Deluge sends mud and rock plummeting down mountainside
AHUGE landslip closed a road in Snowdonia after torrential rain fell in a very short time.
Mud and rock slid down the side of Carnedd y Filiast in Nant Ffrancon near Bethesda last Wednesday afternoon.
The road runs parallel to the A5 on the other side of the valley and links Ogwen Cottage with a scattering of farms and holiday properties.
None of these properties were evacuated, but Gwynedd council officials closed the road with signs and traffic cones.
A Gwynedd Council spokesperson said last week: “A landslide has closed the old A5 Nant Ffrancon road (the historical Roman Road) which runs adjacent to the A5 between Bethesda and Llyn Ogwen.
“Gwynedd Council staff were on the scene last night to close the road. Access is still open to neighbouring houses .
“Our Highway Engineers will be on site today to inspect the damage and to assess what works needs to be undertaken before we can re-open the road safely.
“We are unable to give an exact date for reopening until a full assessment has been carried out.
“We anticipate that the road will be closed for some days.”
Engineers from SP Energy Networks also visited the area to check power supplies were unaffected.
Locals visited the scene and said this was not an unusual occurrence on this side of the valley.
Cyclists Tom and Sylvia Williams had ridden from Ogwen Cottage and had been forced to carry their bikes over the obstruction.
“It added a bit of excitement to what had already been an enjoyable cycle ride along the minor roads and trails from Betws y Coed,” said Tom, 64, from Stafford.
Another onlooker said: “You only have to look around and see the signs of previous landslips. There is very little rock on the lower slopes and the soil is soft.
“The heavy rain earlier on has loosened this and brought it all tumbling down.”
The road was replaced in the early 19th century by Thomas Telford’s A5.
Now a popular walking and cycling route, the old road forms part of Llwybr Llechi Eryri (Snowdonia Slate Trail) which makes its way from Capel Curig and continues to Bethesda past the towering slate waste tips of the Penrhyn quarry.