Cambrian Mountains: location, geological structure and highest point

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

The relief of the UK is quite diverse. There are swampy lowlands, rocky uplands, and mountain systems. True, the latter do not rise above one and a half kilometers above sea level. The Cambrian Mountains are located in the southwestern part of the island. We will talk about them in more detail in our article.

Cambrian Mountains: age and geological structure

Practically the entire peninsula of Wales occupies a series of plateaus and low mountain ranges. Geographers call this area the Cambrian Mountains. Their length from north to south is 150 km, and from west to east - 46 km. The exact location of the mountains on the UK map is shown below.

The Cambrian Mountains are geologically considered ancient structures. They formed during the era of the Caledonian folding, that is, about 450 million years ago. These mountains are quite strongly destroyed, their slopes are smoothed by glaciers and densely dotted with valleys of narrow and deep lakes. They are composed mainly of limestone,mudstone and red sandstone.

The average heights of these mountains range from 450-600 meters above sea level. The highest point is Mount Plinlimon-Vaur.

Relief and landscapes of a mountainous country

This wild and sparsely populated area is often referred to as the Wasteland of Wales. Nevertheless, it is these lands that provide fresh water to the entire peninsula, as well as a number of large cities, including Liverpool and Birmingham.

The forests are a special value of this region. They occupy about two-thirds of the area of the Cambrian Mountains. For comparison, the total forest cover in the UK is only 8%. Another distinctive feature of the area is the heather fields, which arose solely through the fault of man. For centuries, trees have been actively cut down here, and cattle grazed in the vacant open spaces. One way or another, the moorlands today are a kind of visiting card and decoration of the Cambrian mountains. In spring, they turn bright green, in autumn they turn crimson scarlet, and in winter they turn brown.

Despite the low height of these mountains, they amaze with the diversity of their landscapes. A tourist will meet here sheer bas alt cliffs, stone placers, spectacular waterfalls and picturesque gorges. The Cambrian Mountains in their appearance are in many ways reminiscent of the Sayan Mountains or Altai. But only they look much smaller and friendlier.

Highest Peak

Plynlimon Vaur is the highest point within the Cambrian mountain valley. Its absolute height is 2467 feet or 752meters. The name, translated from the Welsh language, means "five peaks". Climbing to the top of the mountain requires minimal physical preparation and is not particularly difficult. The slopes are very gentle and almost treeless.

Mount Plynlimon Waur is the main watershed of Wales. It is from it that several large watercourses originate, in particular, the Severn River is the longest in the UK. The slopes of Plinlimon are an important place for nesting and wintering of various bird species. So, here you can meet golden plover, black grouse, field harrier, short-eared owl, red kite and many other birds.