Names in the Area

Place names are an important part of the landscape, they add depth and character and show a close connection between people and the land. Place names can also reveal more of our history to us, bring myths and legends to life, be a record of a log forgotten past, and can help us inform for the future.

One of these examples is the influence of the Princes Llywelyn Fawr, and his son Dafydd on the local people. It is believed that Carnedd Dafydd and Carnedd Llywelyn mountains were first named in tribute poetry by one of the medieval poets of the nobility, Rhys Goch Eryri. These princes must have been held in very high esteem to have kept their names on two of the highest mountains in the area.

Below there is a list of names in the area together with an explanation of their meaning.

This is the name given to the place where Afon Bochlwyd flows into Llyn Ogwen.

The river Ogwen rises on Carnedd Dafydd and flows to Llyn Ogwen, through the Ogwen valley and into the Menai Strait at Aberogwen. It belongs to a classification of rivers named after creatures. It is likely that the first element ‘og’ means ‘rapid, acute’ (in contrast with its antonym ‘diog’ meaning lazy). Another suggestion is the Irish óg meaning ‘young’. The second element is ‘banw’, meaning a ‘piglet, small pig’, describing a river furrowing through the ground as a piglet would. It can be compared to Afon Hwch, meaning ‘sow’, in Llanberis, Afon Beinw (plural form of ‘banw’) in Dolwyddelan, and Afon Twrch (and old Welsh word for ‘boar’) on the Berwyn mountains.

The mounds seen on the western shores of Llyn Idwal are called Beddau Milwyr Ynys Prydain (The Graves of the Soldiers of the Island of Britain). It is not clear where the name comes from, however the mound are in fact moraines, glacial deposits formed during the last Ice Age.

This is the gap to the south of the summit of Foel Goch and to the west of y Llymllwyd.

Castell y Gwynt (‘the windy castle’) on the western side of Glyder Fach, is in the teeth of the wind. Castle is an appropriate name for the rugged rocks on a mountain crest, like high defence towers. Castell y Geifr (‘castle of the goats’) by the edge of Y Garn is another example.

This is the name given to a cliff to the east of Afon Bochlwyd. Clogwyn means cliff, “crach” means “scabby” referring to the rough appearance of the crag. It has also been called “Bochlwyd Buttres”.

Craig y Foty is the name refered to in English as ‘Milestone Buttress’.

A hanging valley below Y Garn. It is possible that the word ‘clud’ comes from the word ‘cludo’ meaning ‘to carry’ and that it refers to carried material that could be the loose stones on the slopes of Ro Wen above Llyn Clud. Another possibility is that the word here is ‘clyd’, meaning ‘sheltered, cosy’, describing the nature of the cwm. Nant Clud (the Cwm Clud river) flows from Llyn Clud to Llyn Idwal.

A hanging valley below Bwlch y Ddwy Glyder. ‘Cneifiau/cneifion’ (the plural of the noun ‘cnaif’) means ‘tufts of sheared wool’. It is possible that the name refers to the conspicuous white stones on the slopes, reminscent of new tufts of sheared wool (as farmers would be shearing outside on the mountain in the old days).

Drws means “door” in English. Drws Cwm Clud is found in the upper section of Cwm Clud that can lead over to Cwm Cneifio above Nant Peris.

This is the name for the area where one of the buildings of the youth hostel (YHA). Idwal of course refers to the cwm and lake above. “Glanrhyd” mean “ford-shore”. It was once a school for the local community.

‘Cluder’ or ‘cludair’ means ‘a heap or pile of wood or stones amassed together’. It is possible that the names refer to the piles of loose stones on the summits of the two mountains, or possibly, to those rocks that are in the teeth of the wind on the western side of the Glyder Fach summit. The same word is seen in ‘Dôl-y-gludair’ near Dolgellau.

Boch means “cheek” and llwyd is wthe Welsh word for “grey”, so Llyn Bochlwyd is teh “Lake of the Grey Cheek”. Its named after an old legend connected to the lake.

This is the name for the path that meanders past Twll Du (Devil’s Kitchen), towards Llyn y Cwn. An interesting name that means “the deer path”. There are no reports of deer living in this area for centuries, but the Welsh placenames are an important record of what may have lived here in the past.

‘Nant’ can mean ‘valley’ or ‘stream’. It is possible that ‘ffranc’ (plural ‘ffrancon’) denotes a ‘foreign mercenary’ or that it derives from the Old English ‘franca’ meaning ‘spear’, and that it is a description of the stream’s mighty flow, similar to the sharp weapon, or from the prickly rocks of Braich Tŷ Du. Another possibility is that “Ffrancon” derrives from the Welsh word “Afanc” meaning beaver. So it could be that the name means “Valley of Beavers”. Another name found in the valley “Sarn yr Afanc” meaning “Causeway of the Beaver” supports this theory.

This is the name given to the stream flowing into Llyn Idwal from the southern cliffs. It has mistakenly been called “Idwal Stream”. The main path up to Glyder Fawr crosses this stream. The impressive slate bridge was installed in 2018 to protect nearby plants from being trampled.

A name given to the spur of land extending into Llyn Ogwen, halfway along its southern shore. The name means “head of the yellow hill.”

An area of land to on the north western banks of Llyn Ogwen. Perth is a Welsh word for “shrub” and it is the same name seen in the cities of Perth in both Scotland and Australia. Ewig is the Welsh word for “doe” (female deer). So the name means “shrubland of the doe” again an example of how Welsh name are a record of how the landscaped would have been different in the past.

An unusual name, meaning “cheese hills”. There is no definitive understanding of where the name comes from neither to precisely where it refers to. The OS map suggests Rhiwiau Caws and Idwal Slabs are the same cliff. However, it could more logical that the name refers to the series of hills adjacent to this cliff that look like lumps of cheese.

An old name recorded by the early botanists and their local guides. It’s likely that it refers to the cliffs either side of Y Twll Du (Devil’s Kitchen).

There are two elements to the name. ‘Try’ is an element that intensifies meaning, and ‘ban’ meaning ‘summit, point, peak, horn’ (compare with the Welsh word for the Brecon Beacons, ‘Bannau Brycheiniog’, that contains the plural form ‘bannau’). Therefore ‘tryfan’ means a mountain with a clear summit or a sharp head. It is very different from Glyder Fawr which is an intidy heap besides it.

Y Foel Goch is located above Nant Ffrancon. The meaning of ‘moel’ as an adjective is ‘naked’. As a noun, it is a word for a barren hill or mountain (for example Moel Faban). ‘Coch’ (red) refers to the rock colour.

The meaning of ‘carn’ is ‘a pile of stones’. It occurs frequently in names of hills and mountains, for example Garn Fadryn, Llŷn, and Garn Dolbenmaen.

Y Rô is the name for the shingle beach on the shores of Llyn Idwal. It comes from the Welsh word for grit.