Uplands Initiative Field Project 2007-8, Snowdonia (North West) Survey Area, North Wales - Archaeological Survey Report

An archaeological identification survey of the mountainous region on the north-western edge of the Snowdonia massif (SH 570 580 centred), near Llanberis, North Wales was undertaken between June 2007 and January 2008, by Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) on behalf of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) as part of the Uplands Initiative. The project comprised an initial archaeological desk-based study, followed by a field identification survey for the study area. The survey area of Snowdonia (North-West) covers an area of 27.2 sqkm and consists of the northern flank of mount Snowdon and the outlying foothills at the north-west end of the Snowdonia massif. The study area consists of sloping open moorland, which rises from approximately 300m to over 840m on the plateau below the summit of mount Snowdon, with the moorland being fringed by semi-improved enclosure on the lower slopes. In total, 91 sites were established by the desk-based study as being recorded within the HER and NMR, all of which were updated and 70 were given new NMR numbers. In total, 510 new sites were identified by the field survey, representing a substantial numerical increase in the number of sites within the study area.