Yr Eifl

Yr Eifl
Yr Eifl from Ynys Llanddwyn
Highest point
Elevation	561 m (1,841 ft)
Prominence	429 m (1,407 ft)
Parent peak	Moel Hebog
Listing	Marilyn
Naming
English translation	The forks.
Language of name	Welsh
Pronunciation	Welsh: [əɾ ˈəivl]
Geography
Location	Llŷn Peninsula, Wales
OS grid	SH364447
Topo map	OS Landranger 123

Yr Eifl (wrongly known as "The Rivals" in English) is a group of hills on the north coast of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales.

On a clear day, the views from the top summit reach as far as the Isle of Man, the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland and the Lake District, as well as the entire sweep of Cardigan Bay.

The view of Yr Eifl is especially striking from the SW coast of Anglesey, for instance from Ynys Llanddwyn.

The OS Maps show a height of 564 metres, but a recent survey gives the height at 561 metres (1,841 feet).^[1]

A view from a boat

The three peaks[]

There are three peaks:

• Tre'r Ceiri: 485 metres (1,591 ft),
• Garn Ganol: 561 metres (1,841 ft) and
• Garn Fôr: 444 metres (1,457 ft).

Garn Ganol, the central summit, is the highest point on Llŷn, with an ancient cairn, and it houses the trig point;

Across the pass "Bwlch yr Eifl", and overlooking the sea, is Garn Fôr, the northern summit. Garn Fôr is also known as Mynydd y Gwaith.^[2][3] It has a microwave radio relay station on it, as well as cairns and granite quarries (which produced the material for the curling event at the 2006 Winter Olympics), and a cliff face leading down to the Irish Sea.

The third summit, Tre'r Ceiri, on the south-eastern side, is the location of an Iron Age hillfort. Its name means "settlement of the giants", from cewri, plural of cawr, giant. It is regarded as one of the best examples of a prehistoric hillfort in Europe. A path leads to the summit.

Surroundings[]

Routes lead onto the hill from the nearby villages of Llithfaen to the south, Llanaelhaearn to the east and Trefor to the north. On the western slopes of Yr Eifl, beneath Graig Ddu (a cliff on the western slope of Garn Ganol), a small valley leads down to the sea. This is Nant Gwrtheyrn ("Vortigern's Valley"), a valley with no public roads, with a former quarry village, which is now home to a Welsh language teaching centre.

Another quarry, Trefor granite quarry, can be found to the north of Garn Ganol.

References[]

External links[]

• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Yr Eifl and surrounding area

Coordinates: 52°58′29″N 4°26′17″W / 52.97462°N 4.43792°W / 52.97462; -4.43792