Mynydd Tir y Cwmwd

Mynydd Tir y Cwmwd (The Headland) is an area of about 175 acres (708,000 m²) in north Wales to the south of the village of Llanbedrog.

From the top of the Headland, with a covering of gorse and heather, there are fine views towards Abersoch and Pwllheli as well as over Cardigan Bay. The whole area is privately owned common land and is zigzagged by many paths. Great care must be taken on the slope where numerous accidents have occurred.

Along the cliff coast are situated three disused granite quarries, relics of pre-war activity. At the sea end of the headland from the beach when the tide is out are the remains of the jetty that was used by ships to transport the stones from the quarries. The remains of the old quarry buildings can also be seen; one is a large hopper building, where stone setts that were cut at the quarry were stored before being transported by ship.

The purpose of the "Tin Man" or Tinman on Llanbedrog headland is not known. However, it can be seen from the beach and of course from the grounds of Plas Glyn-y-Weddw. Local tradition has it that the original wooden man was a figurehead from a ship, placed there by Solomon Andrews, a wealthy Cardiff businessman. However, an identical figure could be found in the grounds above the Plas as late as the 1960s, and one must assume that the wooden man was more in the nature of a romantic folly. When the weathered remains of the original were vandalized by being burnt the village replaced it with another one, which was commissioned for £7,000 and was designed and built by Simon Van De Put and put in position in 1981. It was then known as the iron man. This statue too was vandalized so that all that remained were the boots.

The village decided to replace the second one with a third, but this time using local village talent. The team consisted of Berwyn Jones, who designed the new Tinman and two local craftsmen, David and Hugh Jones, who created the final product. This was helicoptered into position on Llanbedrog headland on Jubilee weekend (June 1, 2002). The new one is hollow and on a windy day the wind makes the Tin Man sing.

See also

• Commote

External links

• The Tin Man
• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Mynydd Tir y Cwmwd and surrounding area
• grid reference SH330308

Coordinates: 52°50′55″N 4°28′53″W / 52.84873°N 4.48136°W / 52.84873; -4.48136