Circular Walks Around Beddgelert

Twenty circular walks in Beddgelert and its environs.

Review :
This is another excellent walking guide in the ‘Walks with History’ series published by Carreg Gwalch. Surrounded by the stunning mountains of Snowdonia and situated at the confluence of the Afon Colwyn and the Glasyn, the village of Beddgelert has plenty of walks to offer from gentle strolls to be enjoyed by all the family, to all day mountain hikes, exploring different routes up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) itself, and beyond. The author has carefully selected a variety of walks and different terrains for all abilities. Most walks begin from the car park in Beddgelert and are on or near a bus route which also makes them appealing to people on a walking holiday in the area without a car. Each of the 20 walks begins with a lively historical introduction before the walking instructions begin, which makes the book an invaluable accompaniment to the OS map of the area. Wisely, the author recommends using an OS map in addition to the book. However good the instructions are, the map routes drawn in the book are rough sketches and in this kind of mountain terrain, an OS map is essential, however experienced you are. Beddgelert has been well known for hospitality for centuries, established with an early Christian settlement in the 7th century and the site of an Augustinian priory in the 13th century. In the 19th Century it was very popular with tourists, and it was during this period that the Royal Goat Hotel was opened. Beddgelert means ‘Gelert’s Grave’ and may refer to St. Kelert, or Celer, an early Irish missionary. An enterprising hotel owner, Mr Pritchard, attributed the name to the tragic death of the legendary hound named Gelert, killed by his master, Prince Llywelyn. The Prince mistakenly believed that the animal had killed his sleeping child. What he had not seen was the body of a wolf under the child’s cot. Gelert had killed the wolf to protect the Prince’s child. Pritchard claimed to have found Gelert’s grave opposite his hotel and it proved a very popular tourist attraction. A short walk at the beginning of the book takes the visitor around some of the most interesting features of Beddgelert (including a visit to Gelert’s grave and the home of Alfred Bestall, the illustrator of Rupert the Bear), whilst slightly longer routes take in the dramatic scenery of the Aberglasyn Pass and its gorge. More strenuous walks include the Sygun Copper Mine, typical of a mine worked in the 18th and 19th centuries and now a visitor attraction, and a visit to the cave where Owain Glyndŵr is reputed to have hidden for several months to escape King Henry IV’s men. The most strenuous walks include the three mountain routes from the village – one to the summit of Moel Hebog, and the other two up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). The author describes two alternative routes up Snowdon here: The Watkin Path, one of the most varied and interesting and also considered the hardest, and the path up from Rhyd-ddu, which is one of the easiest and less well used of the routes. Altogether, this slim and easily portable book is a very useful and interesting companion guide to anyone visiting Beddgelert and the surrounding area.