Craftsman's leaving present near Cadair Idris summit

The chair now greets weary walkers as they get near the summit of Cadair Idris.

A craftsman has created a chair, and taken it up a mountain, as a leaving gift to a Gwynedd community.

Nick Bullen said he had been given such a warm welcome when he set up in business in Corris six years ago that he wanted to give something back before returning to South Africa.

It took 15 people four hours to transport the reclaimed oak chair up Cadair Idris.

The chair now rests close to the 893m (2,930ft) summit.

The wood used is all reclaimed oak fence-posts and oak tree branches from the slopes of the mountain.

It is the type of wood Mr Bullen uses in his Sylvantutch eco-furniture business, which will carry on when he leaves.

"We are heading back to South Africa on a semi-permanent basis, and the chair is an appropriate going away present," he said.

"It weighs 200kg and is about 8ft and is made out of oak fence posts from the farm next door to the Cadair Idris summit," he added.

The chair should last about 20 years, but "if people are willing to go up there to give it some oil occasionally" it should survive the harsh Snowdonia weather for many years, he said.

A gift of a chair is also appropriated because the name of the mountain roughly translates as Idris' chair, he added.

They were helped by lovely sunny weather, but it turned as they got near the summit, and they dashed down in heavy rain and wind in an hour, he said.

Mr Bullen added he had considered the effects of his actions before deciding to take the chair up the mountain.

It was a hard slog to get to the top

"I had heard before about a grand piano being taken up Ben Nevis and part of it not being biodegradable - and a pool table up the Brecon Beacons - but the chair is biodegradable, so I hope people will warm to it," he said.

There was a conscious decision too to place it away from the summit itself too so that the top of the mountain was kept clear, he added.

Lez Paylor, who was one of the team who took the chair up the peak, said the piece was a "beautiful piece of art".

"It is very large, and very heavy and we carried it Egyptian style," he added.