Mynydd Bangor, mountain or peak in Gwynedd

This does not grant access. Check current paths, opening conditions and ownership before entering.

What is recorded here

Bangor Mountain is the steep scarp immediately behind Bangor rather than a remote high summit. Paths laid out as late nineteenth-century pleasure grounds, the long golf course, recurring summer fires and the removal of part of the hill for a supermarket car park all show how city use has repeatedly changed it. It also feeds the largely hidden River Adda.

How it formed

Bangor Mountain is a steep north-facing scarp immediately behind the city. Its crest is gentler from the south, and water draining from it forms the main southern catchment of the River Adda.

People and events

In the late 19th century, Bangor Mountain was promoted as 'the pleasure grounds' in tourism literature. A golf course was established along its crest, St Deiniol's Golf Club. Part of the mountain was later removed to provide car parking for a supermarket.

Local stories

Dry summers repeatedly bring deliberately started gorse fires, sometimes visible for miles and threatening woods, gardens and outbuildings along the foot of the hill.

What can be seen

From the south, the mountain offers views of Puffin Island, the Great Orme, parts of the coastline, and some of the (true) mountains of Snowdonia. The city centre, Menai Strait, and towns on Anglesey are also visible from rocky outcrops.

Why it mattered

The scarp fixes the shape of Bangor's southern edge, fed the now-hidden Adda and became pleasure ground, golf course and development land as the city pressed against it.