Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
Edward I finished this intimidating yet aesthetically pleasing castle in 1289, the southernmost of his 'iron ring' of fortresses designed to keep the…
Must-see attractions in Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
The 28-sq-mile Gwydyr Forest, planted since the 1920s with oak, beech and larch, encircles Betws-y-Coed and is scattered with the remnants of lead and…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
Even if you're not enraptured by industrial museums, ignore the dull-sounding name and check this one out. At Dinorwig Quarry much of the slate was carved…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
Blaenau's main attraction takes you into the bowels of a Victorian slate mine. You descend the UK's steepest mining cable railway into the 1846 network of…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
Recently opened in the Edwardian-era police station (hence 'Cell B'), this multifunction centre hosts everything from yoga to live bands to screenings in…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
The Mawddach Estuary is a striking sight, flanked by woodlands, wetlands and the mountains of southern Snowdonia. There are two Royal Society for the…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
You're unlikely to miss Barmouth's foremost landmark: in fact, you'll probably arrive on it, by train, on foot or on two wheels. Curving scenically into…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
This mine dates from Roman times, although extraction was stepped up in the 19th century. Abandoned in 1903, it has since been converted into a museum,…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
More than just Dinorwig Power Station's public interface, Electric Mountain is a tourist hub incorporating a gallery, cafe and souvenir shop. It also has…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
The Ugly House isn't actually ugly at all. This unusual cottage is constructed from huge boulders and is home to a characterful tearoom and, upstairs, the…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
Llyn Tegid was formed during the last Ice Age when glaciers blocked the valley of the River Dee with debris. The resulting rectangular lake is 4 miles…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
Rising behind Barmouth, rocky Dinas Oleu (258m) made history in 1895 by becoming the first property ever bequeathed to the National Trust, kick-starting a…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
The name Betws is thought to be derived from 'bead house', meaning a place of prayer (y coed – in the woods). It's likely that 14th-century St Michael's…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
Dolgellau has been a Welsh folk-music hub since holding the first national folk festival in 1952. The town's former market hall now houses the volunteer…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
Built before 1230 by the Princes of Gwynedd, the keep of Dolbardarn rises like a perfect chessboard rook from a green hilltop between the two lakes, Llyn…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
If you're the sort who's fascinated by dioramas and model train sets, this tiny museum is for you. In which case the model shop you have to pass through…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
After 12 years of closure, little St Tudclud's reopened in 2009 after the community rallied to save it. It isn't particularly old (1859), but inside are…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
At Tywyn Wharf Station, the terminus of the Talyllyn Railway, this museum is one for steam-locomotive buffs. Its 1000-plus artefacts date as far as 200…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
Betws-y-Coed's main natural tourist draw is located 2 miles west of town, alongside the A5 on the River Llugwy. It's a beautiful spot, with the 42m…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
Built in 1860 to minister to workers injured in rockfalls and the other mishaps inseparable from slate mining, this museum provides a vivid insight into…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
This Cistercian abbey, founded in 1198, was never especially grand but the ruined walls and arches are still picturesque, especially when the daffodils…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
This pockmarked slab of marble salvaged from the Bronze Bell, a famous local shipwreck of 1709, has been sculpted by local Franck Cocksey to depict three…
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
This squat, early-19th-century stone prison has gender-segregated cells where drunk sailors and slatterns were once locked up for 'wanton mischief'.
Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri)
Built in 1873, when the old Parish Church of St Michael could no longer cope with the devout Victorian tourists flocking to Betws.
