern edge of the Gwydyr Forest meets the lower slopes of the Carneddau mountains. The lake is almost a mile long and covers an area of , but is never any deeper than according to Jehu’s survey ...

, which runs parallel to it, but a mile distant, the two being separated by Mynydd Deulyn – “mountain of the two lakes”. Walkers can also approach the lake from Capel Curig

Capel Curig

Capel Curig is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, in Wales. It lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy, and has a population of 226...

.

There is a Forestry Commission

Forestry Commission

The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....

car park with toilets, which is reached just before the lake itself, and the lakeside cafe (open from Easter until late summer) offers car parking for patrons. The lake is a popular fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

spot, and is kept stocked with brown trout

Brown trout

The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....

and rainbow trout

Rainbow trout

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....

. From the cafe it is possible to hire boats for fishing or for pleasure. Private boating and swimming is not permitted.

The lake is a reservoir, and was dammed at its northern end in 1874, but the dam itself is barely visible as the outflow plunges down steeply from it. By the outflow is an obelisk

Obelisk

An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...

, erected in 1896 by the inhabitants of Llanrwst

Llanrwst

Llanrwst is a small town and community on the A470 road and the River Conwy in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It takes its name from the 5th century to 6th century Saint Grwst, and the original parish church in Cae Llan was replaced by the 12th-century church....

which commemorates "the gift to that town of this lake with 19 acres (76,890.3 m²) of land" by Richard James. The fact that the lake no longer serves this purpose means that the inhabitants of Llanrwst and Trefriw have nowadays to pay for their water like everyone else. The lake is leased to the owners of what is now the cafe.

In the upper part of the valley there is no mains water connection and during the particularly dry summer of 2006 many properties were without water.

The River Crafnant

River Crafnant

The River Crafnant is a tributary of the River Conwy , which is the main river of the Conwy valley in North Wales....

("Afon Crafnant" in Welsh

Welsh language

Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...

) joins the River Conwy

River Conwy

The River Conwy is a river in north Wales. From its source to its discharge in Conwy Bay it is a little over long. "Conwy" is sometimes Anglicized as "Conway."...

at Trefriw, but not before some of it has been diverted to pass through the woollen mills to generate hydro-electricity for the mill.

Cornel http://www.cornelscouts.org.uk/, a large property in 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) on the southern banks of the lake, is owned and operated by the Welsh Scout

Boy Scout

A Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...

Council.

Areas around the lake were used for location shots in the 1981 fantasy movie Dragonslayer
Dragonslayer
Dragonslayer is a 1981 fantasy movie set in a fictional medieval kingdom, following a young wizard who experiences danger and opposition as he attempts to defeat a dragon....

and the lake also appeared briefly in the 1966 film Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment
Morgan!
Morgan! is a 1966 comedy film made by the British Lion Films Corporation...

.

External links

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