Capel Curig

infobox UK place
country = Wales
welsh_name= Curig's chapel
constituency_welsh_assembly=
latitude= 53.11
longitude= - 3.91
official_name= Capel Curig
unitary_wales= Conwy
lieutenancy_wales= Clwyd
constituency_westminster= Meirionnydd Nant Conwy
post_town= BETWS-Y-COED
postcode_district = LL24
postcode_area= LL
dial_code= 01690
os_grid_reference= SH720582

Capel Curig (Welsh: "Curig's chapel") is a village in Conwy county borough, in North Wales. It lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy. It is at the junction of the A5 road from Bangor and Bethesda to Betws-y-Coed with the A4086 road from Caernarfon, Llanberis, Pen-y-Pass and Pen-y-Gwryd.

Capel Curig is recorded as being as the wettest place in Wales [http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/uk_weather_records] , although the weather station is in Dyffryn Mymbyr, a couple of miles out of the village, in the direction of Snowdon.

Name

Capel Curig takes its name from the little Saint Julitta's Church in the ancient graveyard by the river bridge on the Llanberis road. This confusingly has been known for over 100 years as St. Julitta's Church and is currently being restored by the "Friends of Saint Julitta". Tradition claims this chapel to be the 6th century foundation of St. Curig, a Celtic bishop. Centuries later, probably when the present ancient church was built, the name appears to have been Latinised as Cyricus, which is the name of a 4th century child martyr whose mother was Julitta. They are usually named together as "Saints Quiricus and Julietta".

Evan Roberts

Capel Curig was home to one of the finest examples of a self-taught botanist, certainly in the UK, if not wider - Evan Roberts. [cite book |title=The Mountain Man. A portrayal of Evan Roberts, Capel Curig, rockman, botanist and conservationist |author=Robin Gwyndaf |year= 2006 |id=ISBN 0-9552995-0-0] Evan Roberts lived at Gelli in Capel Curig where he lived and would explore all of Snowdonia, and in doing so compiled an unparalleled knowledge of the plant life in North Wales. Although he spent the first 40 years of his life as a quarry worker, he went on to become the colleague of academics. He was awarded the honorary degree of M.Sc. of the University of Wales, in 1956, at the same ceremony as the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and his portrait was painted by Kyffin Williams.

Roman Fort

Approximately one kilometre beyond Pont Cyfyng, towards the south east end of Capel Curig, on the farm of Bryn-y-Gefeiliau there are the remains of a Roman fort (c90-100AD) and named Caer Llugwy by its excavatorscite journal |quotes=no |author=J.P. Hall|date=November-December 1923|title=Caer Llygwy: the Roman Fort between Capel Curig and Bettws-y-Coed| journal=The Classical Review|volume= vol. 37|number=no. 7/8|pages=186 ] [http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=274500&y=357500&z=3&sv=274500,357500&st=4&ar=N&mapp=newmap.srf&searchp=newsearch.srf&ax=272500&ay=358500] . In 1920 excavations undertaken by J.P. Hall and Captain G.H. Hodgson revealed a roughly square Roman fort of approximately convert|4|acre|m2. Some stone buildings were uncovered and traced.

Activity centre

The village is a popular centre for walking, climbing, mountaineering, mountain biking and other outdoor pursuits and is served by the Sherpa bus network. It is also home to a youth hostel, Army training camp, a camp site, several cafes and hotels and outdoor activity gear shops.

Also located in Capel Curig is the UK National Mountain Centre at Plas y Brenin, which offers the highest quality mountaineering, climbing, canoeing facilities and training. One mile east of the village on the A5 is Ty Hyll, home of the Snowdonia Society

Citations

External links

* [http://www.visitcapel.fsnet.co.uk/ Capel Curig - Village Website]
* [http://www.pyb.co.uk/index.php Plas y Brenin - National Mountain Centre Website]
* [http://www.visitcapel.fsnet.co.uk/history.htm A history of the village]
* [http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=3483119 www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Capel Curig and surrounding area]