Snowdon, or Yr Wyddfa in Welsh, is the highest mountain in Wales at 3,650 feet, and the highest point in the British Isles outside of the Scottish Highlands. Snowdon has a long history of rock climbing and mountaineering, and was used as a winter training ground for the 1953 British climbing expedition that successfully summited Mount Everest for the first time.
Snowdon also has a history rich in Welsh folklore and Arthurian mythology. The summit is said to be the tomb of the giant Rhitta Gawr, who was slain by King Arthur himself. Legend has it that Rhitta fashioned a cap, then a great cape from the beards of British kings he defeated in battle in order to keep himself warm in the harsh winters of Snowdonia. When Rhitta demanded Arthur’s beard to patch his cape, Arthur marched to Snowdon and slew the giant in a mighty duel. He then erected a cairn over the giants body, which was named Gwyddfa Rhudda (Rhitta’s Cairn). Over the intervening centuries the name of Rhudda was forgotten and Gwyddfa Rhudda became known as Yr Wyddfa.
Another legend states that upon his death, Arthur instructed Sir Bedivere to throw Excalibur into Glaslyn, the lake at the base of Yr Wyddfa. Arthur was later placed in a boat on Glaslyn’s waters, to be carried away to Afallon.
On our hike to the summit of Snowdon, we never saw giants or watery tarts throwing swords at people (as Monty Python so eloquently stated), but we did see A LOT of fellow hikers. Snowdon is the busiest mountain in the United Kingdom, and the third most visited attraction in Wales with 582,000 people visiting annually. It was well worth the effort though, as you will hopefully see from our photos … enjoy!
