Bera Mawr

Bera Mawr

The rocky top

Bera Mawr (Bera Mow-er – Great Hayricks) and Bera Bach are together known as the Berau, or northern Carneddau.

The Berau lie to the northwest of the two highest mountains in the Carneddau range: Carnedd Llewelyn and Carnedd Dafydd, both are named after 13th century Princes of Wales, Llywelyn the Great (1172-1240), and his grandson Prince Dafydd ap Gruffudd (1238-1283).

It was in a bog in the northern foothills of Bera Mawr, at a place called Nanhysglain, that Prince Dafydd ap Gruffudd and his family were betrayed and captured in June 1283 during the Conquest of Wales by Edward I. In October, Dafydd was executed at Shrewsbury on the orders of Edward I. His death marked the end of the 700-year rule of Gwynedd by the family descended from Cunedda Wledig and an independent Wales.

The summit is a large rock tor, characteristic of the western Carneddau.

Return to Snowdonia – The Carneddau