Nant Ffrancon Pass facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nant Ffrancon Pass |
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Llyn Ogwen (near the summit of the Nant Ffrancon Pass), taken from the A5.
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| Elevation | 312 m (1,024 ft) |
| Traversed by | A5 road |
| Location | Snowdonia, North Wales |
| Range | Glyderau and Carneddau |
| Coordinates | 53°07′28″N 4°01′13″W / 53.124535°N 4.020308°W |
The Nant Ffrancon Pass is a famous mountain road in Snowdonia, North Wales. It's a long, steady climb on the A5 road. This road connects Bethesda, Gwynedd, and Llyn Ogwen in Conwy.
The highest point of the pass is at Pont Wern-gof. It is about 312 meters (1,024 feet) high. This spot is just past the eastern end of Llyn Ogwen. From here, the road goes down through Nant y Benglog. It continues to Capel Curig and then to Betws-y-Coed.
The A5 Road's History
The A5 road is a main route from Holyhead to London. A famous engineer named Thomas Telford rebuilt it. This work happened between 1810 and 1826.
Before Telford, Lord Penrhyn built the first road here. He built it in the late 1700s. In 1801, Lord Penrhyn also built a special inn in Capel Curig. This inn was for coaches and travelers. Today, it is called Plas y Brenin. It is the UK's National Mountaineering Centre.
What is Nant Ffrancon Pass?
Nant Ffrancon is a valley with very steep sides. It was carved out by glaciers a long time ago. This valley drops down to Bethesda. It lies between the Glyderau and the Carneddau mountain ranges.
The valley begins in Cwm Idwal. Water flows from Llyn-y-Cwn through Twll Du. It then goes into Llyn Idwal. This water joins the Afon Ogwen river below the Ogwen Falls.
Building the Road
Lord Penrhyn's original road mostly followed the valley floor. But Thomas Telford chose a different path. He carved much of his new road into the north-eastern slopes. This made building and keeping the road difficult.
However, Telford did this for a good reason. It allowed him to keep the road's slope gentle. The steepest part was only 1 in 14. This made it easier for horse-drawn mail coaches to travel the whole way. They could go from London to Holyhead without too much trouble.
Filming Location
The Nant Ffrancon Pass is a popular spot for movies. British filmmakers have used it many times.
For example, it pretended to be the Khyber Pass in the movie Carry On up the Khyber. It also looked like the Himalayas in the Doctor Who TV show. This was for the episode called The Abominable Snowmen. The pass was also used in the 1950s film The Inn of the Sixth Happiness.
