Explore the real-world places that appear in The Grey King by Susan Cooper. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Cader Idris, Llyn Cau, Tal y Llyn Lake, Tywyn, Dolgellau and 5 more.
Dolgellau area — Home of the Grey King, Brenin Llwyd
The great mountain of Cader Idris is the domain of Brenin Llwyd, the Grey King, the most powerful Lord of the Dark in the Welsh hills. He cloaks the heights in grey mist and sends cold fog to trap Will Stanton and Bran. Will climbs into the mountain's mist to confront him and wins the harp's power, and the Sleepers are awakened.
Cader Idris is a mountain ridge in southern Snowdonia, steeped in Welsh legend. Folklore says anyone who spends a night on its summit will wake either a poet or a madman. It is also linked in tradition with the giant Idris and with Arthurian legend.
Cader Idris is part of Snowdonia National Park and is one of Wales's most popular hill walks, with several well-marked paths. The Minffordd path starts near Llyn Cau, a glacial lake under the summit cliffs.
Visit: Cadair Idris (Snowdonia National Park) (park)
Cader Idris — Glacial lake beneath the summit cliffs
The high lake in the mountain's cwm is part of the landscape where Will's quest climaxes. The cold, grey, brooding setting matches the Grey King's power over the hills. Will must carry out his task amid mist and menace, with Bran at his side.
Llyn Cau is a glacial corrie lake carved by ice-age glaciers. Legend says it is bottomless and haunted by a monster.
The lake is a destination for walkers on the Minffordd path, and is protected within Snowdonia National Park.
Visit: Llyn Cau (park)
Tal-y-llyn valley — Lake beneath Cader Idris
The lake lies in the valley that is the heart of the story's country, below the Grey King's mountain. The Welsh landscape here, with its lake, farms and hills, forms the backdrop of Will's journey to find the golden harp. It helps carry the book's sense of ancient legend close to ordinary rural life.
Tal-y-llyn is a glacial lake famed for trout fishing and its position at the foot of Cader Idris. The valley has been farmed for centuries.
The lake is a popular spot for fishing, walking and photography. The Tal-y-llyn Lake Hotel and the Tal-y-llyn Railway's nearby stop make it a tourist hub.
Visit: Tal-y-llyn Lake (park)
Coastal town — Gateway to Will's Welsh stay
Will, recovering from illness, is sent to Wales to stay with his Uncle David and Aunt Jen. The nearby coast and town provide the supplies and ordinary life that contrast with the mountain's magic. He meets Bran Davies, the white-haired boy, who becomes his guide.
Tywyn is a seaside town on Cardigan Bay with an ancient church housing St Cadfan's Stone, one of the earliest examples of written Welsh. The town grew as a resort in the Victorian era.
Tywyn is a seaside town with a beach and the Talyllyn Railway's main station and museum. It is a base for visitors to southern Snowdonia.
Visit: Talyllyn Railway Wharf Station and Narrow Gauge Railway Museum (museum)
Market town — Near the Dark's lands
The town stands near the mountain country where the Grey King's power reaches. The local people, including the sheep farmers, form the community around Will and Bran. The surrounding landscape becomes the setting for the conflict among the Light, the Dark and the human farmers.
Dolgellau is a market town built of dark local stone, long a centre of the Welsh wool trade. Owain Glyndŵr is said to have held a parliament here in 1404.
Dolgellau is a market town and tourist base for Cader Idris and the Mawddach estuary. It has shops, pubs, and a visitor centre.
Visit: Dolgellau Town Centre (landmark)
Tal-y-llyn valley — Farmland of the Welsh hill farmers
The Welsh sheep farms are the home of Will's relatives and of Caradog Prichard, a hostile neighbor whose dog is hunted. The conflict with Prichard and his sheepdog Pen is connected to the Dark's cruelty. Bran's adoptive father Owen Davies and his farm are central to the story's human drama.
The valley's farms have raised hill sheep for centuries, working the steep, rough land under Cader Idris.
The valley is still home to working farms, so most land is private. Visitors can enjoy the public footpaths and the scenery.
Near Tywyn — Cliff of the cormorants
The Welsh hills hold hidden places where Will searches for clues to his broken riddle. Bird Rock is a landmark of the landscape he moves through while seeking the harp's hiding place. The hills and cliffs are part of the territory of the Grey King.
Craig yr Aderyn is an inland sea cliff and the only place in Britain where cormorants nest inland. The cliff once stood beside an arm of the sea that has long since retreated.
The cliff is a nature reserve of the Welsh Wildlife Trust and RSPB, visible from nearby paths and the road.
Visit: Craig yr Aderyn (Birds' Rock) (landmark)
Dysynni Valley — Bran's home valley
The valley seen in the novel as Cwm Maethlon is the land of the Grey King's challenge. Will and Bran travel through it to the hills, passing the farms and the lake. The silent mountains and the weight of the mist suggest the Dark's presence at every turn.
Cooper based Cwm Maethlon on the Dysynni Valley, with Bird Rock as a landmark. The area has strong Welsh traditions and a history of hill farming.
The valley is quiet farmland with footpaths and views, a draw for walkers and fans of Cooper's books.
Near Arthog — Mountain lakes of the Welsh hills
The lakes sit within the wild hill country where Will searches for the harp and for the Sleepers' hiding place. The landscape of water, rock and mist reflects the novel's mood of remote, ancient power. Hidden things lie in such places in the story.
The Cregennen Lakes were formed by glaciation and are owned by the National Trust. They lie below the Cader Idris ridge.
The lakes are a National Trust site with a car park and a circular walking path.
Visit: Cregennen Lakes (National Trust) (park)
Llanfihangel-y-Pennant — Medieval Welsh castle
The castle ruins stand in the same hill country as Will's journey and echo its ancient, legend-haunted past. Though the book's Dark and Light conflict is magical, such ruins show the long human history of the valley. They stand as a symbol of the old Welsh heritage the story draws upon.
Castell y Bere was built in the 1220s by Llywelyn the Great and later captured by Edward I's forces in 1283. It was abandoned soon afterward.
The ruins are in the care of Cadw, the Welsh historic environment service, and open to visitors free of charge.
Visit: Castell y Bere (historic site)
More by Susan Cooper: All Susan Cooper books
Other nearby maps: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank locations map · The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton locations map · Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland locations map · The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson locations map