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Llanberis – |
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 Snowdonia takes its name from Mount Snowdon, the highest mountain
in Wales, and sometimes called the "place of eagles." There haven't been
golden eagles on Mount Snowdon for 300 hundred years, but you might see
peregrine falcons.
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Ride the Snowdon Mountain Railway to the top
of Snowdon mountain. Even in summer it can be cold at the summit station,
so bring sweaters. Check out the Railway site for timetables. |
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Take
the Llanberis Lake Railway steam train along the shores of the Lake
Padarn (Llyn Padarn). For train schedules, check out the Llanberis
Lake Railway. |
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Visit the Welsh Slate
Museum, housed in old Victorian workshops where kids can see live slate-splitting
demonstrations, an iron and brass foundry, waterpowered machinery and forges. |
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Llyn Padarn Country Park has nature trails, picnic sites and an old
slate quarry. |
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Sygun Copper Mine (Beddgelert) – Put on a hard
hat and travel down into this 19th century copper mine through tunnels and
caverns with stalactites and stalagmites. When you come out at the end of
the tour, there are great views the valley and mountains in the distance.
Audio visual presentations provide a glimpse into the past and everything
you'd want to know about the mining process. |
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Also
in Beddgelert is the Grave of Gelert, the faithful dog
of Prince Llewelyn. According to legend, Llewelyn left Gelert with his
infant son while he off hunting. When he returned, Gelert was covered in
blood and the child was gone from his crib. Thinking the dog had harmed
his child, Llewelyn killed Gelert. Too late, he discovered the baby unhurt,
next to the body of a wolf, killed by Gelert who had saved the baby. |
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Betws-y-Coed – Betws-y-Coed is a charming old
town on the River Conwy, located in a stunning natural setting. You could
spend a morning running back and forth over numerous old stone or iron bridges in town. There are lovely walks along the River Conwy, to Fairy Glen and the Beaver Bridge or around Gwydir Forest.
If you're more industrially-minded, visit the Motor Museum with rare
cars such as Bugattis, Aston Martins (James Bond's favorite) and a child's
racing car. |
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In Trefriw (near Llanrwst) tour the Trefriw Woolen Mill to see the
traditional process of carding, spinning, dying, and weaving wool into finished
clothing. Also in Trefriw, visit the Trefriw Wells Roman Spa (the
Romans were the first to test the waters), Cyclopean Bath house and Victorian
Pump Room – try the waters yourself. |
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Two
miles away in the village of Capel Garmon is a Neolithic burial
chamber (croimlech), big hunks of stone sunk into the ground, lasting
5,000 years. |
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Dolwyddelan Castle – Down the valley
from Betws-y-Coed, Dolwyddelan Castle is a solitary structure, standing
guard over the Vale of Conwy since the 13th century. This castle was built
by the famous Llewelyn the Great, a Welsh prince (the original Prince of
Wales). Two towers in the mist, and great views of the valley from the ridge. |
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Tour the slate mines, Blaenau Ffestiniog - Before going to the mines, take the wonderful narrow gauge Ffestiniog
Railway that goes from Porthmadog up to Blaenau Ffestiniog. In the Llechwedd
Slate Caverns, take the miners underground tramway deep into the mines,
following a maze of tunnels. There are also plenty of slag heaps around
town too. For another industrial treat, visit the Ffestiniog Power Station and Stwlan Dam, beautiful views and guided tours of the power plant. |
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Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid) – On eastern
edge of Snowdonia National Park is Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid), the largest natural
lake in Wales. Go canoeing or kayaking on the lake (Bala Adventure and Watersport Centre in Bala). |
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The Bala Lake Railway narrow gauge railway, runs along the southern shore
of the lake between towns of Bala and Llanuwchllyn. Check out the Bala
Lake Railway for the timetable. |
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Harlech Castle (Harlech) – This another
of King Edward I's 13th century English castles, built to stamp out any
more revolts by the Welsh. Situated on the sea, Harlech Castle still gives
the impression of a mighty fortress. The turreted gatehouses and ramparts
are a delight to explore. |
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Just
outside of Harlech, Llanfair Quarry produced million of roof slates, called
a "Welsh Lady." Today, tour the nine caverns of the Llanfair Quarry Slate
Caverns, to see where slate was mined, and steps cut into the stones,
called Jacob's Ladder. |
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Dolgellau and around – Dolgellau
sits on the edge of the golden sands of the Mawddach Estuary, and behind
it rises a dramatic peak, Cader Idris. Cader Idris is steeped in legends,
from the mythical giant Idris to Welsh tales of King Arthur and the young
Merlin, Myrddin Emrys. |
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Dolgellau – It's hard to imagine that this bucolic town with charming gray
stone shops and houses was gripped in a gold frenzy in the 19th century.
The Welsh Gold Visitor Centre is a good place to start, or visit
the Gwynfynydd Gold Mine, once one of the richest gold mines in Britain,
and today is still a working gold mine where you can see how a gold mine
works and pan for gold yourself. |
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Walks – Get out and take a walk through some of the gorgeous natural scenery
in this area, Coed-y-Brenin Forest Park, the Torrent Walk along Clywedog River to the Clywedog Tea Garden, or around the Creggennan
Lakes. Alternatively, there is pony trekking on the foothills
of Cader Idris available from Abergwynant Farm outside Dolgellau. |
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Castell
y Bere (Abergynolwyn) – At the base of Cader Idris stands a Welsh
(not English) castle, Castell y Bere, a 13th century castle built by the
Great Llewelyn. This one is very very crumbly and there's not a whole lot
to it, but the setting and views of the mountains are impressive. |
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Beaches – The "sublime" Mawddach Estuary affords miles of beaches, including
the famous golden sands (there really are flecks of gold in the sands).
Between Arthog and Penmaenpool there is a four mile nature walk along
the estuary. |
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Tywyn Talyllyn Railway (Tywyn) –
Take this charming narrow gauge railway from the wharf at Tywyn on Cardigan
Bay (don't miss the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum too). Get off at
the main terminus station at Abergynolwyn for a picnic and walk
in the forest, or continue to the very end to Nant Gwernol where there
is no road, but great walks in the area. For timetables, check out the Railway
site. |
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King Arthur's Labyrinth (Corris, near Machynlleth) –
This attraction features a boat ride on a subterranean river through the
Caverns of Braich Goch Mountain. Tableaux in the caverns show scenes from
the Welsh tales of King Arthur, stories of the young Merlin and the red
and white dragons, and the cave where Arthur sleeps with his knights. |
