High up on the mountains of the Snowdonia National Park several hundred ponies roam free in one of the most unforgiving and brutal - yet truly beautiful - landscapes in Wales.
The Carneddau Ponies - named after the vast and wild Carneddau mountain range in the north east of Snowdonia - have been running up there since the Celtic times. Small in stature with flowing manes and a wild look about their eyes, these ponies are truly unique - there’s only 220 breeding mares left in the world and they run up on the mountains in this remote north eastern corner of Snowdonia.
They are made for these hills - they would be nothing without the towering Carneddau mountains and the Carneddau would be a different place without their presence. The range is the highest contiguous area of high ground in Wales and England - covering 200 square kilometres. It's massive both in area and in scale. It has seven peaks over 3,000 feet (914m) which soar majestically from the floor of the Ogwen Valley to the brooding peak of Carnedd Llewelyn at 1,064m. It is magnificent but it is not pretty and life is not easy. You can get more local news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
