Cnicht
| Cnicht | |
|---|---|
Cnicht from the south-west
|
|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 689 m (2,260 ft) |
| Prominence | 104 m (341 ft) |
| Listing | HuMP, Hewitt, Nuttall |
| Naming | |
| Translation | knight (Old English) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈknɪxt/ |
| Geography | |
| Location | Gwynedd, Wales |
| Parent range | Moelwynion |
| OS grid | SH645466 |
| Topo map | OS Landranger 115 |
| Listed summits of Cnicht | ||||
| Name | Grid ref | Height | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cnicht | 689 m (2,260 ft) | Nuttall | ||
Cnicht is a mountain in Snowdonia which forms part of the Moelwynion mountain range.
Its appearance when viewed from the south-west, i.e. from the direction of Porthmadog, has earned it the sobriquet the "Matterhorn of Wales", albeit being 3,789 metres lower. In reality Cnicht is a long ridge and, at 689 m, is the fifth-highest peak in the Moelwynion mountain range. It can be easily ascended from Croesor, the village at its foot, or, with more difficulty, from Nant Gwynant to the north-west.
Although rightly regarded by most people as a mountain in its own right, there are compilers of lists who consider that it does not in fact have enough prominence to separate it from its parent Allt-fawr in spite of over 110m of re-ascent and a distance of more than 4 km. Hence it is not regarded as a Marilyn.
The mountain gets its name from the old English word 'knight', the silent 'k' being pronounced at that time. It is said that the shape of the mountain bears a similarity to a knight's helmet.
It appears as the "Saeth" in Patrick O'Brian's 1952 novel Three Bear Witness (published as Testimonies in the USA), which is set in a fictionalised version of Cwm Croesor. O'Brian and his wife lived in the valley between 1946 and 1949.
Coordinates: 53°0′1.26″N 4°1′7.66″W / 53.0003500°N 4.0187944°W
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Wikipedia