About Beddgelert

Beddgelert, Snowdonia

Beddgelert is Snowdonia's loveliest mountain village. It's stone dwellings, inns and hotels are surrounded by the finest scenery in North Wales. Snowdon, the highest peak in England and Wales, dominates the skyline a few miles to the north. The beautiful Aberglaslyn Pass and the Nant Gwynant valley are near-neighbours. Wooded vales, rocky slopes and mountain lakes fill the surrounding countryside.

A footpath along the bank of the Glaslyn river leads to Beddgelert's most famous legend - Gelert's Grave.
According to the legend, the stone monument in the fields south of the village marks the resting place of Gelert, the faithful hound who belonged to the medieval Welsh prince, Llywelyn the Great. In a tragic case of mistaken identity, Llywelyn assumed the dog, covered in blood, had been responsible for the death of his child. Poor Gelert was killed by his master before Llywelyn realized that the heroic hound had, in fact, saved the baby from attack by a wolf.

The remorseful prince erected a large stone in memory of his dog, a spot from which the village took its name, Beddgelert meaning 'the grave of Gelert'. The village of Beddgelert.

The underground tour of Sygun Copper Mine finishes at the Victoria Level, some 45 metres above the valley floor. The viewpoint at the exit overlooks the beautiful Gwynant Valley, dominated by towering mountains. Opposite is the rocky outcrop of Dinas Emrys - according to legend the birthplace of the Red Dragon of Wales.