Sights in North Wales
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Llandudno Museum
Llandudno Museum presents local history through an assortment of artefacts and explores themes such as the development of the town as a holiday resort.
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Caernarfon Castle
Majestic Caernarfon Castle was built between 1283 and 1330 as a military stronghold, a seat of government and a royal palace. Inspired by the dream of Macsen Wledig recounted in the Mabinogion, Caernarfon echoes the 5th-century walls of Constantinople, with colour-banded masonry and polygonal towers, instead of the traditional round towers and turrets.
Despite its fairytale aspect it is thoroughly fortified. It repelled Owain Glyndŵr's army in 1404 with a garrison of only 28 men, and resisted three sieges during the Civil War before surrendering to Cromwell's army in 1646.
A year after the construction of the building was begun, Edward I's second son was born here, becomin…
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Cathedral Church of St Deiniol
Also called the Cathedral Church of St Deiniol, the cathedral - surprisingly squat, partly due to lack of cash for a central spire - occupies one of the oldest ecclesiastical sites in Britain. Dedicated to St Deiniol, who founded a cell here in AD 525 and who was consecrated as bishop in AD 546, the cathedral's earliest traces are of a 12th-century stone building, while some of what you see today is based on reconstruction work in the late 13th century.
Responsibility for damage can be blamed on King John, whose men also burned the city, seized the bishop and ransomed him for 200 falcons. Further ravages took place at the turn of the 15th century, during the Glyndŵr rebel…
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Valle Crucis Abbey
Also within walking distance of Llangollen, the dignified ruins of the abbey – another of the region's ancient treasures – evoke the lives of Wales' Cistercian monks through interpretation material.
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Conwy Castle
Rising from a rocky outcrop with commanding views across the estuary and Snowdonia National Park, Conwy Castle may look like a fairytale construction. But it's very much solid, with eight fierce, slightly tapered towers of coarse dark stone and four additional turrets poking from the interior. The castle took just five years (1283-87) to build, with 1500 workers helping at the height of construction, and remains today one of the greatest examples of medieval military architecture in the UK.
After the Civil War in the 17th century, it fell into disrepair and the Council of State ordered it to be partially pulled down. Inside it's more tumbledown than its Unesco partner at …
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Llangollen Canal
In the 18th century canals and the horse-drawn barge were the most efficient way of hauling goods over long distances but, with the advent of the railway, most of them fell into disrepair.
The Llangollen Canal fared better than most because it was used, for years more, to carry drinking water from the River Dee to the Hurleston Reservoir in Cheshire. Today it's again in use, carrying visitors up and down the Vale of Llangollen. In addition, the old towpaths offer miles of peaceful, traffic-free walking. And the canal itself is part of the attraction, thanks to the great civil engineer Thomas Telford (1757-1834).
To collect water for the canal from the River Dee, Telford d…
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Castell Dinas Brân
One of North Wales' best-known ancient sites, Dinas Brân marks the stark remnants of an Iron Age fort and the tumbledown ruins of a castle whose past is shrouded in mystery. There's a walking trail to the site north of Llangollen.
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Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
The real masterpiece of civil engineer Thomas Telford (1757-1834) is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, completed in 1805 to carry the Llangollen Canal over the Dee River. At 316m long and 38m high, it is perhaps the most spectacular piece of engineering on the entire UK canal system and the highest canal aqueduct ever built. The first stone of the aqueduct, which connected the rivers Severn, Mersey and Dee at the height of the Industrial Revolution, was laid in 1795.
More recently it was nominated by the government as a World Heritage site. If accepted by Unesco, the aqueduct will join Stonehenge and the Tower of London on the list of World Heritage sites in Britain.
The aqueduct…
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Great Orme
Llandudno is dominated by the spectacular 207m Great Orme (Y Gogarth in Welsh), yet there's hardly a clue from town as to what's there. Apparently 'Orme' is Norse for worm or sea serpent, a reference to its snaky shape. This ancient hill offers some of the best views in Wales (excellent for sunset), which on a clear day will take in the peaks of Snowdonia, the Isle of Man and even Ireland.
There are some spectacular walks, several Neolithic sites, an encyclopedia of flowers, and clouds of moths, butterflies and sea birds. There's even a herd of around 150 Kashmir mountain goats (the original pair were given by Queen Victoria). The more adventurous (and expert) go climbing…
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Penrhyn Castle
About 1.5 miles east of town, Penrhyn Castle is a fine example of neo-Norman architecture set in beautiful grounds with parkland and wooded walks. Managed by the NT today, it was built between 1820 and 1845 on the spoils of Welsh slate and Jamaican sugar, and designed by Thomas Hopper for the wealthy Pennant family.
It's a vast, extravagant place, with a great hall modelled on Durham Cathedral in England, rooms full of Hopper's mock-Norman furniture, stained glass and hand-painted wallpaper - not to mention a one-ton slate bed built for Queen Victoria. The lofty grand staircase took 10 years to build while adjacent stable blocks are home to several galleries and mini-muse…
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Conwy Suspension Bridge
With its Gothic turrets, Thomas Telford's handsome suspension bridge looks, at first glance, like an extension to Conwy Castle. It was completed, however, in 1826, the same year as Telford's other milestone bridge over the Menai Strait - both of them intended to speed the movement of people and goods from London to Holyhead.
Like its Menai cousin, it was eclipsed a quarter of a century later by an adjacent steel bridge designed by Robert Stephenson (who also designed the arch where the railway punctures the old town walls). The Conwy suspension bridge is now pedestrian and you can visit its restored tollhouse, furnished as it was over a century ago.
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Rheilffordd Ffestiniog Railway
The Rheilffordd Ffestiniog Railway is a fantastic, twisting and precipitous 13.5-mile narrow-gauge railway that was built between 1832 and 1836 to haul slate down to Porthmadog from the mines at Blaenau Ffestiniog. Horse-drawn wagons were replaced in the 1860s by steam locomotives and the line was opened up as a passenger service. Saved from years of neglect, it is one of Wales' most spectacular and beautiful narrow-gauge journeys. Because it links the Cambrian Coast and Conwy Valley main lines, it also serves as a serious passenger transport option. Nearly all services are steam-hauled. A standard all-day rover ticket offers unlimited travel.
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Tŷ Siamas, the National Centre for Welsh Folk Music
Tŷ Siamas, the National Centre for Welsh Folk Music was under construction at the time of writing. A major new attraction, it's the first centre of its kind in Wales and celebrates Dollgellau's hosting of the first ever Welsh folk festival in 1952. Idris Hall, the former market hall on Eldon Sq, will house the centre and the initial programme offers a mix of performance, exhibitions, workshops and facilities for tourists.
The centre is named after Elis Sîon Siamas, a harpist from Dolgellau who was the royal harpist to Queen Anne between 1702 and 1714. He was one of the first people to introduce the triple harp in Wales.
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Welsh Highland Railway
The narrow-gauge Welsh Highland Railway, the sister service to the Rheilffordd Ffestiniog Railway, is an amalgamation of several late-19th-century railways used for carrying slate. The line opened for passenger traffic in 1923 but closed just 14 years later.
It was saved by volunteers and reopened as a tourist attraction in 1997, currently running to Rhyd Ddu, from where several trails lead up Snowdon, making the train a major link for walkers. Extensions to the network to Blaenau Ffestiniog and Porthmadog are planned for completion by 2009 for links to Snowdonia National Park.
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Plas Mawr
Plas Mawr, one of Britain's finest surviving Elizabethan town houses, was built in 1585. The tall, whitewashed exterior is an indication of the owner's status, but gives no clue of the vivid friezes of the interior. The admission price includes a helpful audio tour; a combined ticket including entrance to the castle costs £6.85/5.85 per adult/child.
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Llangollen Wharf
Llangollen Wharf arranges two options: a short excursion on the Llangollen Canal by horse-drawn narrow boat, and motorised narrow-boat trips. Trip options include travelling one-way from Llangollen to Froncysllte, a return from Froncysllte to Bryn Howel crossing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, or a single to Llangollen Wharf - you can combine any of these trips to travel by boat there and back.
Return transport to Llangollen is provided where necessary. Only the horse-drawn narrow boats are wheelchair accessible. You can also hire self-steer boats from £100 per day.
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Segontium Roman Fort
Just east of the centre, these excavated foundations represent the westernmost Roman legionary fort of the Roman Empire. Overlooking the Menai Strait, the fort dates back to AD 77, when the conquest of Wales was completed by capturing the Isle of Anglesey. It was designed to accommodate a force of up to 1000 infantrymen, and coins recovered from the site indicate that it was an active garrison until AD 394 – a reflection of its crucial strategic position.
The on-site museum explains the background to the stark remains, although it's not always open as it's staffed by volunteers. The site is located about half a mile along the A4085 (to Beddgelert), which crosses through …
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Bangor Museum & Art Gallery
This museum is small in scale and not consistently well labelled, but it does offer some potent evocations of past lives in Bangor and the surrounding countryside. The furniture display boasts some glorious Welsh dressers and a colossal 17th-century dower chest. A gruesome mantrap shows that feeding the family wasn't always a doddle.
Upstairs, a compact but very-well-labelled archaeological exhibition takes you from Palaeolithic to medieval times. It's most worthwhile if you are visiting nearby sites.
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Valley Railway Museum
In the tiny town centre, the 14th-century St Michael's Church is across the train tracks – the National Park Information Centre has a key, as does the Conwy Valley Railway Museum , which also arranges miniature steam train rides for families – the 1-mile round trip costs £1.50. Less compelling is the rather fusty Betws-y-Coed Motor Museum with vintage models of Aston Martin, Bentley, MG and various racing cars for enthusiasts.
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Plas Newydd
Ornate Plas Newydd was home to the Ladies of Llangollen. Highlights of the visit include exploring the tranquil grounds, an audio tour (included in the admission) and arts events staged in the gardens. Don't confuse it with the National Trust (NT) stately home of the same name on Anglesey.
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Llandudno Pier
The 1878-built Victorian pier is, at 670m, the longest pier in Wales and extends into the sea with amusements, candyfloss and slot machines. High art it isn't, but the kids will love it.
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Victorian Pier
Built in 1896, the Victorian pier, with its fanciful Oriental kiosks, is a lovely place for a stroll, stretching 450m out into the Menai Strait - seemingly almost to Anglesey. In the distance you can see Thomas Telford's handsome Menai Suspension Bridge. There are several small shops, a café and you can fish here (permits around £2/£1 per adult/child).
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Great Orme Mines
Halfway up the tramline to Great Orme is Great Orme Mines, a Bronze Age copper mine that was possibly one of the most important sources of the metal during that era. It's the oldest Bronze Age copper mine in the world that's open to visitors (the Guinness Book of Records confirms this). Take the self-guided tour to explore 4 miles of 3500-year-old tunnels.
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Aberconwy House
Near to Plas Mawr, this timber-and- plaster building is the town's oldest medieval merchant's house, dating from around 1300. It has a gift shop downstairs for souvenirs.
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Royal Cambrian Academy
The twin white-walled galleries host a full program of exhibitions by members, plus visiting shows from the National Museum Wales and elsewhere. The academy also hosts the excellent Annual Summer Exhibition from July to September, featuring the cream of fine art in Wales under one roof.
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