Who toppled "Y Glocsen"?

Cyhoeddwyd, yn Saesneg, yng nghylchlythyr Cymdeithas Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri, Dyddiad??

A famous Snowdonia landmark lies broken a hundred yards below the place where it has perched precariously for the last few million (?) years on the north ridge close to the summit of the Llanberis Pass.

Known as an "erratic", the great boulder had been a spectacular feature of the Pass scenery since the ice retreated and left it stranded on the skyline, but, sadly, it is no more.

Last November there was a call from a local farmer, "Did we know that Y Glocsen (the Clog) had been pushed over?" We didn't, but quick inspection confirmed this information. The boulder lay broken in three pieces about a hundred yards below its usual position.

Immediately we circulated the Press and offered a £100 reward for any information that would identify the vandals. "In vino veritas!" We hoped there might have been some boasting over the evening pint. There were the inevitable crop of phone calls from people who refused to identify themselves but claimed to know all and would send further information – which never arrived.

Though from the road it looked as if a gentle push would dislodge the 30 ton rock, it was in fact securely anchored and even the Welsh scrum could not have moved it. Had it been possible it would have been pushed over years ago. It could, however, have been dislodged with a heavy duty jack and it was this type of contrivance, we believe, that was used to topple Y Glocsen.

There are alternative theories – that it had split naturally, upsetting the balance. Perhaps frost had brought this about but it had been an exceptionally mild autumn and careful examination of the site convinced us that Y Glocsen started its roll in one piece.

There was no sign of shattering round its original position. One large piece lies where the boulder bounced on a rocky outcrop and then rolling down the hill hit another outcrop and split in two. And so it lies, the pathetic remains of the proud ice age monument which had dominated the Pass for so many centuries.

Perhaps it was a challenge to ingenuity, rather than an act of pure vandalism, but the loss of Y Glocsen has, we know, angered many.