The Rivals

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Originally uploaded by seansonofbig

A day out on Monday accompanying Matt ZX up The Rivals (Yr Eifl) to see the scar left by the Meteor crash, and to look into the scrap merchants' claimed Firefly crash on the way up. We didn't fancy the summit to investigate the Halifax crash on the day, we'll save it for another day with a lot less snow and wind. Bounced the Landy off a few walls on the way back down as it was.

It's an old granite kerbstone quarry, so there's a pretty good road all the way up, though there are some dizzying drops (or great views as Mick would call them). The abandoned quarry buildings are pretty interesting, too.

A nice little walk for a day when the radio advised us not to venture out to the shops, let alone onto a Welsh mountain.

This photo is taken from Yr Eifl, and shows Moel Pen Llechog, Gyrn Ddu and Gyrn Goch, I think. Happy to be corrected if wrong.

Gloster Meteor F.8 WA794

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Originally uploaded by seansonofbig

The circular scar where this Meteor from RAF 5 CAACU met a wall of granite on Yr Eifl in poor visibility on 11th October 1957, unsurprisingly killing the pilot.

The pile of boulders below the scar allegedly covers the small wreckage not looted by the usual suspects, but we found not a scrap of metal at the site.

Location: SH 36068 45892

More info

Fairey Firefly?

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Originally uploaded by seansonofbig

A bit of fairly convincing-looking aluminium skinning from the area where the Snowdonia list says a Fairey Firefly crashed. We can find no further details on this crash.

Three complicating factors:

1. This is directly below the well-documented Meteor crash site.

2. The area has become a scrap repository. What would be very convincing on open moorland is less so here.

3. The Snowdonia list's greatest weakness is in accurate 'plane identification.

Helpful comments are invited.

Location: SH 36265 46077