Plas y Brenin's Climbing Wall

We could have been out Christmas shopping but instead we were treated to rock climbing for beginners, indoors on the wall at Plas y Brenin. Not so much a wall as a cavernous chamber with overhangs and arches. Brendan and his two colleagues kitted us out with climbing shoes, helmets and harnesses; the shoes were a bit tight but that’s all part of the design, for greater grip.

We began with basic bouldering, low down on the wall going crab-like across. Legs are stronger than arms so we were advised to maximise the use of legs as opposed to arms. Arms at full stretch are stronger than arms crunched up so we tried to keep them long. Theory is easy but handholds and toeholds didn’t always present themselves where they needed to be.


After free climbing a low section we roped up, climbed the high bits then belayed down. Bit of an act of faith, to let go of those handholds that had been squeezed so tight on the way up, and lie back at right angles to the wall. The wall with the overhangs proved a bit too challenging for me and I found myself spinning in space, safely held by the rope which we were assured was strong enough to hold a minibus.

A huge thank you to Plas y Brenin for supporting the Snowdonia Society as a business member and laying on this event.  What I hadn’t realised before was that this wonderful climbing wall is open to us locals; I think the charge is just £5.

Dorothea a Trigonos

For our winter social 26 of us were treated to a guided walk around Dorothea slate quarry, a fascinating insight from Dr Gwynfor Pierce Jones. Some members of the group remembered the good old days, when it was possible to abseil a hundred metres to the bottom of the pit before it filled up with water.

From the start, Gwynfor sought to be controversial for fear we might not remember him; no chance of that, but I won’t repeat things for fear of libel. For anyone wanting to know more about Dorothea, the recommended website is penmorfa.com There is of course Gwynfor’s book but make sure you buy the new edition which is becoming available just now.

Back at Trigonos we enjoyed a tasty home cooked lunch; a great venue, with superb views and good company.

In the footsteps of Augustus John – some miraculous promised land

2014 marks the centenary of the death of James Dickson Innes, who along with Augustus John and Derwent Lees produced some of the most dramatic and expressionistic landscape painting of the 20th century. Between 1910 - 1913 these three artists rented a cottage at Nant Ddu, near Llyn Tryweryn to paint landscapes around Arenig and the surrounding moorland, a landscape Augustus John described as 'some miraculous promised land'.

James Dickson Innes - Evening, Sun Setting behind Arenig Fach.
The Tabernacle Collection of MOMA WALES

The walk and talk event that the Snowdonia Society has arranged on 22nd February will visit some of the places that inspired these artists. If the weather is clear and bright there will be a choice of two walks on offer, both of which will begin and end at Nant Ddu. The more challenging walk, which will only take place if the weather is reasonably clear, will follow a route up Arenig via Amnodd Bwll returning via Llyn Arenig and the old railway trackbed. This walk will take approximately 5 hours, involve some steep sections and require a high level of fitness.

The other walk will be much easier and be on fairly level terrain. It will also start at Nant Ddu and visit Llyn Tryweryn and Blaen Cwm Prysor before returning along the abandoned railway trackbed. This walk will take approximately 2½ hours. Both walks will provide opportunities to view copies of work produced by these artists and share views about the landscape that inspired them.

The walks are open to all with a suggested donation of £5 or, for members of the Society, a donation of £3. To make a booking please contact info@snowdonia-society.org.uk

The walk is being organised and led by Gareth Roberts. Trained as an art historian, geographer and planner, Gareth has worked with the Snowdonia National Park Authority and the Countryside Council for Wales. He is a Director of the Landscape Research Group Ltd. and supports the work of charitable organisations involved in the conservation and enhancement of cultural landscapes internationally.

Engaging with Ecosystems

**Scroll down for Welsh**  **Rholiwch i lawr i weld y testun Cymraeg**

What a fantastic evening we had last night at our “Engaging with Ecosystems talk”.   The main focus of the evening was the invasive species Rhododendron ponticum.

-  Did you know that there are over 1000 species of Rhododendron worldwide and Rhododendron ponticum is the only invasive one? 

- Did you know that it is a myth that the Victorians introduced Rhododendron ponticum to the UK?  It was in fact found here naturally before the last ice age but didn’t re-colonise.  It was then introduced by the Georgians around 1763!

- Did you know that it is extremely toxic and even honey produced from Rhododendron ponticum can be poisonous for humans, causing, among other things, heart problems?

The evening started with an introduction to Pensychnant Conservation Centre, where the event was held.  Julian Thomson, Pensychnant manager, outlined a brief history of the house and grounds and then told us about the way they have tackled Rhododendron there. 

Mary-Kate, project manager for the Snowdonia Society then introduced the concept of ecosystem services to the group.  Put simply, ecosystem services are the resources produced by the environment which humans use.  Examples would include clean air, pollination, flood control, Carbon sequestration and tourism.  Many of the Snowdonia Society workdays directly contribute towards maintaining or improving ecosystem services.  Footpath maintenance ensures that visitors to the area can safely enjoy Snowdonia while Himalayan balsam removal prevents native species from being out competed; both in terms of space and light and for pollinators.

Finally, Carwyn ap Myrddin of Snowdonia National Park Authority went into detail about large scale Rhododendron ponticum control in Snowdonia.  It’s a real problem as its thick branches block all light from reaching the ground, so it out-competes our native species.  It is also very toxic, making grazing as a control method difficult, and releasing toxins back into the soil, making re-colonisation by native species a challenge.  Each plant releases millions of seeds meaning that once established it is very difficult to get rid of!  It is estimated that it would cost £10 million to eradicate Rhododendron ponticum from Snowdonia.   Snowdonia National Park Authority, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and the National Trust have teamed up to tackle Nant Gwynant, a key problem area for this plant – hopefully in the future tourists will be coming to see slopes full of native plants with not  a rhododendron in sight!

A big thank you goes out to Carwyn and Julian for sharing their expertise with us, and also to everyone who turned up to take part!

If you would like to get involved with some of the Snowdonia Society’s workdays, including Rhododendron ponticum control, check out our opportunities here.

Ymgysylltu ag Ecosystemau

Cawsom noson wych neithiwr yn ein sgwrs am "Ymgysylltu ag Ecosystemau".   Prif sylw’r noson oedd y rhywogaeth ymwthiol Rhododendron ponticum.

-  Wyddoch chi fod dros 1000 rhywogaeth Rhododendron ledled y byd a Rhododendron ponticum yw’r unig un yw’r unig un ymwthiol? 

- A wyddoch chi mai myth yw’r gred mai’r Fictoriaid a gyflwynodd Rhododendron ponticum yn y DU?  Mewn gwirionedd, roedd yma’n naturiol cyn oes yr ia diwethaf ond ni wnaeth ail-gytrefu.  Yna, fe’i cyflwynwyd gan y Sioriaid tua 1763!

- A wyddech chi ei fod yn hynod wenwynig a gall hyd yn oed mêl a gynhyrchir o Rhododendron ponticum fod yn wenwynig i bobl, gan achosi problemau’r galon ymysg pethau eraill?

Cychwynnodd y noson â chyflwyniad i Ganolfan Cadwraeth Pensychnant, ble cynhaliwyd y digwyddiad.  Fe wnaeth Julian Thomson, rheolwr Pensychnant, amlinellu hanes cryno’r tŷ a’r gerddi, ac yna fe wnaeth egluro inni sut maent wedi taclo Rhododendron yno. 

Yna, fe wnaeth Mary-Kate, rheolwr prosiect Cymdeithas Eryri, gyflwyno’r cysyniad o wasanaethau ecosystem i’r grŵp.  Yn syml, gwasanaethau ecosystem yw’r adnoddau a gynhyrchir gan yr amgylchedd a ddefnyddir gan bobl.  Mae enghreifftiau yn cynnwys awyr iach, peillio, rheoli llifogydd, dal a storio carbon, a thwristiaeth.  Mae llawer o ddiwrnodau gwaith Cymdeithas Eryri yn cyfrannu’n uniongyrchol at gynnal neu wella gwasanaethau ecosystem.  Mae cynnal llwybrau troed yn sicrhau fod ymwelwyr sy'n dod i'r ardal yn gallu mwynhau Eryri yn ddiogel ac mae clirio Ffromlys Chwarennog yn sicrhau nad yw rhywogaethau cynhenid yn gorfod cystadlu yn eu herbyn am le, goleuni a phryfed peillio.

Yn olaf, fe wnaeth Carwyn ap Myrddin o Awdurdod Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri roi cyflwyniad manwl am reoli Rhododendron ponticum ar raddfa helaeth yn Eryri.  Mae’n broblem sylweddol, oherwydd mae ei ganghennau trwchus yn atal unrhyw oleuni rhag cyrraedd y ddaear, felly bydd yn drech na'n rhywogaethau cynhenid.  Mae’n wenwynig iawn hefyd, sy’n golygu ei bod hi'n anodd defnyddio pori i'w reoli, a bydd yn rhyddhau tocsinau i'r pridd, sy'n golygu fod ail-gytrefu gan rywogaethau cynhenid  yn her.  Bydd pob planhigyn yn gollwng miliynau o hadau, sy'n golygu ei fod yn anodd iawn cael gwared arno wedi iddo sefydlu!  Amcangyfrifir y buasai difa Rhododendron ponticum  yn llwyr yn Eryri yn costio £10 miliwn.   Mae Awdurdod Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru (CNC) a’r Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol wedi dod ynghyd i’w daclo yn Nant Gwynant, un o’r mannau lle mae’r planhigyn hwn yn fwyaf problemus - gobeithio y gall twristiaid y dyfodol ddod i weld y llethrau yn llawn planhigion cynhenid, heb unrhyw rododendron i'w gweld!

Diolch yn fawr iawn i Carwyn a Julian am rannu eu harbenigedd â ni, a diolch hefyd i bawb a ddaeth draw i gyfranogi.

Os hoffech gymryd rhan yn rhai o ddiwrnodau gwaith Cymdeithas Eryri, yn cynnwys rheoli Rhododendron ponticum, darllenwch am ein cyfleoedd yma.

Undergrounding Power Lines in Snowdonia

The Snowdonia National Park is crossed by two major sections of high voltage (400Kv) National Grid transmission lines with big pylons. One runs from west of Abergwyngregyn on the north Wales coast through Bwlch y Ddeufaen to Dolgarrog in the Conwy valley. The second in the south runs from the Dwyryd estuary at Llandecwyn to Trawsfynydd and across the Migneint to Bala.

Emerging from beneath the Glaslyn estuary and onwards
to Trawsfynnydd and across the Migneint

The UK government through OFGEN has set aside £500 million mainly for undergrounding sections of the National Grid in protected landscapes (National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) across Britain. An initial consultation took place earlier this year and it is anticipated that there will be an opportunity at a later stage to identify which areas should be the priorities for undergrounding.

Snowdonia has a greater length of National Grid powerlines than any other National Park in Wales and, across the UK, only the South Downs National Park has more.  The Snowdonia Society will be arguing the case along with others to ensure that Snowdonia gets its fair share.

Before you get carried away please remember that the total fund for all the protected landscapes in the UK is £500m. Each kilometre of overhead cabling costs £1.5m and underground cabling costs much more and depends upon the complexity of the geography. Recent figures for undergrounding in Powys suggest that each kilometre might be £7 to £8 million i.e. the total pot for the UK is equivalent to 60 to 70 kilometres and within Snowdonia alone there are 53 kilometres. If we could get 6 or 7 kilometres that would be a fair share.

It will be important therefore to highlight those sections of the existing routes which are particularly damaging; perhaps where they cross over important open spaces where there is little cover, or where they are very prominent from main roads, or especially damaging to ecosystems.

We would welcome your suggestions using the comment facility below, or to director@snowdonia-society.org.uk, so that the Society can put forward a well thought out short list for consideration. More information about the consultation can be found here. 

Signal Box at Penmaenpool

Nothing compares with the beauty and joy of walking the Mawddach Trail from the coast to Dolgellau than perhaps walking from Dolgellau to the coast. I was there the day after the first snow; a crisp blue sky and autumn colours in the oak woodlands. My guide was Rhys Wynn, area warden for the Snowdonia National Park.

Rhys checks out the visitor book

We walked a stretch of the trail while making a recording for Country Focus which will be broadcast on this Sunday’s edition at 7am and available as a podcast for the next 30 days. Rather than tell you what he said, I recommend you to tune in for this and other great stories.

We ended up in the signal box at Penmaenpool. No longer the levers and cables for moving the rails but a Tardis-like natural cum cultural history museum with a brilliant view across the estuary. It’s staffed by Rhys and a team of ten volunteers and will be open over Christmas and New Year, then again at February half term and more frequently from Easter onwards. The more volunteers, the more often it will be open. If you would like to join in, please contact Rhys whose details are here.

A great example of the National Park working with volunteers at minimal cost to create a high value attraction out of a piece of history.

Lôn Gwyrfai - Rhyd Ddu to Beddgelert

Afon Gwyrfai flows from Llyn y Gadair via Llyn Cwellyn and thence to the sea. Lôn Gwyrfai, the new multipurpose trail, starts in much the same place but runs the opposite way, down the valley to Beddgelert. For many years the abandoned track of the Welsh Highland Railway was the de facto option but for obvious reasons this is out of the question these days.

David Firth leading a Snowdonia Society walk

Its official opening on 29th October marked the end of an 11 year project costing £630,000 which was funded by the National Park and the European Regional Development Fund. If it’s 7.6 km in length, that’s £83 a metre. Is that a lot and will it be worth it? Someone pointed out that much of the path was already in existence therefore the true cost per metre is much more. Whatever the cost, I am sure it will be hugely popular, much more so than the conservative estimate of 5,000 users per year.

A footpath would have been much cheaper than the multipurpose trail that makes it usable by cyclists and horseriders. The top section, around Llyn y Gadair, is also suitable for mobility scooters, but further along the journey becomes difficult with steps and the route is steep in places.

Rain clouds ahead.

A lot of thought has gone into the design. I like the fencing on the causeway that arcs outwards to minimise potential injury to riders falling from their horses. I like the floating nature of the fence, suspended on tight wires like on railways. Either end of the causeway are handy slabs of slate to sit on? No, these are for mounting and dismounting your horse. A footbridge over a stream for the walkers with a ford alongside for the bikers and riders. Towards Beddgelert there are old-fashioned cast iron gates that have been re-purposed with spring loaded high handles.

Peter Rutherford - creator of the trail

At either end is a car park and a station for the Welsh Highland Railway making it a very manageable circular route, complete with bike hire at the Beddgelert end.

It’s new and looking good at the moment but will need tender loving care and this is where the Snowdonia Society will help. We are entering into an agreement whereby our volunteers will maintain the trail, ensuring the drains are clear and thereby prevent erosion. If you would like to join in and be part of the Lôn Gwyrfai maintenance team, please email info@snowdonia-society.org.uk

Plas Tan y Bwlch's beautiful hydro scheme

Saturday’s walk to see the Plas Tan y Bwlch hydro electric scheme was a popular event with over thirty people taking part. It’s all very well hearing or reading about these schemes but there’s nothing quite like seeing it in action to understand the issues and how it all works.

We began at the top and worked our way down towards the turbine house with Andrew Oughton, who runs The Plas, leading the way. The top half of the scheme has a lot of pipework above ground because the ecologists argued against the felling of any trees. Good for the trees, but not so good for the view.  Maybe next time or in other schemes they might opt for burial of the pipe even if it does cost a couple of trees.  To minimise the visual impact the pipe is lagged with hessian and did I hear correctly, that the pipe has been smeared with yoghurt to encourage the growth of moss?

I won’t attempt to tell the story of the hydro because that has already been exceedingly well described by Twm Elias in the Autumn edition of Natur Cymru.

The 13th of June, 2013, was an important day in the history of Plas Tan y Bwlch, the Snowdonia National Park Centre, as the latest hydro-electric scheme at the Plas was officially opened. This is the third such scheme since the first small scheme was established in 1884, when the Plas was among the first houses in Wales to have its own private electricity supply....

The rest of the article can be read online here.

After visiting the turbine house we walked back up through the gardens with head gardener Chris Marshall leading the way, explaining the history of the gardens and the current emphasis on wildlife friendly gardening. Chris manages thirteen acres that were once looked after by a team of fourteen gardeners. One volunteer helps out and more are needed. If you fancy giving a hand, Chris will be very pleased to hear from you. There’s a lot to be done but the setting is so beautiful I’m sure it would be a labour of love.

Diolch yn fawr iawn Andrew a Chris.

Reflections on the Snowdonia Ecosystem Project

**Scroll down for Welsh**  **Rholiwch i lawr i weld y testun Cymraeg**

Welcome to our brand new blog page – How exciting!

There’s always plenty to talk about going on in Snowdonia from our own volunteering days to interesting local stories.  An ideal way to start this blog is to reflect on the past six months, which have seen the launch of our new project “the Snowdonia Ecosystem Project” (the hugely successful Conservation Snowdonia Project is now retired!).  In recent months we've seen many firsts for the society thanks to this new project:

* Our first sea mammal survey in partnership with Sea Watch, proved a very popular event and one which we would like to see repeated.  Unfortunately no dolphins or porpoises were seen but we were lucky enough to be privy to fantastic views of a peregrine falcon as well as a series of gannet dives!  Hopefully next time we’ll be lucky enough to spot that elusive fin….

* A group of eager volunteers took to the rivers on a sunny day to help the MISE (mammals in a sustainable environment) project to survey for otters.  Paddling bare foot in the water on a hot summer’s day whilst looking under branches and on boulders for otter poo – what nicer way to spend a day?

* Thanks to funding from CAE and NRW we were able to put on a free 2 day plant ID course for volunteers – which received such terrific feedback we’ll be running it again in the not too distant future.

* We’ve also run “old faithful” workdays such as Himalayan balsam bashing, Rhododendron clearance and footpath workdays.

We had a particularly exciting time in October, when we carried out an Autumn woodland Bioblitz.  A big thanks goes out to all volunteers and experts who helped in the collection and recording of fungi, plants, mammals, birds, lower plants, bats, invertebrates, moths….Many interesting specimens were found and the data has been passed on to Cofnod.  Once it has been collated we’ll be able to let you know how many species were found!

Thank you to those of you who have volunteered and helped to make this project possible, if you've not volunteered why not start now?  It’s never too late!

Croeso i’n tudalen blog newydd sbon – dyna ichi gyffrous!

Bydd digonedd o bethau'n digwydd bob amser yn Eryri i sicrhau digon o destun trafod inni, o'n diwrnodau gwirfoddoli i hanesion lleol diddorol.  Ffordd ddelfrydol i gychwyn y blog hwn yw adfyfyrio ar y chwe mis diwethaf, pan lansiwyd ein prosiect newydd “Prosiect Ecosystem Eryri" (mae’r Prosiect Cadwraeth Eryri hynod lwyddiannus bellach wedi ymddeol!).  Yn ystod misoedd diweddar, mae'r Gymdeithas wedi arloesi â nifer o bethau, diolch i'r prosiect newydd hwn:

* Roedd ein harolwg cyntaf  o famaliaid y môr mewn partneriaeth â Sea Watch yn ddigwyddiad poblogaidd iawn, a hoffem ailadrodd hwn yn y dyfodol.  Yn anffodus, ni welwyd dolffiniaid na llamhidyddion, ond roeddem yn ddigon ffodus i fwynhau golygfeydd bendigedig o hebog tramor yn ogystal â chyfres o blymiadau gan fulfrain gwynion.  Gobeithio y byddwn yn ddigon ffodus i weld yr asgell wibiog honno y tro nesaf....

* Aeth grŵp o wirfoddolwyr brwdfrydig i'r afonydd un diwrnod heulog i helpu prosiect MISE (mamaliaid mewn amgylchedd cynaliadwy) i wneud arolwg o ddyfrgwn.  Padlo’n droednoeth yn y dŵr ar ddiwrnod braf o haf wrth chwilio am faw dyfrgwn dan y canghennau a’r clogfeini - dyna ffordd hyfryd o dreulio diwrnod!

* Diolch i gyllid gan CAE ac ANC, roeddem yn gallu cynnig cwrs adnabod planhigion 2 ddiwrnod am ddim i wirfoddolwyr – cafwyd adborth mor wych,  byddwn yn ei redeg eto yn y dyfodol agos.

* Rydym hefyd wedi cynnal diwrnodau gwaith sy'n “hen ffefrynnau”, megis brwydro Ffromlys Chwarennog, clirio Rhododendron a chynnal a chadw llwybrau.

Roedd mis Hydref yn neilltuol o gyffrous inni, pan gynhaliwyd Bioblitz yn y coetir.  Diolch yn fawr iawn i’r holl wirfoddolwyr ac arbenigwyr a gynorthwyodd â’r gwaith o gasglu a chofnodi ffyngau, planhigion, mamaliaid, planhigion is, ystlumod, infertebratau, gwyfynod...Canfuwyd nifer o enghreifftiau diddorol ac anfonwyd y data at Cofnod.  Pan fydd yr holl ddata wedi’i gasglu ynghyd, byddwn yn gallu rhoi gwybod ichi faint o rywogaethau a ganfuwyd!

Diolch i bawb ohonoch sydd wedi gwirfoddoli a chynorthwyo i wireddu'r prosiect  hwn. Os nad ydych wedi gwirfoddoli o’r blaen, beth am gychwyn nawr?  Dydy o fyth yn rhy hwyr!