Manod Mawr

Manod Mawr is a mountain in North Wales and forms part of the Moelwynion. Although known as a mountain in the eastern Moelwyns, it and its sister peaks are sometimes known as the Ffestiniog hills.

Manod Mawr
Manod Mawr North Top and Manod Mawr from Moel Penamnen
Highest point
Elevation	661 m (2,169 ft)
Prominence	266 m (873 ft)
Parent peak	Arenig Fach
Listing	Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall
Naming
English translation	great snowdrift
Language of name	Welsh
Pronunciation	Welsh: [ˈmanɔd ˈmaur]
Geography
Location	Gwynedd, Wales
Parent range	Moelwynion
OS grid	SH723446
Topo map	OS Landranger 124

Listed summits of Manod Mawr

Name	Grid ref	Height	Status
Manod Mawr North Top		658 m (2,159 ft)	Hewitt, Nuttall
Moel Penamnen		623 m (2,044 ft)	Hewitt, Nuttall

Manod Mawr is a mountain which has been extensively quarried. The now-closed Graig Ddu Quarry is to be found on the 600-metre (2,000 ft) contour, in the hollow between Manod Mawr's summit and Manod Mawr North Top. Manod Mawr's summit is in the exclusion zone of the Snowdonia National Park around Blaenau Ffestiniog, while Manod Mawr North Top's summit only just misses out on the national park's protection. There were fears the quarry would eventually remove the North Top.^[1]

During the Second World War, quarry tunnels in the Manod range were used to store and protect, in secret, valuable paintings from the National Gallery in London.^[2][3]