Beddgelert
And, till great Snowdon’s rocks grow old,
And cease the storm to brave,
The consecrated spot shall hold
The name of Gêlert’s Grave.
So ends ‘Beth-Gêlert; Or The Grave of the Greyhound’, a poem written in 1800 by William Robert Spencer.
This story of the faithful hound, wrongly slain by his master, is part of Welsh folklore, with the earliest written version dating from the late 15th century. Set in the 13th century, it tells of Prince Llywelyn the Great, who was very fond of hunting. His favourite hound was called Gelert who had been given to him by the English King John. One day, the prince set out for a day’s hunting, leaving his baby in the safe care of Gelert. On returning home, he was horrified to discover the baby was missing and Gelert’s muzzle was covered in blood. He immediately killed his dog only to hear his baby crying from a corner of the room. On investigation, the prince found the child was quite safe, but, by its side, lay a huge wolf, which had been killed by Gelert to save the baby.
Although already well-known, this story gained in popularity with the publication of Spencer’s poem.
To this day, a cairn of stones in Beddgelert marks the place, and the village’s name means ‘the grave of Gelert’ in Welsh. Every year, many people visit the grave of this brave dog; however, the cairn of stones is actually less than 200 years old. In 1793, David Pritchard, the landlord of the Royal Goat Inn, adapted the story of the brave dog to fit the village, growing the trade at his inn, and giving the tourists a grave to look at!
The walk to the grave takes you a little out of the village, turning right just before the footbridge over the river Glaslyn and passing through a gate bearing a canine pawprint. The Church of St Mary is on the right. This was once part of an Augustinian priory which was dissolved in the 16th century under King Henry VIII’s orders and the building became the main church of a very large parish in Snowdonia.
Initially, the path follows the curve of the river before veering off to the right and leading through a gap in the hedge where the grave can be seen ahead. Surrounded by a simple metal fence, a couple of trees stand behind a bolder. Two slates in front of this bear Gelert’s story, one written in Welsh, the other English.
Further along the path stands a ruin where peeking through the door is a statue of Gelert. This seems to be a more recent addition, but in the stunning setting of the Welsh countryside, anything seems possible so it adds to the mystique of the legend. However, it’s a shame that so many people feel the need to deface anything they can get to with graffiti!
A National Trust walk is available which takes you further along the path, immersing you in the beauty of the stunning countryside here, but there is a further ‘Gelert’ treat for which you need to return back along the path, through the Gelert gate and turn right over the footbridge. By following the path past the village green and round the corner, you come to a small garden area where there is a bench in the shape of the great dog lying down. The area has a neglected feel to it which was a shame, but we did visit in September so perhaps it is better tended in the Spring/ Summer.
The village of Beddgelert is full of references to the legend to which it owes its fame and there was a steady stream of visitors walking to the grave whilst we were there. However, neither the statue in the ruin nor the bench are signposted which is a shame for those of us visiting in pursuit of the legend!
Beddgelert
Eryri
Wales