So whether you are into walking, sailing, canoeing or
horse riding the area has what you need. There are some of the
best walks in the country set in the Snowdonian National Park,
excellent canoeing and sailing on both lakes and at the coast. |
|
| North East Wales |
As well as the town being a haven for leisure it is also steeped in history, from its arthurian connections through to its Victorian growth. The town is also an excellent base for you to go on to travel
throughout north wales and the borderland. |
 Wrexham - Now an industrial town, Wrexham has a 15th century
church with 135 foot steeple and gates by the famous Davies brothers.
The churchyard also contains the grave of Elihu Yale, one of the
Pilgrim fathers, and after whom Yale University is named
Visit Website |
 Chester - Chester has an extremely long, and rich, history. Chester
has a long military history, starting with the Romans, Chester
went on to become an important Saxon town. It was still a major
military strong hold by the time of the Civil War in the 17th Century.
Chester has also always had a strong commercial life. It had a
major network of guilds, with many skilled tradesmen, and for a
long period of time Chester was one of the most important seaports
in the country!
Chester is lucky that a lot of it's history is still on show. The city has the most complete set of City Walls, and the largest uncovered Roman amphitheatre in the country. The buildings have retained their unique character with some of the oldest shop frontages in the world. Visit Website |
 Ruthin - A town full of history.
The 8 pm curfew has been rung here nightly since the 11th century.
The garrison was Lancastrian
in the Wars of the Roses, and Royalist in the Civil War. There
are lots of timber framed buildings, a market place, the 18th century
Castle Hotel, a 15th century courthouse, church gates by the Davies
brothers in 1727. Ruthin Castle is now a hotel offering "medieval banquets" to large groups of tourists Visit Website |
| North West Wales |
 Bala - Lake Bala, on the edge of Snowdonia,
is 4.5 miles long and about a mile wide - it is the largest natural
lake in Wales. The small town of Bala at the northern end of the
lake is an excellent fishing and sailing centre In the depths of the Lake live the rare white scaled Salmon - gwyniad. The lurk 80 feet down in the lake, and can only be caught by net.Snowdonia has some rare things to offer As most places in Wales, Bala has a colourful Welsh history - there is the
legend of a lost palace beneath the lake. Also the Welsh emigrants to Patagonia
in Chile in 1865, came mainly from the Bala area - even today there are still
Welsh speaking people in Chile, descended from these original emigrants. In
the Andes instead of Snowdonia |
On the west of Snowdon, two tracks are worth mention. Beddgelert Track which starts 2 miles north of the village, is the harder of the two. The easier is the Snowdon Ranger Path starting from the shore of Llyn Cwellyn The experienced climber might consider the Watkin Path from
Nantgwynant on the south side of Snowdon. You need proper climbing
gear for this ascent of Mount Snowdon |
 Cader Idris - A little south of Mount Snowdon,
Cader Idris ("Arthur's Chair" in English) is 2927 feet
high. There are a number of routes to the top, the easiest being
from Llanfihangel-y-Pennant, 3.5 miles south west of the summit
of Cader Idris Not a mountain for beginners to attempt - there is a legend that anyone who sleeps the night on the summit will wake up blind, mad or a poet - I suppose it depends if you really want to be a poet and are prepared to take the chance. Snowdonia has much to offer! Visit Website |
 Dolgellau - South west of Snowdon, a picturesque town at the
head of a long estuary. The buildings are mainly of local slate.
There are a number of excellent walks ranging in strenuousness
- the Precipice Walk circles a high ridge just north of the town.
The Torrent Walk follows the River Clywedog for about a mile up
a valley. There are other walks that will give you better views
of Cader Idris in the distance
Visit Website |
 Barmouth -Where the mountains of Snowdonia sweep
down to the sea! A seaside resort dating from Victorian times, developed because of the 2 miles of sandy beaches. The cliffs just outside Barmouth were the first property that the National Trust acquired in 1895 - in Britain, not just in Wales. Just to the east of the town, a spectacular walk (the Panorama Walk), branches off to the north of the main road, and follows a series of terraces upwards, with views over the estuary. Snowdonia behind you, and the sea in front. Visit Website |
 Harlech - The vast castle built by Edward I in 1283, to help
him rule Wales. It dominates the plain below. Again lots of history
associated with the castle - Owen Glendower's wife was taken prisoner
here by Henry V. And of course there is the song, "Men of
Harlech", written to commemorate the bravery of the defence
of the castle during the Wars of the Roses. It was the last castle
in the country to be held by the Royalists during the Civil War.
Contrast Caernarfon held by the Cromwellians - not all of Snowdonia,
let alone Wales was no the same side Today it is very peaceful, and there are spectacular views out to sea and to the Lleyn Peninsula Visit Website |
 Porthmadog - Porthmadog is your entry point to the Lleyn Peninsula
At the mouth of the River Glaswyn, the twin towns of Porthmadog and Tremadog, were built on reclaimed land by a local MP in the 19th century. Today there is a picturesque harbour and sandy bathing beaches. Shelly, the poet, was a regular visitor here, and is said to
have written "Queen Mab" in the area. |
 Portmeirion - Portmeirion is perhaps the last place you would
expect to see in Wales, surrounded by Snowdon and the Welsh Mountains Built in 1926 by Clough Williams Ellis, a showpiece village based on Portofino in Italy. Williams-Ellis built a hotel, planted trees, erected many architectural fantasies including an Italian campanile, lighthouse and castle. There are splendid gardens full of exotic plants. The village has been used for filming - The Prisoner. And Noel Coward wrote
Blithe Spirit there. |
 Abersoch - Known foremost for sailing, Abersoch's harbour and
estuary on the south side of the Lleyn, are choc a bloc with sailing
craft of all shapes and sizes. If you do not want to sail, then
there are plenty of sandy beaches, or try a spot of mackerel fishing
off the St Tudwal Islands - the sea off Lleyn is rich in fish.
The St Tudwal Islands themselves are privately owned, but there
are regular trips from Abersoch to view the caves and seabirds
round the islands.
The next bay, Hells Mouth Bay (Porth Neigwl) occupies the south
facing cusp at the end of the Lleyn. It is known for its strong
rip tides, that grind the boulders on the beaches |
 Betws-y-Coed - A popular Welsh tourist village
that stands at the junction of three of Snowdonia's rivers and
their valleys. It's name means "chapel in the wood" and indeed it is surrounded by the Gwydyr Forest. It is deservedly known as a walking centre for Snowdonia - the Swallow Falls and the Fairy Glen are each about 2 miles walk from the town Visit Website |
 Caernarfon - On the northern edge of Snowdonia, this historically
important town is on the Menai Straits, which separate Anglesey
from North Wales. The wonderfully preserved castle dominates the
town. Edward I was born in the castle in 1284. And in this century,
both the Duke of Windsor in 1911 and Prince Charles in 1969, were
invested as Princes of Wales in the Castle Perhaps it owes its preservation to the fact that it was a Cromwellian stronghold during the Civil War Visit Website |
 Bangor - Bangor is the cathedral and university
city of North Wales. The city dates from a monastery in the sixth
century which had a protective fence or "bangor" round
it. It is only about 15 miles from Mount Snowdon, so an easy drive
to see Snowdon from here. The present cathedral is 19th century, but is on the site of the much older monk's church. Bangor Cathedral was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott - who also designed among other things, the Albert Memorial. A mile to the east is Penrhyn Castle, now owned by the National Trust. The
first castle here was built in the 12th century - a lot of Snowdon's castle
were built then- but the present building was erected between 1827 and 1840
in a neo Gothic style and has a seven mile perimeter wall. |
| North Coast |
King Edward I is said to have proclaimed his infant son the
first Prince of Wales at Rhuddllan Castle, 2 miles south of Rhyl |
 Llandudno - The biggest of all the Welsh coastal
holiday resorts, Llandudno lies between the headlands of Little
Orme and Great Orme, with a great crescent of sandy beach in between
To get to admire the view from the top of Great Ormes Head 680 feet high, take the cable car, or the funicular railway , or by road, or if you are really keen a brisk walk up Happy Valley. Little Ormes Head is still 465 feet high, and has views over the coast and Snowdonia from its craggy summit. The town itself has managed to retain a lot of its original
character, and has avoided being spoilt in the way that many
of the Victorian resorts on the coast of Britain have been. |
 Conwy - The town grew, on the coast, around the medieval castle,
which is still in good repair today. Conwy Castle was built in
the shape of a Welsh harp, its walls are 15 feet thick and a walk
round their perimeter takes over half a mile. It was started, as
were many Welsh castles, by Edward I in the late 13th century.
It was here that Richard II finally surrendered to Henry Bolingbroke
in 1399.
Telford's suspension bridge spans the Conwy river, and it was designed to compliment the castle's architecture. Bodnant Gardens, 3 miles south of Conwy, are one of the most
beautiful gardens in Britain, with the River Conwy and Snowdon
in the background. |
| Anglesey |
 Anglesey - Although on the edge of Snowdonia, Anglesey
does not have any mountains. Anglesey has been a centre of Celtic
culture
for thousands of years. The Druids made a major stand against Roman
invasion on Anglesey, and even today most people on the island
speak Welsh.
The scenery on Anglesey is a mixture of small farms and stone villages inland, and a rugged cliff coast of Anglesey is interspersed with sandy coves and wonderful bathing beaches. You can approach Anglesey via Telford's famous 1826 suspension
bridge, and can explore the wealth of interesting places to see
that cover the whole range of Welsh history. There are pre-historic
tumuli, churches and manor houses from the Middle Ages, Beaumaris
Castle built by Edward I , and Llanfair PG, whose full name
is the longest place name in Britain |
Llangollen -
Llangollen nestles within the beautiful Dee Valley in the North
East of Wales. It is a town of varied parts, with plenty to interest
the most discerning of visitors. It is also host to many different
international events each year, the most famous being the Llangollen
International Musical Eisteddfod. Llangollen is where the world
comes to Wales and Wales welcomes the world. The
town has all manner of excellent leisure activities from canoeing,
rafting, walking, bird watching, paragliding, rock climbing,
horse
riding, ab sailing and even archery!
Snowdon - Snowdon is not the highest mountain
in Britain, it can claim to be the most spectacular. There are
lots of walks up to the summit of Snowdon from villages all round
the mountain, ranging from brisk walks to full climbing routes
with crampons. Mind you for the less energetic, there is always
the train from Llanberis to Snowdon's summit. It is a rack and
pinoin railway that mounts gradients as steep as 1 in 5, as it
wends its way 5 miles up to the top of Snowdon 
Rhyl - Known mainly as a modern seaside resort,
with two enormous funfairs, the resort is packed with the usual
amusements that are de rigor for such clientele visiting the
coast. |
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