A bizarre geological feature in the heart of Snowdonia National Park has captured the public's imagination, with visitors travelling to see a mysterious mountain hollow now widely known as the 'Devil's Bumhole'.
Local Legends and Visitor Theories
The 300-foot-wide formation, located above the village of Abergynolwyn in North Wales, has sparked a wave of wild speculation. While some local folklore suggests it was created by a stray missile from a nearby Ministry of Defence testing site, visitors have proposed more creative origins.
Hikers and tourists have wondered if the hole, which sometimes appears to emit black smoke, is a dragon's lair, a door to a fiery demonic realm akin to Stranger Things, or even the 'door to Mordor'. Online jokers have suggested it's a UFO crash site or a burrow dug by the Welsh Dragon to incubate her eggs.
Walker Anne-marie Cairney was among those who stopped to photograph the sight, asking online for an explanation of the prominent hole in the mountain opposite.
The Simple Scientific Explanation
Despite the colourful myths, the mystery has a straightforward answer provided by an agricultural expert. The feature is not an old quarry but the upper section of a small valley north of Craig Ty'nycornel.
The dramatic 'bumhole' illusion is created by a ridge above a wide hollow where winter streams flow. When the sun hits the basin, a deep shadow is cast, exaggerating the perceived depth and creating the striking visual effect. The apparent 'black smoke' is simply moving shadows captured on camera, not dragon's breath or volcanic activity.
Abergynolwyn and Other Natural Wonders
The village of Abergynolwyn itself has a rich history, founded after the opening of the Bryn Eglwys Quarry in 1844. It retains a strong nineteenth-century character from that boom period.
This Welsh phenomenon joins a global list of natural formations shrouded in legend. These include:
- Uluru, Australia: A sacred sandstone monolith where the Anangu people believe marks were left by ancestors.
- Stone Forest, China: 270-million-year-old limestone structures, with one rock said to resemble a guardian girl named Ashima.
- Shiprock, New Mexico: A volcanic neck sacred to the Navajo, believed by some to be the home of giant monster birds.
Snowdonia itself is no stranger to shadow illusions; the well-known 'Queen of Snowdon' shadow can be found on the nearby Derlwyn peak. The area's folklore also speaks of a child-stealing Tylwyth Teg, or Welsh fairy, spotted at the base of Snowdon.
Ultimately, the 'Devil's Bumhole' serves as a captivating reminder of how light, landscape, and human imagination combine to create modern myths from simple natural features.
