‘Slumbering’ giant aiming to have a colossal impact on town’s economy
Wales is the land of the giants yet there have been few attempts to reflect these legendary figures in the landscape, writes Andrew Forgrave
GIANTS are a staple of Welsh mythology, perhaps reflecting the country’s big landscapes and incredible human endeavours.
Figures like Brân the Blessed, king of Britain in the Mabinogi, and Rhitta Gawr, the Snowdonia giant who fashioned a great cape out of the beards he cut from his enemies.
Then there’s Canthrig Bwt, another legend to emerge from Gwynedd’s mountains. A giantess, and a witch to boot, she was said to have lived under a great stone in Nant Peris, venturing out to kill and eat local children. One way to stop the kids straying too far.
Wales may have been the land of giants but, unlike England, there are few representations of them in the landscape other than natural features. Even across the border, most giant outlines cut into hillsides have disappeared over time.
Just two survive, most famously the 180ft Cerne Abbas giant (the “Rude Giant”) with his big club and, er, big fertility symbol.
In contrast, there are 16 known white horse hill figures in the UK, mostly in England. Scotland has one and Wales none.
In fact, the best Wales has managed is a teapot and cup cut in the hillside near the Pont Abraham M4 services, which disappeared after 17 years of life in 2009.
Another, with an even shorter shelf-life, was a 100ft-long penis cut into the heather above the A525 in Llandegla, Wrexham.
Created by a farming prankster in early 2015, the outline was only noticed by blushing conservationists after a dusting of snow.
Now, however, Wales finally has a proper hillside etching, and of a giant too. Mercifully, this one, in Corwen, Denbighshire, is familyfriendly, both in appearance and demeanour.
Drewyn the Giant, named after the spectacular hillfort above Corwen, was created in 2019 in Dol Corwenna, next to the town’s railway line.
A spectacular opening ceremony for the community was marked by a series of explosions that sent soil hurtling into the air, leaving craters meant to resemble the footprints of a giant striding across the landscape.
However, his arrival largely passed under the national radar, and, three years on, the slumbering giant is already showing signs of age. The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB, which oversaw the project, brought in contractors this week to give him a facelift.
Writing on Twitter, an AONB ranger said: “Whilst the giant was always expected to disappear gently into the landscape, this has happened more quickly than we’d hoped.
“To give him a longer life, we’ll be excavating the vegetation, laying down limestone to bring it level with the field, and then sowing it with a selection of wildflower seeds. We hope that this will make him a colourful addition to the meadow for years to come.”
The giant’s creation was more than just a cultural doffing of the cap: a key goal was to give Corwen a showstopper in its attempts to put the town on the tourism map. The town has plenty of churches, chapels and countryside, and has long been associated with Owain Glyndwr, who was born and lived nearby.
But the town’s tourism offer has long been overshadowed by the likes of Llangollen and Bala. The imminent opening of a new railway station by the main car park, enabling steam train trips past Drewyn towards Llangollen, is seen as a huge opportunity to expand Corwen’s tourism appeal.
The AONB said the two ventures dovetail nicely.
A spokesperson said: “The giant was created in 2019 to encourage more visitors to come to Corwen and explore the area, especially in light of the volunteers at the heritage railway finally achieving their aim of extending the line to Corwen.”
While Drewyn’s reclining form is located by the main car park, arranged to be visible to train passengers, best views can be had from the hillside across the A5. This is the location of Coed Pen y Pigyn and spectacular oak woodland that has a Gorsedd circle from the 1919 National Eisteddfod.
It’s also the destination of the Corwen Giant Trail, a Borrowers-style wander through the town and up through the trees.
Along the way are giant-sized items apparently discarded by Drewyn when he last wandered the valley in 2019. These are not hard to find: there are Brân the Blessed-sized coins, an outsized beard comb and a whisky barrel filled with peat to resemble a pipe.
Also along the route is a giant steel spoon, a toothbrush with bristles made from rushes, and a needle and thread said to have been left behind by the Milkmaid for Drewyn to find. She, according to Corwen’s fable-makers, is Drewyn’s sweetheart and lives at Caer Drewyn hillfort.
■ How to find the Corwen Giant: Start from Corwen main car park (open 24 hours daily, charges apply from 8am-5pm).