Tony Garofalo
Pumlumon
Hidden away amongst the remote Cambrian Mountains of central Wales, the sprawling massif of Pumlumon (“Five Stacks”) rises to a height of 2,467 feet and is the highest ground between Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons. The hill is located approximately half way between Aberystwyth (“Mouth of the [River] Ystwyth”) and Llanidloes (“Church of [St] Idloes”), in northern Ceredigion, where it dominates a large area of wilderness that is sometimes referred to as “The Green Desert of Wales”.
Pumlumon is predominantly grassy in character and lacks the narrow ridges and imposing cliff faces of Snowdonia, although on its northern slopes there is a fine glacial corrie that holds an upland lake called Llyn Llygad Rheidol (“Eye of the Rheidol Lake”). The hill is in fact a vast upland plateau. Its highest point overlooks Llyn Llygad Rheidol and is called Pumlumon Fawr (“Big Five Stacks”). Other notable tops on the plateau are called Pen Pumlumon Arwystli (“Five Stacks Top of Arystli”), Y Garn (“The Cairn”), Pen Pumlumon Llygad-bychan (“Five Stacks Top of the Small Stream Source”) and Pumlumon Fach (“Little Five Stacks”). Three major rivers have their source on Pumlumon. The Rheidiol flows down to the Welsh coast at Aberystwyth, and the Gwy (Wye) and the Harfen (Severn) commence their long journey south-eastwards to drain eventually into the Bristol Channel.
Pumlumon has long been associated with human activity and on its upper slopes there are the remnants of a number of Bronze Age burial cairns. In 1401 the Battle of Hyddgen was fought under the northern slopes of the hill. It began when English settlers, reinforced by a large force of professional soldiers and Flemish mercenaries, attacked the much smaller insurgent Welsh army of Owain Glyndwr (circa 1359-1416), which was encamped at the bottom of the Hyddgen Valley. The result was a resounding victory for Glyndwr that initiated a brief period of Welsh liberation. The battle is little known in England but is remembered with much pride in Wales. In 1964 the upper valley of the Rheidol was dammed to create Nant-y-moch Reservoir. The reservoir also lies below the northern slopes of Pumlumon and is part of the Cwm Rheidol hydroelectric power scheme. According to folklore, Pumlumon is the resting place of a notorious robber giant called Dillus Farfawc. He was slain by a couple of likely lads named Cai and Bedwyr. They needed a mighty hunting hound called Drudwyn to capture a ferocious wild boar named Twrch Trwyth. Apparently only a leash made from the beard of Dillus Farfawc would be sufficiently strong to hold such a mighty hound, so they fell upon the giant when he was asleep, pushed him into a pit, plucked out his beard and killed him!
Pumlumon is best climbed from the north via Llyn Llygad Rheidol. The summit is a superb viewpoint and on a clear day virtually all of Wales stretches out before you. Of particular prominence are Cadair Idris and the Tarrens, which lie to the north-west across the Dovey valley, and the vast arc of Cardigan Bay which lies to the west. The Arrans and the Berwyns dominate the view to the north-east and to the south lie the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons. The whole character of this wild and beautiful part of the country may very well be ruined in the near future, however, as Scottish & Southern Energy is proposing to build a particularly large wind farm on the hills north of Nant y Moch reservoir. The company have put their plans “on hold” for the time being but all those who wish to preserve this area for future generations MUST make their opinions heard now.
The picture I have uploaded was taken looking southwards across the valley of the Afon Hengwn towards Pumlumon Fawr from Banc Llechwedd-mawr. Llyn Llygad Rheidol can just be made out in the corrie below the summit.
Pumlumon
Hidden away amongst the remote Cambrian Mountains of central Wales, the sprawling massif of Pumlumon (“Five Stacks”) rises to a height of 2,467 feet and is the highest ground between Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons. The hill is located approximately half way between Aberystwyth (“Mouth of the [River] Ystwyth”) and Llanidloes (“Church of [St] Idloes”), in northern Ceredigion, where it dominates a large area of wilderness that is sometimes referred to as “The Green Desert of Wales”.
Pumlumon is predominantly grassy in character and lacks the narrow ridges and imposing cliff faces of Snowdonia, although on its northern slopes there is a fine glacial corrie that holds an upland lake called Llyn Llygad Rheidol (“Eye of the Rheidol Lake”). The hill is in fact a vast upland plateau. Its highest point overlooks Llyn Llygad Rheidol and is called Pumlumon Fawr (“Big Five Stacks”). Other notable tops on the plateau are called Pen Pumlumon Arwystli (“Five Stacks Top of Arystli”), Y Garn (“The Cairn”), Pen Pumlumon Llygad-bychan (“Five Stacks Top of the Small Stream Source”) and Pumlumon Fach (“Little Five Stacks”). Three major rivers have their source on Pumlumon. The Rheidiol flows down to the Welsh coast at Aberystwyth, and the Gwy (Wye) and the Harfen (Severn) commence their long journey south-eastwards to drain eventually into the Bristol Channel.
Pumlumon has long been associated with human activity and on its upper slopes there are the remnants of a number of Bronze Age burial cairns. In 1401 the Battle of Hyddgen was fought under the northern slopes of the hill. It began when English settlers, reinforced by a large force of professional soldiers and Flemish mercenaries, attacked the much smaller insurgent Welsh army of Owain Glyndwr (circa 1359-1416), which was encamped at the bottom of the Hyddgen Valley. The result was a resounding victory for Glyndwr that initiated a brief period of Welsh liberation. The battle is little known in England but is remembered with much pride in Wales. In 1964 the upper valley of the Rheidol was dammed to create Nant-y-moch Reservoir. The reservoir also lies below the northern slopes of Pumlumon and is part of the Cwm Rheidol hydroelectric power scheme. According to folklore, Pumlumon is the resting place of a notorious robber giant called Dillus Farfawc. He was slain by a couple of likely lads named Cai and Bedwyr. They needed a mighty hunting hound called Drudwyn to capture a ferocious wild boar named Twrch Trwyth. Apparently only a leash made from the beard of Dillus Farfawc would be sufficiently strong to hold such a mighty hound, so they fell upon the giant when he was asleep, pushed him into a pit, plucked out his beard and killed him!
Pumlumon is best climbed from the north via Llyn Llygad Rheidol. The summit is a superb viewpoint and on a clear day virtually all of Wales stretches out before you. Of particular prominence are Cadair Idris and the Tarrens, which lie to the north-west across the Dovey valley, and the vast arc of Cardigan Bay which lies to the west. The Arrans and the Berwyns dominate the view to the north-east and to the south lie the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons. The whole character of this wild and beautiful part of the country may very well be ruined in the near future, however, as Scottish & Southern Energy is proposing to build a particularly large wind farm on the hills north of Nant y Moch reservoir. The company have put their plans “on hold” for the time being but all those who wish to preserve this area for future generations MUST make their opinions heard now.
The picture I have uploaded was taken looking southwards across the valley of the Afon Hengwn towards Pumlumon Fawr from Banc Llechwedd-mawr. Llyn Llygad Rheidol can just be made out in the corrie below the summit.