| Cadair Idris | |
|---|---|
| Cader Idris | |
 Llyn Cau with the summit of the mountain to the right | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 893 m (2,930 ft) |
| Prominence | 608 m (1,995 ft) |
| Parent peak | Aran Fawddwy |
| Isolation | 17.8 km (11.1 mi)  |
| Listing | Marilyn,Hewitt,Nuttall |
| Naming | |
| English translation | Chair of Idris |
| Language of name | Welsh |
| Pronunciation | Welsh:[ˈkadai̯rˈɪdrɪs] |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Gwynedd,Wales |
| Parent range | Snowdonia |
| OS grid | SH711130 |
| Topo map | OSLandranger 124,Explorer OL23 |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Hike |
Cadair Idris orCader Idris is a mountain in theMeirionnydd area ofGwynedd, Wales. It lies at the southern end of theSnowdonia National Park near the town ofDolgellau. The peak, which is one of the most popular in Wales for walkers andhikers,[1] is composed largely ofOrdovicianigneous rocks, with classicglacial erosion features such ascwms,moraines,striated rocks, androches moutonnées.
Cadair Idris means 'Idris's Chair'.Idris is usually taken to be the name of a giant or, alternatively, it may refer toIdris ap Gwyddno (orGweiddno), a 7th-century prince ofMeirionnydd who won a battle against the Irish on the mountain.[2][3]Idris ap Gwyddno was in fact referred to asIdris Gawr ('Idris the Giant') in some mediaevalgenealogies of Meirionydd.[2]
The basic meaning of the wordcadair (Middle Welsh/Early Modern Welshkadeir orcadeir) is 'seat, chair' (borrowed from theGreekcathedra,καθέδρα, 'chair'). In place namescadair can mean 'stronghold, fort, fortress' or 'mountain or hill shaped like a chair'. The spellingcader represents a spoken variant of the standard formcadair.[4][5]
It appears thatCadair/Cadeir Idris is the form used in the earliest Welsh-language sources. In a poem in his own hand in the second half of the 15th century, the poetLewys Glyn Cothi wrote "Dros gadair idris gedy" ('and then over Cadair Idris').[6] Around 1600,John Jones of Gellilyfdy referred to "y mynydh neu bhan neu bhoel a elwir Cadeir Idris" ('the mountain, peak or hill known as Cadeir Idris').[7]
The spoken form represented bycader had developed by the end of the Middle Ages and as a result the formCader Idris was often used in English andLatin documents at that time and in more recent documents in English and Welsh.[8]
In hisDictionarum Duplex published in 1632,John Davies ofMallwyd differentiated between the two wordscadair ('chair') andcader ('fort, fortress'), referring toCader Idris andCader Ddinmael. That interpretation was followed by some laterlexicographers, includingThomas Charles[9] andTitus Lewis.[10] It is now accepted, however, thatcader is a spelling of a spoken form ofcadair, and that there is no evidence thatcadair andcader are separate words.[11] But as it represents the pronunciation in the local dialect, the spellingCader Idris is often seen in Welsh and English, and in June 2016Snowdonia National Park decided to adopt that spelling on its signage, despite advice from theWelsh Language Commissioner and from Park officers, who favouredCadair.[12] The local dialect form is also seen in the name of the local secondary school,Ysgol y Gader. The name of the mountain is typically spelt 'Cadair Idris on current maps. The summit of the mountain is known asPenygader ('top of the chair/stronghold').
| Name | Grid ref | Height | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mynydd Moel | SH727136 | 863 metres (2,831 ft) | Hewitt Nuttall |
| Cyfrwy | SH703133 | 811 metres (2,661 ft) | Hewitt Nuttall |
| Craig Cwm Amarch | SH710121 | 791 metres (2,595 ft) | Hewitt Nuttall |
| Gau Graig | SH744141 | 683 metres (2,241 ft) | Hewitt Nuttall |
| Tyrrau Mawr | SH677135 | 661 metres (2,169 ft) | Hewitt Nuttall |
| Craig-y-llyn | SH677135 | 622 metres (2,041 ft) | Hewitt Nuttall |
There are three main trails that lead to the top of Cadair Idris. The summit, which is covered inscree, is marked by atrig point. There is also a low-standing stone shelter with a roof.
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ThePony Path (Welsh:Llwybr Pilin Pwn), which begins in the north from eitherDolgellau or theMawddach estuary, is the easiest but the longest of the main trails. Its length from the mountain's base is 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) with a 727-metre (2,385 ft) climb.[13]
TheFox's Path (Welsh:Llwybr Madyn),This is the most direct way to the summit as the trail leads straight up the northern face. The 3.8-kilometre (2.4 mi) ascent involves a climb up a 310-metre (1,020 ft)cliff-scree face. However, this part of the Fox's Path has been heavily eroded in recent years making the descent dangerous.
TheMinffordd Path (Welsh:Llwybr Minffordd) starts on the southern side of the mountain near theglacialTal-y-llyn Lake. Hikers using this ascent climb past Llyn Cau and along the rim of Craig Cau (rockwall) to Penygadair. Its length is 4.4 kilometres (2.7 mi) and involves two climbs of over 300 metres (980 ft).
Cadair Idris is formed from a complexly fractured andfolded pile of bothsedimentary rocks andigneous rocks ofOrdovician age. They comprise themudstones andsiltstones of the Ceiswyn Formation which form much of the southern part of the mountain, together with the varied rocks of the underlyingAran Volcanic Group. The steep cliffs rising above Llyn Cau to the north are formed from hard-wearingbasalts andtuffs of the Pen y Gadair Volcanic Formation whilst those on the south side are acid tuffs of the Craig Cau Formation. The imposing cliffs which characterise the north side of the mountain are formed from a microgranite intruded into the Ty'r Gawen mudstones. In common with the rest of Snowdonia, the faulting and folding of this rock succession took place during theCaledonian Orogeny.[14]
The crater-like shape of Cwm Cau has given rise to the occasional mistaken claim that Cadair Idris is anextinct volcano (though as noted above, some of its bedrock is volcanic in origin). This theory was discounted as early as 1872, whenCharles Kingsley commented in his bookTown Geology:[15]
I have been told, for instance, that that wonderful little blue Glas Llyn,[16] under the highest cliff of Snowdon, is the old crater of the mountain; and I have heard people insist that a similar lake, of almost equal grandeur, in the south side of Cader Idris, is a crater likewise. But the fact is not so.
The natural bowl-shaped depression to which the name ofchair has been attached, was formed by acirque glacier during multipleice ages when snow and ice accumulated on these slopes partly throughavalanching. The glacier was up to a square kilometre in size surrounded on three sides by steep cliffs the highest being the headwall. Thechair of Cadair Idris is this bowl-shaped hollow in the bedrock formed by the movement of glacial ice across the floor of the hollow,abrading it and the lip over which it then flowed.
There are several tear-drop shaped knolls above the edge of Llyn Cau, each of which is aroche moutonnée formed by the abrasive action of the moving ice. The two highest lakes are Llyn Cau and Llyn y Gader; the latter is thought to have a maximum depth of about 13 m (43 ft).
Much of the area around Cadair Idris was designated aNational Nature Reserve in 1957, and is home toArctic–alpine plants such aspurple saxifrage anddwarf willow.[17]
There are numerous legends about Cadair Idris. Some nearby lakes are supposed to be bottomless, and anyone who sleeps on its slopes alone will supposedly awaken either a madman or a poet. This tradition (of sleeping on the summit of the mountain) apparently stems from bardic traditions, where bards would sleep on the mountain in hope of inspiration.[18]
Although the mountain's name is typically taken to refer to the mythological giantIdris, who was said to have been skilled in poetry, astronomy and philosophy,[18] it has sometimes been mistranslated asArthur's Seat, in reference toKing Arthur (and to thehill of the same name in Edinburgh),[19] an idea used by authorSusan Cooper in her bookThe Grey King. However, this translation is mistaken and there is no etymological or traditional connection between Idris and Arthur.
In Welsh mythology, Cadair Idris is also said to be one of the hunting grounds ofGwyn ap Nudd and hisCŵn Annwn. The howling of these huge dogs foretold death to anyone who heard them, the pack sweeping up that person'ssoul and herding it intothe underworld. Similarly theBrenin Llwyd is also said to haunt a number of locations including Cadair Idris.[20]
The mountain is mentioned several times and is used as a backdrop to the story ofMary Jones and her Bible. This story is an account of a girl fromLlanfihangel-y-Pennant at the foot of the mountain who walked 25 miles toBala in order to buy a bible, which were scarce at the time. Jones' determined journey to get hold of a copy of the book in 1800 was a major factor behind the foundation of theBritish and Foreign Bible Society in 1804.[21]
"Tongues of fire on Idris flaring" is mentioned in the opening verse of the John Guard version of the song "Men of Harlech".
InCassandra Clare'sClockwork Princess Idris is where final battle between the protagonists and antagonist takes place.
John Jones used⟨dh⟩ and⟨bh⟩ to represent /ð/ and /v/ (Modern Welsh orthography⟨dd⟩ and⟨f⟩).
52°41′59″N3°54′31″W / 52.699828°N 3.908693°W /52.699828; -3.908693
| Northern Highlands (20) |    | |
|---|---|---|
| Western Highlands (20) | ||
| Central and Eastern Highlands (13) | ||
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| Islands (13) | ||
| Scottish Lowlands, England and Wales (13) | ||
| Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland (25) | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
