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Home , Abergynolwyn, Abersoch, Arthog, Arthog railway station, Bardsey Island, Beddgelert

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SNOWDONIA & THE LLŶN

3 PERFECT DAYS

 DAY 1 // CONQUER THE MOUNTAIN Check the weather forecast before making an assault on (p226). If you’re fit, catch the Snowdon Sherpa bus to Pen-y-Pass and take the Pyg Track (p227). Time your descent via the Rhyd Ddu Path to catch the (p244) back to . If you’re not up for , head to and take the (p227). You’ll be up and down the mountain in 2½ hours, leaving plenty of time to check out the National Museum (p230) and Dolbadarn (p231) before stocking up on mead at Snowdon Honey Farm (p231). Head to - narfon and watch the sunset over the from beside the city walls before dining at the (p235).

 DAY 2 // BE A PILGRIM Spend the morning exploring (p233) before heading for the Llŷ n Peninsula. Ideally you’ll have prebooked a boat to Bardsey but if they’re not running, make do with gazing at the island from Braich-y-Pwll (p239). (p241), Cric- cieth (p243) and (p244) are good places to stop for the night, but (p218) has the best restaurants – along with another World Heritage castle.

 DAY 3 // A SCENIC OVERLOAD Wherever you ended up, take the scenic A498 through the Pass of Aberglaslyn and back into the . Spend the day pottering along the route between Beddge- lert (p228) and Betws-y-Coed (p222), stopping at the lakes, lookouts and falls. Betws makes a wonderfully atmospheric coda to a stay. 206 SNOWDONIA & THE LL ŶN LONELYPLANET.COM

SNOWDONIA & THE LLŶN

CAERNARFON CASTLE p233

A Byzantine show of strength beside the Menai Strait

N Isle of Ŷ L L E H !0 Plas Menai #\ T & SNOWDON p226 Caernarfon #] I A N O rises to a crescendo at this D beautiful, surprisingly W Dinas #\ O accessible, peak N S 0¸A499

Penygroes #\ Clynnog #\ Fawr

Trefor Pont Glas #\ WELSH HIGHLAND #\ RAILWAY p245 (560m)$ 0¸A487 A (nearly) coast-to-coast alpine Porth #\ Dinllaen #\ train journey you'll never forget 0¸A499 Morfa #\ #\Nefyn #\ Penarth "S #\ Fawr Tudweiloig #\ 0¸B4415 #\ 0¸B4417 Llŷn BRAICH-Y-PWLL p239 Peninsula #\ The Llŷn gazes towards the holy Porth Oer 0¸B4413 Abersoch Bay island from this magical land's end #\ Rhiw #\ Cardigan Abersoch Bay Braich-y- #\ Hell's Pwll Mouth St Tudwal's Aberdaron (Porth Bay Neigwl)

GETTING AROUND

Driving through this region involves zigzagging around mountains on well-kept, exceedingly scenic, minor roads. A network of regular and heritage lines makes a rail-based itinerary appealing. The Cambrian Coast Line connects to Pwllheli, via Porthmadog, where the & Welsh Highland Railways head to and (by the time you're reading this) Caernarfon. From Blaenau the Valley Line heads through Betws-y-Coed to . Pwllheli is the hub for Llŷn buses, while Snowdon Sherpa services zip around Snowdonia. 206 SNOWDONIA & THE LL ŶN LONELYPLANET.COM

SNOWDONIA & THE LLŶN

CAERNARFON CASTLE p233

A Byzantine show of strength beside the Menai Strait

N Isle of Ŷ L Anglesey L E H !0 Plas Menai #\ T & SNOWDON p226 Caernarfon #] I A N O Wales rises to a crescendo at this D beautiful, surprisingly W Dinas #\ O accessible, peak N S 0¸A499

Penygroes #\ Caernarfon Bay Clynnog #\ Fawr

Trefor Pont Glas #\ WELSH HIGHLAND #\ RAILWAY p245 Yr Eifl (560m)$ 0¸A487 A (nearly) coast-to-coast alpine Porth #\ Llithfaen Dinllaen #\Pistyll train journey you'll never forget 0¸A499 #\ #\Nefyn Llanystumdwy #\ Penarth "S #\ Fawr Criccieth Tudweiloig #\ 0¸B4415 #\ Pwllheli 0¸B4417 Llŷn BRAICH-Y-PWLL p239 Peninsula #\ Llanbedrog The Llŷn gazes towards the holy Porth Oer 0¸B4413 Abersoch Bay island from this magical land's end #\ Rhiw #\ Cardigan Aberdaron Abersoch Bay Braich-y- #\ Hell's Pwll Mouth St Tudwal's Aberdaron (Porth Bay Neigwl) Bardsey Island

GETTING AROUND

Driving through this region involves zigzagging around mountains on well-kept, exceedingly scenic, minor roads. A network of regular and heritage lines makes a rail-based itinerary appealing. The Cambrian Coast Line connects Machynlleth to Pwllheli, via Porthmadog, where the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways head to Blaenau Ffestiniog and (by the time you're reading this) Caernarfon. From Blaenau the heads through Betws-y-Coed to Llandudno. Pwllheli is the hub for Llŷn buses, while Snowdon Sherpa services zip around Snowdonia. LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA & THE LL ŶN 207

0 20km 0 10mi les

NATIONAL SLATE DISTANCE CHART (miles) MUSEUM p230 Note: Distances are 23 Betws-y-Coed approximate The sculpted mountainside starts Porthmadog 20 24 the story which this engaging museum completes Bala 43 22 28 40 31 24 18 n e d g l a Bangor r f o o d o a #\ a C a B #] Rowen r n y - m a e s - r t h 0¸B5106 C w o S GreenWood Carnedd e t P N Forest Park Llewelyn #\ B O # Bethesda W #\ #\ (1064m) $ D C o O National Slate n N w I Museum Reservoir y Ceunant 0¸A5 #\ A #\ "S Gwydyr & #\ Snowdon GlyderCapel Forest T Llanberis Curig H #\ Fach #\ #C Betws- E A4086 $ Llyn 0¸ Swallow #\ y-Coed L L Cwellyn #\ Pen-y-Pass Falls Ŷ C N Rhyd Mt Snowdon o n w #\ Ddu $ (1085m) y Nant 0¸A470 #\ #\ Forest Gwynant #\ Penmachno Park # BETWS-Y-COED p222 #\ # Beddgelert Sygun CopperMine Blaenau #\ Ffestiniog Walk through a postcard of stone 0¸B4407 cottages and cascading rivers 0¸A498 Garreg #\ #\ #\ Ffestiniog 0¸A4212 Porthmadog T #\ #\ r e w Llyn e Vale # #\ Portmeirion y r Bala of Edeirion Traeth n #\ Bach #\ #\ Trawsfynydd Tremadog Llyn Tegid 0¸B4391 Bay E d Snowdonia e n National () #\ Harlech 0¸A470 Park #\ Llanfair #\ Pen-y- Coed-y- #\ 0¸A494 Bont Brenin 0¸A496 Forest n i o n Coed Llyn Dyffryn W Efyrnwy Ardudwy #\ Garth Cymer GellNature "b Abbey Tal-y-Bont Reserve #\ #\ #\ y # v e #\ Dolgellau o Llanfihangel y Pennant #\ D #\ # Cader Bog $ Dyfi Idris #\ #\ Nature Forest Reserve (893m) # 0¸A493 0¸B4405 #\ 0¸A490 HARLECH p218 #\ Dolgoch "r Nant #\ Gwernol Cliff edge views, a famous castle #\ n i Llwyngwern n #C and great places to eat s y D y Dolgoch Dovey #\ Falls Valley #\ Machynlleth 208 SNOWDONIA & THE LL ŶN GETTING STARTED LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA & THE LLŶN GETTING STARTED

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR TIME

This part of Wales really packs it in, from rugged mountain trails and coastal paths to World Heritage and historic train lines. N Ŷ L L It’s dominated by Snowdonia National Park, where the mightiest E H T peaks south of scrape moody skies. With such a formid- & I A N able mountain shield, it’s little wonder that the much less visited O D W Ll ŷ n Peninsula has held tightly to its language and culture. In fact O N S the county of , which covers most of this region, has the highest proportion of Welsh speakers in the country – over 76%. In many ways, this northwestern corner of Wales distils the very es- sence of Welshness – just don’t mention that to the folks in Cardiff !

TOP COURSES

NATIONAL WHITEWATER CENTRE Hurtle down the River Tryweryn in a rubber raft (p220).

 PARC GLYNLLIFON Try slate shaping, blacksmithing, appliqué or wood carving at a Craft Taster Day (p237).

 PLAS MENAI Learn to sail, kayak or windsurf on the calm waters of the Menai Strait (p236).

NATIONAL MOUNTAIN CENTRE Unleash your inner mountain goat, with instruction in rock climbing and mountain- eering (p226).

 SNOWBIKERS Learn to mountain bike or take a guided tour (%430628; www.snowbikers.com; per day £60).

 TŶ SIAMAS Be trained to manipulate a mandolin, twang a telyn (harp) or twiddle a ffi dl (violin) at the National Centre for Welsh Folk Music (p212).

& HERITAGE CENTRE Take a crash course in Cymraeg and get a grip on one of the oldest living languages in Europe (p237). LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA & THE LL ŶN GETTING STARTED 209

GETTING AWAY FROM TOP RESTAURANTS IT ALL  CASTLE RESTAURANT &  Mawddach Estuary Wetlands and ARMOURY BAR woodlands edge the river and although Big Caribbean flavours come to little old S you’re never far from the road, it’s a N Harlech (p219). O peaceful place to stretch your legs (p215). W D  CASTLE COTTAGE O  Gwydyr Forest Walking and mountain- N French technique brought to bear on A I biking paths criss-cross the forest sur- & Welsh classics (p219). T rounding Betws-y-Coed (p225). H E   TYDDYN LLAN L Snowdon’s Southern Approaches Ŷ L While the summit and the tracks leading Highly rated country restaurant off ering N from Llanberis and Pen-y-Pass can get a palpable sense of occasion (p222). log-jammed in summer, the other half of  BISTRO BETWS-Y-COED the mountain is much quieter (p227). A bastion for Welsh cooking, traditional  Ll ŷ n Peninsula It’s much less visited and modern (p224). than Snowdonia National Park; wander  POACHERS RESTAURANT its forgotten corners on the Llŷn Coastal Path and the Edge of Wales Walk (p241). Traditional Welsh dishes married with exotic flavours (p243). ADVANCE PLANNING RESOURCES  Snowdon Mountain Railway With the new visitor centre now open at the  Abersoch & Ll ŷ n Tourism (www.aber summit, it’s best to book well ahead to sochandllyn.co.uk) In-depth tourism informa- secure your place on the train (p227). tion for the Llŷn Peninsula  Prisoner Convention (www.netreach  (www.gwynedd.gov.uk) .net/~sixofone/) One to either pencil in or Public transport and event information avoid, the annual gathering of fans of for the county the cult TV show converge on Portmeir- ion for a weekend in April.  Met Office (www.metoffice.gov.uk/ loutdoor/mountainsafety) Up-to-date  Abersoch Jazz Festival (www.abersoch weather conditions and forecasts jazzfestival.com) Hep cats join the surf rats at Abersoch for a weekend of smooth  Snowdonia Mountains & Coast (www sounds in mid-June. .visitsnowdonia.info) Things to do, places to visit and where to stay  Bala Triathlons (www.wrecsamtri.org.uk) Bala gets booked up during the middle  Snowdonia National Park (www.eryri-npa. distance triathlon in mid-June and the gov.uk) The national park’s online home standard version in mid-September. 210 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK LONELYPLANET.COM

SNOWDONIA The park authority publishes a free annual visitor newspaper, which in- NATIONAL PARK cludes information on getting around, park-organised walks and other activi- Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cen- ties. The Met Offi ce the weather edlaethol Eryri) was founded in 1951 conditions constantly updated on its (making it Wales’ first national park), website (www.metoffice.gov.uk/loutdoor/ primarily to the area from being mountainsafety). loved to death. This is, after all, Wales’ In the alpine reaches you’ll need to best-known and most heavily used slice be prepared to deal with hostile condi- N of nature, with the busiest part around Ŷ tions at any time of the year; the sud- L L Snowdon (1085m). Around 750,000 E den appearance of low cloud and mist H T people climb, walk or take the train is common, even on days that start out & to the summit each year, and all those I A clear and sunny. Never head into iso- N O sturdy shoes make trail maintenance a D lated reaches without food, drink, warm W never-ending task for park staff. Yet the O clothing and waterproofs, whatever the N S park is so much more than just Snow- weather. Carry and know how to read don, stretching some 35 miles east to the appropriate large-scale Ordnance west and over 50 miles north to south Survey (OS) map for the area, and carry and incorporating coastal areas, rivers a compass at all times. Also be aware and Wales’ biggest natural lake. that even some walks described as easy The Welsh name for Snowdonia, is may follow paths that go near very steep Eryri (eh-ruh-ree) meaning highlands. slopes and over loose scree – the Pyg The Welsh call Snowdon Yr Wyddfa Track up Snowdon, for example. (uhr-with-vuh), meaning Great Tomb – according to legend a giant called Rita DOLGELLAU Gawr was slain here by and is buried at the summit. %01341 / pop 2400 Like Wales’ other national parks, this Dolgellau is a little place steeped in histo- one is very lived-in, with sizeable towns ry with a palpable olde worlde feel. More at Dolgellau, Bala, Harlech and Betws-y- than 200 of its stern stone buildings Coed. Two-thirds of the park is privately are listed for preservation – the highest owned, with over three-quarters used for concentration in Wales. It’s thought the raising and cattle. While the most Welsh hero Owain Glyndŵ r met with popular reason for visiting the park is to fellow rebels here, although the likely walk, you can also go climbing, white- venue (on Bridge St) is now derelict and water rafting, kayaking and pony trek- forgotten. king, even windsurfing. The Dolgellau area also has historical The park is the only home to two en- links with the Society of Friends (the dangered species, an alpine plant called Quakers). After George Fox visited in the Snowdon lily as well as the rainbow- 1657, preaching its philosophy of direct coloured Snowdon beetle. The gwyniad is communication with God, free from a species of whitefish found only in Llyn creeds, rites and clergy, a Quaker com- Tegid (Bala Lake), which also has probably munity was founded here. Converts, the UK’s only colony of glutinous snails. from simple farmers to local gentry, were LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK 211

SNOWDONIA & THE LLŶN ACCOMMODATION

You can’t really go wrong basing yourself in any of this region’s charismatic towns and villages. Try Dolgellau for excellent boutique accommodation, Harlech for a genteel ambi- ence and restaurants, Bala for outdoor activities and Welsh-language immersion, Betws- y-Coed or Beddgelert for alpine prettiness, Llanberis for interesting sights, Caernarfon for its medievalness, Aberdaron for isolation and Abersoch, Criccieth or Porthmadog for beaches. What Snowdonia’s YHAs may lack in creature comforts, they more than make up for in stunning locations (see p328) and they are essential pit stops for walkers and cyclists. However, it’s once again B&Bs that have topped our picks for the region: S N  Ffynnon (p339) Boutique Dolgellau guesthouse with a contemporary design. O W  D Maelgwyn House (p339) Friendly hosts and homely rooms in Harlech. O N I  Victoria House (p341) Exceptional guesthouse within Caernarfon’s old town walls. A & T  Venetia (p342) Slick designer rooms above an Italian restaurant in Abersoch. H E  L Yr Hen Fecws (p342) Characterful slate cottage in Porthmadog. Ŷ L N persecuted with vigour because their re- south, the lovely Mawddach Estuary lies fusal to swear oaths – in particular to the to the west and, to the north, the Coed y king – was considered treasonous. Many Brenin Forest Park off ers glorious eventually emigrated to William Penn’s mountain-biking country. In recent years Quaker in America. some plush boutique accommodation Dolgellau was a regional centre for options have sprung up, making it an Wales’ prosperous wool industry in the appealing base from which to explore the 18th and early 19th centuries. Many of national park. the town’s finest buildings, sturdy and unornamented, were built at that time ESSENTIAL INFORMATION and the town centre hasn’t changed TOURIST OFFICES // Tourist offi ce & all that much since. Local mills failed national park information centre to keep pace with mass mechanisation (%422888; Eldon Sq; h9.30am-4.30pm) Sells an however, and decline set in after about excellent range of maps, local history books and leaflets 1800. The region bounced back when charting the trails for a climbing excursion to Cader Idris. the Romantic Revival made Wales’ wild Upstairs there’s a permanent exhibition on the region’s landscapes popular with genteel travel- Quaker heritage in a suitably dour wood-panelled room. lers. There was also, surprisingly, a mi- nor gold rush here in the 19th century. ORIENTATION The wedding rings of Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales were made Dolgellau sits at the confluence of the from Dolgellau gold, and there are plans River Wnion (a tributary of the Mawd- to reopen the mine. dach) and the smaller River Arran. The Today however, this grey-slate, charm- A470 passes just north of the Wnion, ingly gruff little market town relies on while the town centre is to its south, tourism. One of Snowdonia’s premier reached by Bont Fawr (Big Bridge; built peaks, bulky Cader Idris, rises to the 1638). 212 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK LONELYPLANET.COM

0 200m DOLGELLAU 0 0.1mil es ‚ A C B 0 ¸ A470 D To Cymer Abbey (1.5mi); r ‚ w a To Bala (18mi) Coed y Brenin Forest Park F # t River Wnion 2 (7mi); Fairbourne n (8mi); Barmouth (9.5mi) o 1 B Recreation ESSENTIAL Ground "V d INFORMATION a R t r i l #p t u s S Tourist Office & National n d I e g Park Information Centre...... 1 B2 d G r i r e B e EXPLORING n #2 L DOLGELLAU a 13 & S t # W a te r loo ld La N Li on Y ard Smi th fie Mawddach Way...... 2 A1 Ŷ M L S Tŷ Siamas ...... 3 B3 L a r i o m L i a n n i t Gl ynd wr S t E A E 2 R S 7 h n b H d t @" 5 f i g e GASTRONOMIC T "@ e l r l d i s W HIGHLIGHTS @ #2 #` h & S n Queen's t T Dylanwad Da ...... 4 B2 A t "@ c i o I S 8 Square e r n Parliament fo House...... 5 B2 N e n a n T O a k E l y c e B l d 1 Popty'r G Dref ...... 6 B3 D o #H 4"@ W n #2 Royal Ship Hotel...... 7 B2 R O o Smithfield Unicorn...... (see 11) N t w Eldon Ar r an Br id S S Square ge Y Sospan...... 8 B2 d Square r 12"7 "@ 6 A a "i n r r an Rd b 3"S a ACCOMMODATION (p339) m 11 r i o r L A Bryn Mair House ...... 9 A3 r e Ffynnon...... 10 A3 3 C h v a p e i l S t M R Y ...... 11 C3 y e r er Rd i c TRANSPORT Cad a k L !0 e S Bus Stop...... 12 B3 10"i v t o Dolgellau Cycles...... 13 B2 9 "i L

EXPLORING DOLGELLAU just a museum; it has a recording studio, stages workshops and performances, and  TŶ SIAMAS // CELEBRATING A off ers lessons on traditional instruments. TRADITION EVEN OLDER THAN TOM

JONES  MAWDDACH TRAIL // Dolgellau has been an important hub PICTURESQUE PEDALLING OR for Welsh folk music ever since it held STROLLING the first Welsh folk festival in 1952. In The 9.5-mile Mawddach Trail (www recognition of that, the town’s former .mawddachtrail.co.uk) is a flat (and in places market hall has been transformed into the wheelchair-accessible) path that follows National Centre for Welsh Folk Music an old train line through woods and past (%421800; www.tysiamas.com; Eldon Sq; adult/child wetlands on the southern side of the £4/2; h10am-5pm Mar-Oct, 10am-4pm Tue-Sat Nov- Mawddach Estuary, before crossing over Feb), which opened in 2007. It’s named the train viaduct to Barmouth (where after Elis Sîon Siamas, a harpist from you can catch the bus back). The trail Dolgellau who was the royal harpist to starts in the car park beside the bridge. Queen Anne between 1702 and 1714. He was one of the first people to introduce  MAWDDACH WAY // A MORE the triple harp to Wales. The permanent CHALLENGING MAWDDACH TRACK exhibition includes audiovisual clips, mu- While the Mawddach Trail follows the sical instruments and interesting displays estuary’s southern edge, Mawddach Way about Welsh folk traditions. Yet it’s not (www.mawddachway.co.uk) is a 30-mile, two- to LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK 213 three-day track looping through the hills cess for patrons and a huge range of on either side. Although the highest point speciality teas. is 346m, by the end of the undulating path you’ll have climbed 2226m. The of-  POPTY’R DREF £ ficial guide splits the route into three legs: %422507; Smithfield St; honey buns 65p Barmouth–Taicynhaeaf (10 miles, fi ve to Hello honey buns! We’re not being six hours), Taicynhaeaf–Penmaenpool (9 rude – they’re the house speciality at this miles, four to fi ve hours) and Penmaen- fantastic deli, one of the few left with pool–Barmouth (11 miles, six to seven the original bakery out the back. Get in hours). Fit walkers should be able to do it quick; they’re usually sold out by 11am. S in two days, with pit stops at Barmouth N  Y SOSPAN ££ O and Dolgellau. W %423174; Queen’s Sq; breakfast & lunch £3-7, D An A5 booklet can be ordered or O dinner £10-17; hbreakfast & lunch daily, dinner N downloaded online (booklet/download A I Wed-Sun & T £10/5); GPS route data can be down- H In a book-lined and woody 1606 build- E loaded for free. L L ing that once served as a prison, this Ŷ N  // CAP OFF A HARD DAY’S relaxed eatery serves fry-up breakfasts, HOLIDAYING sandwiches, jacket potatoes and light For a straightforward pint with the lo- cooked meals during the day. At night, it cals, try the Unicorn (%422742; Smithfield switches to a heavier bistro menu, where Sq) or the ivy-covered Royal Ship Hotel lamb plays a starring role and most of (%422209; www.royalshiphotel.co.uk; Queen’s Sq). the desserts have been on the booze, including an excellent bread-and-butter GASTRONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS pudding.

 DYLANWAD DA ££ TRANSPORT %422870; www.dylanwad.co.uk; 2 Smithfield St; mains £13-19; hThu-Sat Apr-Sep BIKE // Dolgellau Cycles (%423332; Smith- Informal cafe, wine and tapas bar by day, field St) Rents bikes, performs repairs and off ers advice contemporary restaurant by night, this on local cycle routes. Lôn Las Cymru, the Welsh National well-run, low-lit eatery has been serving Cycle Route (Sustrans route 8; see p302), passes through up high-quality food for over 20 years. Dolgellau, heading north to Porthmadog and south to A long-standing favourite on the Snow- Machynlleth. donia scene, it has a healthy wine list and BUS // Buses stop on Eldon Sq in the heart of town. an imaginative menu. Routes include 28 to Penmaenpool (five minutes) and Fairbourne (20 minutes); X32 to (1¼ hours),  PARLIAMENT HOUSE £ Machynlleth (35 minutes), Porthmadog (50 minutes), %421938; Glyndŵr St; mains £4-6; h9.30am- Caernarfon (1½ hours) and Bangor (two hours); 35 to 5.30pm Mon-Sat; W Coed y Brenin (15 minutes) and Blaenau Ffestiniog (54 With a fantastic period setting in a Grade minutes); and X94 to Barmouth (24 minutes), Bala (35 II-listed former ironmonger’s shop, still minutes), (1½ hours) and (two with its original fittings, this atmospheric hours). coff ee shop has light meals (soup, Welsh PARKING // There’s a car park just south of the River rarebit, sandwiches, ciabatta, baguettes), Wnion, next to Bont Fawr (50p per hour, over four hours newspapers to browse, free internet ac- £5.30, free 6pm to 8am). 214 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK LONELYPLANET.COM

AROUND DOLGELLAU  CADER IDRIS // LESS TAXING THAN SNOWDON BUT A LEGENDARY  AND CLIMB TALYLLYN LAKE // THOMAS Cader Idris (893m), or the ‘Seat of THE TANK ENGINE’S REAL-LIFE Idris’ (a legendary giant), is a hulking, INSPIRATION menacing-looking mountain with an Famous as the inspiration behind Rev W appropriate mythology attached. It’s Awdry’s Thomas the Tank Engine stor- said that hounds of the underworld fly ies, the narrow-gauge Talyllyn Railway around its peaks, and strange light ef- (%01654-710472; www.talyllyn.co.uk; Wharf Station, fects are often sighted in the area. It’s N Tywyn; adult/child £13/6.25; hcheck online timetable) also said that anyone who spends the Ŷ L L was opened in 1865 to carry slate from E night on the summit will awake either H T the Bryn Eglwys quarries near Abergy- mad or a poet – although perhaps you’d & nolwyn. In 1950 the line was saved from have to be a little mad or romantic to I A N fi fi O closure by the world’s rst railway pres- attempt it in the rst place. Regardless D W ervation society. It’s one of Wales’ most of its repute, it’s popular with walkers O N enchanting little railways and pu s for S ff and it’s the park’s favourite locale for 7⅓ scenic, steam-powered miles up the rock climbers. Fathew Valley to Abergynolwyn. There The usual route to the summit is the are fi ve stations along the way, each with ‘Dolgellau’ or T ŷ Nant Path, southeast waymarked walking trails (and waterfalls from Tŷ Nant Farm on the A493. The at Dolgoch and Nant Gwernol); leaflets farm is 3 miles west of Dolgellau, just on these are available at the stations. beyond Penmaenpool. It’s a rocky but Your ticket entitles you to all-day travel. safe, straightforward route, taking about At Tywyn’s Wharf Station, the Nar- fi ve hours there and back. row Gauge Railway Museum (www.ngrm. The easiest but longest route (5 miles org.uk; admission free; h10am-4.30pm May-Sep, each way, six hours return) is the ‘Ty- 10am-2pm Oct) is one for the history buff s, wyn’ or Llanfihangel y Pennant Path, a with shiny narrow-gauge steam locomo- gentle pony track that heads northeast tives and the story of the volunteers who from the hamlet of Llanfihangel y Pen- preserved the railway. nant, joining the Tŷ Nant Path at the About 2 miles northeast of Abergynol- latter’s midpoint. Llanfihangel is 1.5 wyn along the B4405 is Talyllyn Lake, miles from the terminus of the Talyllyn a substantial and tranquil body of water Railway (p214) at Abergynolwyn. edged by fields and hills and overlooked The shortest (3 miles each way) but by Cader Idris. It’s stocked with trout steepest route is the Minff ordd Path, and popular with anglers. running northwest from the Dol Idris Tywyn is on the Cambrian Coast car park, a few hundred metres down the Line, with direct trains to Machynlleth B4405 from Minff ordd, itself 6.5 miles (£4.50, 26 minutes), Fairbourne (£3, 17 from Dolgellau on the A487 Machynl- minutes), Barmouth (£4.50, 25 minutes), leth road. This route, taking around Porthmadog (£8.50, 1½ hours) and fi ve hours there and back, requires the Pwllheli (£9.90, two hours). Bus 28 from most caution, especially on the way back Aberystwyth (1¼ hours) to Dolgellau (55 down. minutes) via Machynlleth (35 minutes) Whichever route you choose, wear and Fairbourne (35 minutes) stops here. stout shoes, carry protective clothing LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK 215 and check the weather conditions, either tection of Birds (RSPB) nature reserves online (www.metoffice.gov.uk/loutdoor/ (www.rspb.org.uk; admission free) in the estuary mountainsafety) or at the Dolgellau valley. On the south side, Arthog Bog tourist offi ce (p211). It also stocks pam- is a small wetland reserve favoured by phlets on each route (40p). cuckoos, grasshopper warblers, lesser redpolls, reed buntings and siskins. Set in  FAIRBOURNE // WHERE THOMAS oak woodlands along the northern side, GOES ON HIS HOLIDAYS, PERHAPS Coed Garth Gell has two circular walk- Fairbourne has a lovely, long beach ing trails; one 1.25 miles, the other 1.5 but little else to off er except the steam- miles. Spring visitors include redstarts, % S hauled ( 01341- wood warblers and pied flycatchers, N O 250362; www.fairbournerailway.com; Beach Rd; adult/ W while in summer you might spot dippers D child £7.80/4.20; hcheck online timetable) O , Wales’ and in winter, woodcocks. N only seaside narrow-gauge railway. It A I The estuary is easily reached on foot or & T was built in 1895 to move materials for by bike from Dolgellau or Barmouth via H E the construction of the village. The line the Mawddach Trail (p212). Arthog Bog L Ŷ L heads north along the coast for 2.5 miles is 8 miles west of Dolgellau on the access N to Penrhyn Point, where there are ferries road to Morfa Mawddach station, off the across the mouth of the Mawddach to A493, while Coed Garth Gell is 2 miles Barmouth, timed to meet the trains. west of Dolgellau on the A496. There’s a restaurant at Penrhyn Point, while Fairbourne station has a cafe and  MAWDDACH RESTAURANT & the take-it-or-leave-it Rowen Indoor BAR // FOOD WITH A VIEW Nature Centre (admission free; h10.30am- Two miles west of Dolgellau on the 4.30pm), showcasing an odd mix of ferrets, A496, Mawddach (%01341-424020; www lizards and a model railway. .mawddach.com; Llanelltyd; mains £10-17;hlunch Fairbourne is on the Cambrian Coast Wed-Sun, dinner Wed-Sat) brings a touch of ur- Line, with direct trains to Machynlleth ban style to what was once a barn. Black (£4.50, 26 minutes), Tywyn (£3, 17 min- slate floors, brown leather seats and pan- utes), Barmouth (£2, seven minutes), oramic views across to Cader Idris set Porthmadog (£6.20, 58 minutes) and the scene. The food is equally impressive: Pwllheli (£8.70, 1¼ hours). Bus 28 from meat straight from nearby farms, fresh Aberystwyth (two hours) to Dolgel- local fish specials and traditional Sunday lau (20 minutes) via Machynlleth (1¼ roasts (two/three courses £13/17). hours) and Tywyn (35 minutes) stops here.  CYMER ABBEY // A PICTURESQUE PICNIC SPOT  MAWDDACH ESTUARY // This Cistercian abbey, founded in 1198, TREASURED BY WALKERS AND wasn’t especially grand but the ruined WARBLERS walls and arches are still picturesque, The glorious Mawddach Estuary is a especially when the daff odils are in striking sight: a mass of water flanked bloom. There are walks in the vicinity by woodlands, wetlands and the roman- and nice picnic spots near the river. It’s 2 tic mountains of southern Snowdonia. miles northwest of Dolgellau, signposted There are two Royal Society for the Pro- from the A470. 216 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK LONELYPLANET.COM

 COED Y BRENIN FOREST PARK // handy pedestrian walkway across it. Be- AND MONKEY hind the town rises rocky Dinas Oleu, BUSINESS the first property ever bequeathed to Covering 3640 hectares, this woodland the (NT; in 1895) and an park is the premier location for moun- irresistible temptation for walkers. tain biking in Wales. It’s laced with 70 miles of purpose-built cycle trails, divid- ESSENTIAL INFORMATION ed into seven graded routes to suit begin- TOURIST OFFICES // Tourist office ners or guns, and impressively presented (%280787; train station, Station Rd; h10am-5pm by way of old-fashioned waterproof trail Apr-Oct, 9.30am-3pm Mon-Fri Nov-Mar) Sells leaflets N cards or downloadable geocaches and Ŷ L on local walks and train tickets for mainline connections, L fi E MP3 audio les. and off ers an accommodation service. H T The park’s impressive environmentally & % I A friendly visitor centre ( 01341-440747; ORIENTATION N O www.forestry.gov.uk/wales;h9.30am-4.30pm D The main commercial strip is spread W daily) is 8 miles north of Dolgellau off O N out along the A496; as it passes through S the A470. You can buy the aforemen- tioned trail cards here, as well as a set town it’s known as Church St, High St covering 10 tracks for walkers and run- and King Edward’s St. ners. There’s also a cafe, toilets and a EXPLORING BARMOUTH children’s play area, while downstairs you can hire bikes from Beics Brenin  WALKS // SOME CRACKING CALF- (%01341-440728; www.beicsbrenin.co.uk; per day MUSCLE WORKOUTS £25-50). Apart from the Mawddach Trail (p212), At the time of research a new high- you can scramble up any one of several wires course called Go Ape (%0845 643 alleys running off Church St, where 9215; www.goape.co.uk; adult/child from £30/20; you’ll find the town gets more and more hEaster-Oct) was about to open. vertical, with better and better views, until the old houses are nearly on top of BARMOUTH (ABERMAW)

%01341 / pop 2300 Despite a Blue Flag beach and the beau- BIRDWATCHING tiful Mawddach Estuary on its doorstep, Whether you’re chuff ed by choughs or the of Barmouth has a pleased by puffi ns, Wales off ers plenty to faded feel to it. In the summer months get twitchy about. it becomes a typical kiss-me-quick sea-  National Wetland Centre (p128)

side resort – all chip shops and dodgem  Bwlch Nant yr Arian (p187) cars – catering to the trainloads arriving  in their thousands from ’s West Gigrin Farm Red Kite Feeding Station Midlands. Outside of the brash neon of (p194) high summer it’s considerably mellower  Mawddach Estuary (p215) but it still has its rough edges.  Ellin’s Tower RSPB Nature Reserve Wales’ only surviving wooden rail (p258) viaduct spans the estuary and has a LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK 217 one another. Carry on up to a network  THREE PEAKS YACHT RACE // of trails crossing 258m Dinas Oleu. Bear STORMING THE HEIGHTS OF THREE eastwards around the headland – on COUNTRIES one of these paths or from the far end of Held in late June, this arduous challenge Church St – to the popular Panorama (www.threepeaksyachtrace.co.uk) has been at- Walk , which has the best of the estuary tracting international crews for more views. For more details, ask at the tour- than 30 years. Contestants sail to Caer- ist offi ce. narfon where two crew members run to If you’d prefer some companions the summit of Snowdon. They then sail on the journey, the Barmouth Festival to Whitehaven in England and run up fi S of Walking (www.barmouthwalkingfestival ; and nally to Fort William N O .co.uk) takes place over eight days in in Scotland for an ascent of Ben Nevis – W D O September. in all, 389 nautical miles of sailing and N 72 miles of fell running. The record time A I &  QUAYSIDE // BARMOUTH’S T for the race thus far is an astonishing H E HISTORIC QUARTER two days, 14 hours and four minutes, L Ŷ L The oldest part of Barmouth is around achieved in 2002. N Church St and the quay to its south. The unusual round building, T ŷ Crwn, was  DRAGON THEATRE // TREADING once a jail where drunk and disorderly THE BARMOUTH BOARDS sailors could cool off until morning. The cultural life of the town is centred Nearby, in T ŷ Gwyn, supporters of on the former Victorian chapel, which Henry Tudor once met to plot his ascen- is now the Dragon Theatre (Theatr y sion to the throne. The ferry for Penrhyn Ddraig; %281697; www.dragontheatre.co.uk; Point (p215) departs from here. Jubilee Rd) and its occasional program of live performances and cinema (includ-  LAST INN // COSY, ATMOSPHERIC ing a kids’ film club). Things really AND JUST PLAIN NICE heat up in September when the Dragon The best place to eat, drink and hang out hosts most of the events in the week- in Barmouth is this old inn (%280530; www long Barmouth Arts Festival (www .lastinn-barmouth.co.uk; Church St; mains £9-13), the .barmouthartsfestival.co.uk). last one before you hit the estuary. Dating from the 15th century, it’s full of old ship TRANSPORT timber, inglenook fireplaces and there’s BIKE // Lôn Las Cymru passes through Barmouth, head- a mural portraying the town’s history. ing north to Harlech and south to Dolgellau. Most unusually, the mountain forms the BUS // Buses stop on Jubilee Rd, across Beach Rd rear wall, with a spring emerging right from the train station. Routes include 38 to Harlech (34 inside the . Kids are welcome and minutes); and X94 to Dolgellau (24 minutes), Bala (1½ the menu’s full of pub crowd-pleasers, hours), Llangollen (2½ hours) and Wrexham (three including a traditional Sunday roast. hours). There’s also live music from time to time. TRAIN // Barmouth is on the Cambrian Coast Line, Other decent pubs include the Tal y with direct trains to Machynlleth (£7, 57 minutes), Don (%280508; www.tal-y-don.co.uk; High St) Fairbourne (£2, seven minutes), Harlech (£3.70, 24 and the Royal Hotel (%281682; www.royal minutes), Porthmadog (£5.40, 48 minutes) and Pwllheli hotelsnowdonia.co.uk; King Edward St). (£8.70, 1¼ hours). 218 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK LONELYPLANET.COM

HARLECH www.cadw.wales.gov.uk; adult/child £3.60/3.20; h9am-5pm Apr-Oct, 9.30am-4pm Mon-Sat, 11am- %01766 / pop 2000 4pm Sun Nov-Mar) is an intimidating yet Hilly Harlech is best known for the spectacular building. Edward I finished mighty, grey stone towers of its castle, it in 1289, the southernmost of his ‘iron framed by gleaming and ring’ of fortresses designed to keep the with the mountains of Snowdonia as a Welsh firmly beneath his boot. backdrop. Some sort of fortified struc- Despite its might, the story-book fort- ture has probably surmounted the rock ress has been called the ‘Castle of Lost since Iron Age times, but Edward I re- Causes’ because it has been lucklessly N moved all traces when he commissioned Ŷ L defended so many times. Owain Glyndŵ r L the construction of the castle. Finished in E captured it after a long siege in 1404. He H T 1289, is the southernmost is said to have been crowned Prince of & of four fortifications included in the Cas- I A Wales in the presence of envoys from N O tles and Town Walls of King Edward in D Scotland, France and Spain during one of W Gwynedd Unesco World Heritage Site. O his parliaments in the town. He was, in N Harlech is such a thoroughly pleasant S turn, besieged here by the future Henry V. place that it has become one of During the the gentrified destinations in Snowdonia – castle is said to have held out against a every other shop seems to sell antiques or siege for seven years and was the last tea and there are some sophisticated places Lancastrian stronghold to fall. The to eat at and sleep in. While it’s bustling in siege inspired the popular Welsh hymn summer, it can be deliciously sleepy oth- erwise. It makes a great base for a beach ‘Men of Harlech’ , which is still played holiday or for day trips into the national today in regimental marches and sung park – and those views never get boring. with patriotic gusto at rugby matches. The castle was also the last to fall in the ESSENTIAL INFORMATION , finally giving in to Cromwell’s forces in 1647. TOURIST OFFICES // Tourist office The grey castle’s massive, (%780658; High St; h9.30am-5.30pm Apr-Oct) twin-towered and outer walls ORIENTATION are still intact and give the illusion of impregnability even now. Enter through The sea used to lap at the base of the rocks the ticket offi ce/gift shop and cross the below the castle but now this flat piece of through the gatehouse into land is where you’ll find the train station, the compact inner ward. Four gloomy a petrol station and a newer clump of round towers guard the corners and you houses; it’s a strenuous 20-minute climb can climb onto the ramparts for views on one of several stepped tracks up to in all directions. Some are closed off and High St, or about half a mile by road. partly ruined, but you still get a good feel for what it was once like. The fortress’ EXPLORING HARLECH great natural defence is the seaward cliff  HARLECH CASTLE // THE CASTLE face. When it was built, ships could sail OF LOST CAUSES supplies right to the base. Run by (the Welsh historic monu- The finest exterior view (with Snow- ments agency), Harlech Castle (%780552; don as a backdrop) is a craggy outcrop LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK 219

on Ffordd Isaf, opposite Maelgwyn  CEMLYN TEA SHOP £ House. %780425; www.cemlyntea.co.uk; High St; snacks around £5; h10.30am-5pm Wed-Sun  THEATR HARLECH // FOCAL The Coles (Jan and Geoff ) may be merry POINT FOR THESPIANS AND old souls but it’s tea that’s king here. FILM-LOVERS There are over 30 varieties on off er, Quite an impressive theatre for a town along with a simple range of snacks to of this population, Theatr Harlech accompany them and a slew of Tea Guild (%760557; www.theatrharlech.com; Ffordd Newydd) Awards of Excellence on the walls. Best is a lively local arts centre that stages of all are the views from the terrace. S dance, theatre and music, and screens N O a well-considered assortment of Hol-  PLAS RESTAURANT £££ W D lywood blockbusters and artier, higher- %780204; www.theplas.co.uk; High St; lunch £6-10, O N brow films. dinner £16-25 A I & Boasting the finest view of any restau- T H GASTRONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS E rant in town – over the castle and across L L to the Llŷ n Peninsula – the Plas has a Ŷ  CASTLE COTTAGE £££ N charmingly old-fashioned formal dining %780479; www.castlecottageharlech.co.uk; Ffordd room and a sunny terrace. Lunch takes Pen Llech; 3-course dinner £37 Within arrow’s reach of the castle, this the form of baguettes and lighter cooked meals, with heavier fare served at dinner: fine dining restaurant serves a deli- ciously patriotic menu – revelling in Welsh beef and lamb, roast duckling, local seafood etc. local produce (Welsh lamb, beef and Also recommended: cod, Ruthin , Menai mussels, Blue Lion (Y Llew Glas; 3 Plas y Goits; mains around wild duck, woodcock, cheeses) and tra- £5) Deli-eatery with good-quality local produce, set in a ditional dishes such as bara brith (rich small courtyard. fruit tea loaf ) and rarebit. Yet the execu- Castle Creamery (Hufenfar Castell; Castle Sq) tion is in the classical French style. Espresso and homemade ice cream.  CASTLE RESTAURANT & Weary Walker (%780751; High St; mains £3-8; ARMOURY BAR ££ hSat-Wed winter, extended summer) Bacon butties ff %780416; Castle Sq; mains £12-15; hlunch & dinner and mugs of co ee are the go at this friendly place. Tue-Sun TRANSPORT If this place were transported to Lon- don it would have queues out the door, BIKE // Lôn Las Cymru passes through Harlech, heading so one has to admire the gumption of north to Porthmadog and south to Barmouth. opening such a wonderful Caribbean BUS // Bus 38 to Barmouth (34 minutes) stops on restaurant in Wales, let alone sleepy Har- High St. lech. Upstairs is the coolest cocktail bar PARKING // The car park by the castle charges £2 for in – red curtains, bauble two hours or £4 for 24 hours. chandeliers and a smooth soundtrack TRAIN // Harlech is on the Cambrian Coast Line, of Trojan reggae. Downstairs, the locals with direct trains to Machynlleth (£9.20, 1½ hours), are switching on to the spicy delights of Fairbourne (£4.50, 46 minutes), Barmouth (£3.70, 24 goat curry, jerk chicken and blackened minutes), Porthmadog (£3, 22 minutes) and Pwllheli salmon. (£6.30, 45 minutes). 220 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK LONELYPLANET.COM

BALA (Y BALA) & Thomas Edward Ellis, the Liberal Mem- AROUND ber of Parliament elected in 1886, was a prominent contemporary of Lloyd George %01678 / pop 2000 in the movement towards an independ- The town of Bala is synonymous with ent Wales at the end of the 19th century. beautiful Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake), which One of Ellis’ friends was Michael D Jones, sits at the northeastern end of town and founder of the Welsh colony in Patagonia. was formed during the last Ice Age when glaciers blocked up the valley of the River ESSENTIAL INFORMATION Dee () with debris. This is TOURIST OFFICES // Tourist office N Wales’ largest freshwater lake – 4 miles Ŷ L (%521021; Pensarn Rd; h10am-5pm Apr-Oct, L long, three-quarters of a mile wide and, E 9.30am-3pm Fri-Mon Nov-Mar) Southwest of the centre, H in places, over 140ft deep. The town, 18 T next to the leisure centre. & miles northeast of Dolgellau, sits where I A N fl O the River Dee ows out of the lake and is ORIENTATION D W joined by the River Tryweryn. O N Bala is big on folk tales (see the boxed The town is essentially one long street S text, p221). One such tale, an alternative (the A494), called Pensarn Rd at the to the glacial version of events, says the southwestern end, High St (Stryd Fawr) valley was once the home of a cruel and through the centre and Station Rd (Heol dissolute prince named Tegid Foel. One Yr Orsaf) on the other side. night the harpist, at a banquet thrown by EXPLORING BALA & AROUND the prince, kept hearing a small bird urg- ing him to flee the palace. He finally did  // STEAM so, fell asleep on a hilltop, and awoke at ALONG THE LAKESHORE dawn to find the palace and principality The genteel narrow-gauge Bala Lake drowned beneath the lake. Railway (%540666; www.bala-lake-railway.co.uk; Bala was a centre for the Welsh wool adult/child return £9/3; hApr-Oct) was opened industry during the 18th century but to- in 1868 to link mainline stations at Bala day it’s better known as a gateway town and Dolgellau. In 1965 the entire route to Snowdonia National Park. It has also from Barmouth to Llangollen was shut recently built a reputation as a centre for down and Bala station was closed. Vol- water sports. The tiny main street is often unteers reopened the 4.5-mile stretch bustling with visitors in summer and from Bala to Llanuwchllyn in 1971, with increasingly dotted with adventure sports vintage locomotives departing from a and outdoors shops. The proximity to the little station at Penybont, half a mile lake and availability of top-notch adven- from Bala town centre, off the B4391. tures makes it a very lively little place. There are now up to four daily services The Romans had a camp here, the skirting the lake for a scenic 90-minute remains of which have been found on return journey. private land near the river. Just behind the high street is a Norman motte (castle  WHITE-WATER RAFTING // mound) that would once have supported YEAR-ROUND THRILLS ON THE a wooden castle. Today Bala is staunchly TRYWERYN Welsh and a predominantly Welsh-speak- Due to the damming of the River Try- ing town – about 80%. Local hero and MP weryn in the 1960s, this and the River LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK 221

THE LEGEND OF TEGGIE

Sightings of the beast of Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake) have been reported since at least the 1920s and it has been variously likened to a crocodile or a small dinosaur. Aff ectionately known as Teggie, this Welsh answer to the Loch Ness monster prompted a three-day search by a Japanese film crew in 1995, but their mini-submarine failed to find any sign of the elusive beast. One man who claims to have seen the beastie from the deep, however, is local farmer Rhodri Jones, whose sheep farm extends to the lake’s foreshore. ‘One night in the summer of 2006 I was heading home from the fields when I saw something mak- S ing concentric ripples. The lake was very still, pretty spooky in the dusk and the water N O W was very calm. That’s when I saw the top of a creature about the size of a crocodile D O moving through the water.’ N A I Since then Jones has spoken to other local farmers and found that many of them & T have stories of mysterious sightings and evidence they have collected dating back H E over 60 years. L Ŷ L ‘Bala is a landlocked, volcanic lake and there are species of fish living there that are N only to be found in the lake,’ says Jones. ‘I think there’s something special about the waters, but we live in a narrow-minded world where people are afraid of the unex- plained. Still, humanity always needs a mystery.’

Dee are among the few Welsh rivers  BALA ADVENTURE & with fairly reliable white water all year WATERSPORTS CENTRE // HEAD round. The Canolfan Tryweryn Na- OUT IN SEARCH OF TEGGIE tional Whitewater Centre (%521083; This one-stop activity and hire centre www.ukrafting.co.uk; Frongoch; 1/2hr trip £32/60; (%521059; www.balawatersports.com; Pensarn Rd), h9am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-6pm Sat & Sun behind the tourist offi ce by the lakeshore, Dec–mid-Oct) runs rafting trips on a 1.5- off ers windsurfing, sailing, canoeing, kay- mile stretch of the Tryweryn that is aking, white-water rafting, mountain-bik- almost continuous class-III white water ing, rock-climbing and abseiling courses with class IV sections. (prices start from £35/60 per half-/full The centre is 3.5 miles northwest of day). Rental gear includes kayaks (£10), Bala on the A4212. Bookings are best canoes (£20), rowing boats (£24), peda- made at least two days in advance and loes (£15), windsurfers (£16) and wayfar- are subject to cancellation in the event of ers (£30); all prices are per hour. insuffi cient releases from the dam – call GASTRONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS to check the day before. The Adventure Breaks program  EAGLES INN ££ marries rafting with another activ- %540278; www.theeagleinn-bala.co.uk; Llanuwchl- ity, such as rock climbing, mountain lyn; mains £7-15; hlunch Fri-Sun, dinner daily biking, pony trekking, high ropes, Right down the other end of the lake, bushcraft, 4x4 off -road driving, can- Tafarn Yr Eryod (as its mainly Welsh- yoning, clay-pigeon shooting or quad speaking clientele know it) is a consum- biking; prices start at £135 and include mate North Welsh village pub – a friend- accommodation. ly community boozer with a popular 222 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK LONELYPLANET.COM

dartboard. The food, however, is a step BUS // X94 from Dolgellau (35 minutes), Barmouth (1½ above. Most of the vegies and some of hours), Llangollen (one hour) and Wrexham (1½ hours) the meat comes from their own garden, stops on the High St. and for dessert there’s a delicious array of homemade pies and puddings. BETWS-Y-COED

%01690 / pop 950  PLAS-YN-DRE ££ If you’re looking for a base with an %521256; 23 High St; lunch £5-11, dinner £12-16 The decor in this smart eatery is a taste- Alpine feel from which to explore Snow- donia National Park, the bustling little ful take on country-kitchen chic, finished stone village of Betws-y-Coed (bet-us-ee- N with soft-leather chairs. The hearty din- Ŷ L koyd) stands out as a natural option. It L ner menu has lots of interesting Welsh E H boasts a postcard-perfect setting above T dishes, including fresh Menai mussels. & an inky river, engulfed in the verdant I A fi N  SIOP Y GORNEL £ lea ness of the Gwydyr Forest and near O D %520423; www.siop-y-gornel.co.uk; 21 Tegid St; the junction of three river valleys: the W O h Llugwy, the Conwy and the Lledr. N 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Sat, to 2pm Wed S It takes 24 hours to make sourdough this The town has blossomed as Wales’ good and that’s just one of the home- most popular inland resort since Victor- made, organic delights on sale at this ian days when a group of countryside wonderful little delicatessen-bakery-cafe. painters founded an artistic community Staff also concoct delicious baguettes, to record the diversity of the landscape. croissants, cakes, slices and pies. Stop in The of the railway in 1868 cem- to fill up your picnic hamper or settle in ented its popularity and today Betws-y- with a newspaper and coff ee. Coed is as busy with families and coach parties as it is with walkers.  TYDDYN LLAN £££ Activities are its stock-in-trade, how- %01490-440264; www.tyddynllan.co.uk; Llandrillo; ever, with outdoor-activity shops strung 2-/3-course lunch £24/30, dinner £39/48; out along the A5 (known locally as the hlunch Fri-Sun, dinner daily Rd), which forms the main The glowing reputation of this country thoroughfare. The Rivers Conwy and restaurant with rooms was given a boost Llugwy are rich with salmon in autumn in 2010 by some Michelin starlight. On while water sports and skiing are best or- our last visit some dishes were extraordi- ganised through the nearby Plas y Brenin nary and some merely good, but overall National Mountain Centre (p226). For it was a memorable experience. Pro- specialist references for walkers, climbers ceedings kick off with complementary and cyclists, call into Ultimate Outdoors canapés served in the sitting room before (%710888; www.ultimateoutdoors.co.uk; Holyhead progressing into the elegant dining area. Rd), an adventure shop with a huge range It’s 7.5 miles east of Bala on the B4401. of equipment.

TRANSPORT ESSENTIAL INFORMATION

BIKE // Roberts Cycles (%520252; www TOURIST OFFICES // National park infor- .rhroberts-cycles.co.uk; High St; per day £13) Rents out mation centre (%710426; www.betws-y-coed mountain bikes. The tourist office stocks a Bike Routes .co.uk; Royal Oak Stables; h9.30am-5.30pm Apr-Oct, Around Bala pamphlet. 9.30am-4.30pm Nov-Mar) Stocks a comprehensive LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK 223 array of books and maps. The adjoining free exhibition At the other end of the village, the 15th- on Snowdonia National Park includes a virtual-reality century stone Pont-y-Pair, the ‘Bridge of helicopter ride over Snowdon. the Cauldron’, crosses a set of rapids on the Llugwy. A riverside path leads to the EXPLORING BETWS-Y-COED Miners’ Bridge, about a mile downstream,  BRIDGES AND RIVERSIDE so called as this was the route miners took WALKS // MANY RIVERS TO CROSS on their way to work in nearby lead mines. One of the joys of Betws is wandering This is a modern replacement of the oldest along its riverbanks and criss-crossing crossing of the Llugwy. over its historic bridges. Behind the in-  ST MICHAEL’S CHURCH // CHILD S formation centre a pleasant path leads N O around the tongue of land framed by the OF THE ORIGINAL BETWS W D The name Betws is thought to be derived O convergence of the Conwy and Llugwy N Rivers, alongside a golf course and back from ‘bead house’, meaning a place of A I & prayer ( y coed – in the woods). It’s likely T past St Michael’s Church. H that 14th-century St Michael’s Church E Nearby, Sapper’s Bridge is a white L L (www.stmichaelsbyc.org.uk; Old Church Rd; h10am- Ŷ suspension footbridge (1930), leading N to a path through the fields up to the 5pm Easter-Oct) stands on the site of that A470. If you turn right, the road leads early sanctuary. In 1873 it was replaced to Waterloo Bridge (1815). Known as the parish church by the much larger locally as ‘iron bridge’, it spans 32m and St Mary’s Church (Holyhead Rd) but it’s still bears a large inscription celebrating its used on St Michael’s Day (29 September) construction in the year the battle was and for the occasional funeral. The main fought. item of interest inside is a stone effi gy of

 WORTH A TRIP 

Most of the slate used to roof 19th-century Britain came from Wales, and much of that came from the mines of Blaenau Ffestiniog. However, only about 10% of mined slate is usable, so for every ton that goes to the factory, nine tons are left as rubble. Despite being in the very centre of Snowdonia National Park, the grey mountains of mine waste that sur- round Blaenau (blay -nye) prevented it from being officially included in the park – a slap in the face for this close-knit but impoverished town in the days before Wales’ industrial sites were recognised as part of its heritage. Blaenau’s main attraction, the Llechwedd Slate Caverns (%01766-830306; www.llech wedd-slate-caverns.co.uk; either ride adult/child £9.45/7.15, both rides £15.20/11.60; hfrom 10am daily, last tour 5.15pm Apr-Sep, 4.15pm Oct-Mar) offer a chance to descend into a real slate mine. Of the two tours offered, the more evocative Deep Mine tour includes a descent on the UK’s steepest passenger railway and recreates the harsh working conditions of the 19th-century miners – be prepared to duck and scramble around dark tunnels. If you can’t manage a lot of steps, go for the Miner’s Tramway Tour, a ride through the huge 1846 network of tunnels and caverns. Today, although slate mining continues on a small scale, Blaenau has a mournful feel to it, not helped by famously miserable weather. It’s an interesting place to stop but it’s unlikely you’ll be tempted to stay. 224 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK LONELYPLANET.COM

0 400m BETWS-Y-COED 0 0.2mi les

0 ¸ B5106 A B C d D - R y t S h t - l l S t c Rd n r M i a r y To Conwy (14mi); d o i t u w e a P a "V i ‚ l y h P o h n Lllandudno(20mi) H o n C o ‚ 2 # R i d C v e R l r 1 To Miner's "@ r L d O e Bridge (1mi); l u 3 i v 7 g w 1 #H R Swallow Falls (2mi); F y 6 "S o 8 "@ Betws-y-Coed r e "V "8"r 5 YHA (2mi); s t "V !0 W Betws-y- "< Capel Curig (5mi); a CoedTrain l k Caemarfon(22mi) s Station S d a p p e r R B ' s n r i d g e i o t a t "i10 "<4 S N #` Ŷ L L V i c # 11 E 2 a r H a g #2 T 6 e R & d I A ESSENTIAL N O INFORMATION D National Park W O Information Centre...... 1 B1 N Ultimate Outdoors...... 2 A1 S 6EXPLORING BETWS-Y-COED Conwy Valley Railway H 3 o Museum...... 3 C1 l y h St Mary's Church...... 4 B2 #Z e a d St Michael's Church...... 5 C1 R F d f o GASTRONOMIC r / · A5 6 d d HIGHLIGHTS @ 8 C r Alpine Coffee Shop...... 6 C1 a g i Bistro Betws-y-Coed...... 7 A1 l a n 0 ¸ A470 Plas Derwen ...... 8 B1 Gwydyr Tŷ Gwyn Hotel...... 9 D4 Forest

4 ACCOMMODATION i (p340) r l o o 6Maes-y-Garth...... 10 D2 W a t e e 66 g Tŷ Gwyn Hotel...... (see 9) B r i d

TRANSPORT To Afon Gwyn (800m); Penmachno "@9 Beics Betws...... 11 B2 (4mi); Blaenau Ffestiniog(11mi); Porthmadog (24mi); Llangollen(32mi) ‚

Gruff ydd ap Dafydd Goch, the grand- attraction for kids is the miniature steam nephew of Llewelyn ap Gruff ydd, the last train rides (the 1-mile round trip costs native . £1.50) and there’s a cafe in a full-sized carriage.  CONWY VALLEY RAILWAY MUSEUM // ONE FOR THE KIDS, GASTRONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS EVEN THE GROWN-UP ONES  BISTRO BETWS-Y-COED ££ If you’re the sort who’s fascinated by %710328; www.bistrobetws-y-coed.com; Holyhead dioramas and model train sets, this tiny Rd; lunch £6-9, dinner £12-17; hWed-Sun, daily museum (%710568; www.conwyrailwaymuseum summer .co.uk; adult/child £1.50/0.80; h10am-5pm) is for This cottage-style eatery’s statement of you. In which case the model shop you intent is ‘modern and traditional Welsh’. have to pass through in order to enter Expect the likes of locally made sausages, might pose an unfair temptation. The big rarebit and haddock-and-chips – bat- LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK 225 tered with Llandudno Orme real ale, minutes) and Blaenau Ffestiniog (£3.80, 32 minutes). naturally. Reservations are recommend- ed at weekends during peak season. AROUND BETWS-Y- COED  TŶ GWYN HOTEL ££  GWYDYR FOREST // HIT %01690-710383; www.tygwynhotel.co.uk; THE TRACKS ON FOOT, BIKE OR mains £13-18 This historic coaching inn (it dates from HORSEBACK 1636) oozes character from every one of The 28-sq-mile Gwydyr Forest, planted its numerous exposed beams. The menu since the 1920s with oak, beech and larch, encircles Betws-y-Coed. It’s an ideal set- focuses on hearty, meaty mains but S N ting for a day’s walking close to town, O vegetarian choices and lighter bar-style W though it gets very muddy in wet weath- D meals are also available. It’s on the A5, O er. There are over a dozen marked tracks, N just across Waterloo Bridge. You’ll need A I many of which are outlined in The Gw- & to book ahead on the weekend, through- T ydyr Forest Guide (£2) and Walks Around H out the year. E L Betws-y-Coyd (£5), both available from L Also recommended: Ŷ the national park information centre. N Alpine Coff ee Shop (%710747; www.alpine coff eeshop.net; Old Station Buildings; mains £6-8; The Marin Trail is a challenging 15.5-mile mountain-biking loop, start- h8.30am-5.30pm) Serves toasted sandwiches, snacks and 25 varieties of tea, including the world’s rarest, Jun ing immediately southwest of Llanrwst, Shan Silver Needles (£8.80 per pot). 3.5 miles north of Betws. In the southern part of the park is the similarly diffi cult Plas Derwen (%710388; www.plasderwen.com; Holyhead Rd; mains £8-14) A few tables overlook the 13.5-mile Penmachno Trail; take the main street for an al fresco morning coff ee. The dinner A5 and then the B4406 to Penmachno, 5 menu meanders from Tex-Mex to Moroccan but lingers miles south of Betws. mainly in Wales: local pork sausages, leek and Caerphilly Also in Penmachno, Gwydir Stables (%760248; www.horse-riding-wales.co.uk; per hr/ cheese pie etc. half-day/day £19/34/53) arranges rides through TRANSPORT the forest for novice and regular riders alike. It also off ers a pub ride for £40, BIKE // Beics Betws (%710766; www.bikewales lasting around four hours and stopping .co.uk; Vicarage Rd; h9am-5pm) Advises on local off for a pint at a couple of local pubs cycling trails, performs repairs and hires mountain bikes along the way. from £25 per day. BUS // Snowdon Sherpa (www.snowdonia  SWALLOW FALLS // PRETTY greenkey.co.uk) Buses S2 and S6 stop outside the train AND POPULAR – A PREDICTABLE station, with services to Llanrwst (15 minutes), Swallow COMBINATION Falls (five minutes), (10 minutes), Pen-y-Pass Betws-y-Coed’s main natural tourist (25 minutes) and Llanberis (33 minutes). trap is 2 miles west of town along the PARKING // There’s a free parking area opposite the Llugwy. It’s a beautiful spot, with the station. If you miss out, there are pay car parks on Holy- torrent weaving through the rocks into head Rd and just over Pont-y-Pair. a green pool below. Bring a £1 coin for TRAIN // Betws-y-Coed is on the Conwy Valley the turnstile. The entry is from the A5 Line (www.conwyvalleyrailway.co.uk), with six daily and there’s a pub and car park across services (three on Sundays) to Llandudno (£4.70, 52 the road. 226 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK LONELYPLANET.COM

 UGLY HOUSE // A RUSTIC and a huge array of residential, year- COTTAGE WITH A BENEVOLENT round courses, ranging from basic rock PURPOSE climbing to summer and winter moun- A bit like Ugly Betty, the Ugly House taineering, and professional development (%720287; www.snowdonia-society.org.uk; admis- and teaching qualifications. Kayaking sion by donation; h9.30am-5.30pm Easter-Oct) isn’t and canoeing courses are also off ered. actually ugly at all. This unusual cottage Advance bookings are required. There’s is constructed from huge boulders and is a communal bar area to meet other home to the Snowdonia Society, a charity students and regular talks cover related working to protect and enhance Snow- topics on Monday, Tuesday and Satur- N day evenings at 8pm. Taster days run Ŷ L donia National Park. Visitors can wander L E through the grounds and visit the small throughout the school holidays with an H T shop on the ground floor. introduction to three activities for £35. & I A The origins of the house make for great Snowdon Sherpa buses S2 and S6 stop N O here. D local folklore. One yarn suggests it was W O built in 1475 by two local bandits as their N SNOWDON & AROUND S hideout; according to another, there was a in the Middle Ages that allowed  SNOWDON (YR WYDDFA) // THE any man who built on common land after COUNTRY’S LITERAL HIGH POINT sunset and had smoke coming out of the No Snowdonia experience is complete chimney by daybreak to stake a claim for without coming face-to-face with Snow- the freehold as far as he could throw an don (1085m), one of Britain’s most axe around the property. The Snowdonia awe-inspiring mountains and the high- Society rescued the property from derelic- est summit in Wales (it’s actually the tion and turned it into their headquarters 61st highest in Britain, with the higher in 1988 following painstaking renovations 60 all in Scotland). On a clear day the by a team of dedicated volunteers. views stretch to and the Isle of It’s half a mile past Swallow Falls on Man, over Snowdon’s fine jagged ridges, the A5. which drop away in great swoops to sheltered cwms (valleys) and deep lakes.  CAPEL CURIG // A MAGNET FOR Even on a gloomy day you could find OUTDOORSY TYPES yourself above the clouds. Thanks to Tiny Capel Curig (population 190), 5 the Snowdon Mountain Railway it’s miles west of Betws-y-Coed, is one of extremely accessible – the summit and Snowdonia’s oldest hill stations, and has some of the tracks can get frustratingly long been a magnet for walkers, climbers crowded. and other outdoor junkies. The village Just below the cairn that marks the spreads out along the A5 but the main summit is Hafod Eryri, a striking piece clump of activity is at the intersection of of architecture that opened in 2009 to the A4086. It’s a heady setting, ringed by replace the dilapidated 1930s visitor looming mountains. centre, which Prince Charles famously The Plas y Brenin National Moun- labelled ‘the highest slum in Europe’. tain Centre (%720214; www.pyb.co.uk), at the Clad in and curved to blend into western edge of the village, is a multi- the mountain, it’s a wonderful building, |activity centre with excellent facilities housing a cafe that serves snacks and LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK 227 light lunches, toilets and ambient inter- weather forecast at www.metoffi ce pretative elements built into the struc- .gov.uk/loutdoor/mountainsafety ture itself. A wall of picture-windows before setting out. gazes down towards the west, while a The Welsh Highland Railway (p244) small row faces the cairn. The centre (in- stops at the trailheads of the Snowdon cluding the toilets) closes in winter or if Ranger and Rhyd Ddu paths, while the the weather’s terrible; it’s open whenever Snowdon Sherpa buses stop at all of the train is running. them. Even if you’ve got your own car, it’s worth considering this option as the  SNOWDON TRAILS // BEAT A Pen-y-Pass car park, in particular, can fill PATH TO THE PEAK S up quickly. Another option is to take the N Six paths of varying length and diffi culty O Snowdon Mountain Railway to the top W D lead to the summit. Simplest (and dull- O and walk back down. It’s more diffi cult N est) is the Llanberis Path (10 miles, six I to do this the other way around as the A hours return) running beside the train & T train will only take on new passengers at H line. The Snowdon Ranger Path (7 E the top if there are gaps. L fi L miles, ve hours) starts at the Snowdon Ŷ N Ranger YHA near Beddgelert; this is the  SNOWDON MOUNTAIN shortest and also the safest in winter. RAILWAY // CHUG TO THE TOP The two options that start from Pen-y- If you’re not physically able to climb a Pass require the least amount of ascent: mountain, short on time or just plain the Miner’s Track (7 miles, six hours) lazy, those industrious, railway-obsessed starts out gently but ends steeply; the Victorians have gifted you an alterna- Pyg Track (7 miles, six hours) is more tive. Opened in 1896, the Snowdon interesting and meets the Miner’s Track Mountain Railway (%0844 493 8120; www. where it steepens. The classic Snowdon snowdonrailway.co.uk; adult/child return £25/18; Horseshoe route (7.5 miles, six to seven h9am-5pm Mar-Oct) is the UK’s highest and hours) combines the Pyg Track to the summit (or via the precipitous ridge of only public rack-and-pinion railway. if you’re very experienced) Vintage steam and modern diesel loco- with a descent over the peak of Llewedd motives haul carriages from Llanberis up and a final section down the Miner’s to Snowdon’s very summit in an hour. Track. Return trips involve a scant half-hour at The straightforward Rhyd Ddu Path the top before heading back down again. (8 miles, six hours) is the least-used route; Single tickets can only be booked for the the trailhead is on the Caernarfon– journey up (adult/child £18/15). Beddgelert road (A4085). The most chal- In the first season after the opening of lenging route is the Watkin Path (8 miles, Hafod Eryri, the trains carried 159,000 six hours), involving an ascent of more people to the summit, so make sure you than 1000m on its southerly approach book well in advance or you may miss from Nantgwynant. out. Departures are weather depend- For some fine variants on the trails, see ent and the railway is completely closed the Snowdonia chapter of Lonely Plan- from November to mid-March. Until et’s Walking in Britain. Make sure you’re May, the trains can only head as far well prepared with warm and waterproof Clogwyn Station (adult/child £18/14) – clothing and sturdy footwear. Check the an altitude of 762m. 228 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK LONELYPLANET.COM

 DINAS EMRYS // HERE BE The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, set in DRAGONS China and starring Ingrid Bergman, A mile east of Beddgelert, near the were shot here. southern end of , is Dinas Beddgelert, meaning ‘Gelert’s Grave’, Emrys, the hill where the legendary King is said to refer to a folk tale concerning – son-in-law of Britain’s last 13th-century Welsh prince, Llewellyn. Roman ruler, – tried Believing that his dog Gelert had sav- to build a castle. According to folklore, aged his baby son, Llewellyn slaughtered the young wizard liberated two the dog, only to discover that Gelert had dragons in a cavern under the hill, a fought off the wolf that had attacked N Ŷ white one representing the Saxons and the baby. More likely, the name Bed- L L E a red one representing the Britons, and dgelert is derived from a 5th-century H T prophesied that they’d fight until the Irish preacher, Celert, who is believed to & I A red dragon was triumphant. The act was have founded a church here. Regardless, N O the spiritual birth of the Welsh nation the ‘grave’ of Gelert the dog is a popular D W attraction, reached by a pretty riverside O and the two dragons have been at each N S other’s throats ever since. trail. It was probably constructed by an unscrupulous 19th-century hotelier in  // A RICH an attempt to boost business. SEAM OF HISTORY There’s a helpful tourist offi ce and na- Across the road from Dinas Emrys, this tional park information centre (%01766- copper mine (%01766-890595; www.sygun 890615; Canolfan Hebog; h9.30am-5.30pm daily coppermine.co.uk; adult/child £8.75/6.75; h9.30am- Easter-Oct, 9.30am-4.30pm Fri-Sun Nov-Mar; i) at 5pm Mar-Oct) dates from Roman times, the southern end of the village, close to although extraction was stepped up in the car park (per day £4). the 19th century. Abandoned in 1903, it In summer, Ices & Cafe has since been converted into a museum, Glandwr (%01766-890339; www.glaslynices with an audiovisual underground tour .co.uk; mains £4-14) is the busiest place in the that evokes the life of Victorian miners. village. This excellent ice-cream par- You can also try your hand at archery lour serves a huge array of homemade (£3) or panning for gold (£2). flavours and is attached to a family res- taurant off ering simple meals, especially  BEDDGELERT // CHARACTER- pizza. FILLED HOME OF A SHADY SHAGGY Lyn’s Cafe (%890374; meals £3-12; DOG’S TALE h10am-5.30pm winter, plus dinner summer) is At the heart of the national park, charm- a family-friendly all-rounder (with a ing little Beddgelert (population 500) separate children’s menu), split between is a conservation village of rough grey- a restaurant serving big breakfasts and stone buildings, overlooking the trick- Sunday roasts, and a tearoom around ling River Glaslyn with its ivy-covered the back with seats by the river for sim- bridge. Flowers festoon the village in ple snacks. spring and the surrounding hills are Beside the bridge, Beddgelert Bistro covered in a purple blaze of heather in & Antique Shop (%890543; www summer, reminiscent of a Scottish glen. .beddgelert-bistro.co.uk/index2.html; mains £6-16) is Scenes from Mark Robson’s 1958 film, a tearoom-style place divided between LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK 229

several small rooms with exposed flag- Beddgelert (%01766-890434; www.beddgelert stone walls. It off ers knick-knacks and bikes.co.uk; 2/4/8hr £12/18/25), rents out moun- snacks and – rather incongruously – a tain bikes, tandems and child seats. range of fondues. Beddgelert is a stop on the historic DRIVING TOUR Welsh Highland Railway (p244), which Distance: 34.5 miles currently runs from Caernarfon (£22 Duration: two hours return, 1½ hours) and will connect to The roads circumnavigating Snowdon Porthmadog in 2011. Snowdon Sherpa make for a memorable drive. From bus S4 heads from here to Caernarfon Caernarfon (1, p232), the A4086 heads S (30 minutes) and Pen-y-Pass (15 min- N Llanberis 2 O utes), while S97 heads to Porthmadog through ( , p230) before mak- W D ing a spectacular ascent to Pen-y-Pass O (25 minutes). N (3) and dropping again to the junction A I &  BEDDGELERT FOREST // BIKE of the A498. Turn right for a particularly T H E THE BYR THEN HIT THE HIR picturesque stretch leading to Beddge- L Ŷ L Within this forestry commission block, lert, passing a wonderful viewpoint at N 2 miles north of Beddgelert along the Gueastadanas (4) and the lakes Llyn A4805, is a popular campsite and two Gwynant (5) and Llyn Dinas (6). At mountain-bike trails: the 6-mile Hir Trail Beddgelert (7) turn right and take the and the easier 2.5-mile Byr Trail. Beics A4085 back to Caernarfon.

0 10km SNOWDONIA DRIVING TOUR 0 5mile s #\ Y Felinheli Bethesda #\ #\ Newborough i t Isle of r a Anglesey S t a i e n Caernarfon #\ M #] !0 1 # Llyn &~ Padarn Llyn Abermenai '€ Ogwen Point Llanberis #2 #\ #\ Glyder 0¸A4086 $ Fach $ #\ Dinas 0¸A4085 n f o Snowdonia #3 r y National #\ a a n r B Park Pen-y-pass e Llyn a Cwellyn Llyn C Llydaw #4 Gueastadanas #\ Snowdon $ Rhyd Dhu (1085m) 665 # D #\ w Nant y #6 f a Beddgelert Gwynant c h Forest Llyn Llyn 0¸A498 Cwm Park #7 Dinas Dulyn #\ 66Beddgelert 6 Pont Glas #\ 230 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK LONELYPLANET.COM

LLANBERIS EXPLORING LLANBERIS

%01286 / pop 1900  // While not the most instantly attractive THERE’S NO DARK TUNNELS AT THIS town in the area, Llanberis is a mecca for INDUSTRIAL MUSEUM walkers and climbers, hosting a steady Even if you’re not all that fussed by in- flow of rugged, polar fleece-wearers year- dustrial museums, this one’s well worth round but especially in July and August checking out. At Llanberis, much of the when accommodation is at a premium. slate was carved out of the open moun- It’s actually positioned just outside the tainside – leaving behind a jagged, sculp- N national park but functions as a hub tural cliff -face that’s fascinating if not Ŷ L L quite beautiful. The museum (%870630; E for many, partly because the Snowdon H www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/slate; admission free; T Mountain Railway (p227) leaves from & here. h10am-5pm Apr-Oct, 10am-4pm Sun-Fri Nov-Apr), I A N occupies the Victorian workshops beside O The town was originally built to D W house workers in the slate , featuring video clips, a O N huge working water wheel, reconstructed S quarry, whose massive waste tips are hard to miss as you approach from the workers’ cottages (furnished as they east. While tourism is the cornerstone would have been between 1860 and 1969 of Llanberis life these days, the town when the quarries closed) and demon- wears its industrial heritage on its sleeve strations on elements of the tile-making with pride. Indeed, Dinorwig, which process. once boasted the largest artificial cav- The turn-off is along the A4086 be- ern in the world, has now become part tween the Electric Mountain exhibition of Europe’s biggest pumped-storage centre and the Snowdon Mountain Rail- power station. Some of the old quarry way station. workshops have been reincarnated as a museum of the , and the  ELECTRIC MOUNTAIN // narrow-gauge railway that once hauled A SPARKY NAME FOR A POWER slate to the coast now tootles along Llyn STATION Padarn. The Dinorwig pumped-storage power station is the largest scheme of its kind ESSENTIAL INFORMATION in Europe. Located deep below Elidir mountain, its construction required TOURIST OFFICES // Tourist office one million tonnes of concrete, 200,000 (%870765; 41 High St; h9.30am-4.30pm Apr-Oct, tonnes of cement and 4500 tonnes of 9.30am-3pm Fri-Mon Nov-Mar) steel. The power station uses surplus energy to pump water from Llyn Peris ORIENTATION up to Marchlyn Reservoir. When half Llanberis straddles the A4086 with near- the population switches on their ket- ly all the points of interest spread out tles for tea during a TV ad break, the along the High St, which runs parallel to water is released to fall through under- it. Across the A4086 are the village’s two ground turbines. Dinorwig’s reversible lakes, Llyn Padarn and Llyn Peris. The turbine pumps are capable of reaching Snowdon Mountain Railway has its base maximum generation in less than 16 at the southern end of town. seconds. LONELYPLANET.COM SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK 231

Electric Mountain (%870636; www route (though not the same track) used .electricmountain.co.uk; h10am-4.30pm Sep-May, from 1843 to 1961 to haul slate to the 9.30am-5.30pm Jun-Aug), the power station’s port on the Menai Strait. It’s a tame but visitor centre, has free interactive exhibits scenic one-hour return trip past the slate on the history of hydro-power. An inter- museum and through Padarn Country esting guided tour (adult/child £7.50/3.75; book- Park to the terminus at Penllyn; there’s a ings required) into the underground power wheelchair-adapted carriage. station starts from here. You’ll also find a The terminus station is across the cafe and a children’s playground. A4086 from the Snowdon Mountain The centre is by the lakeside on the Railway station. S A4086, near the south end of High St. N O  HIKER & CLIMBER W D  // HANG-OUTS // TRADE TIPS WITH O N FORGOTTEN FORTRESS OF THE FELLOW TRAVELLERS A I % & WELSH PRINCES Pete’s Eats ( 870117; www.petes-eats.co.uk; T H Wales is so spoilt for castles that this one 40 High St; meals £4-6; iW) is a local institu- E L L gets little attention. Built before 1230 by tion, a busy, bright cafe where hikers and Ŷ N the Princes of Gwyneth, the keep rises climbers swap tips over monster portions like a perfect chessboard rook from a in a hostel-like environment. There’s green hilltop between the two lakes. It’s bunkhouse accommodation upstairs, a an easy stroll from the town, rewarded huge noticeboard full of travellers in- by wonderful views of the lakes, quarries formation, a book exchange, a map and and Snowdon itself. guidebook room, and computers for internet access.  SNOWDON HONEY FARM & Joe Brown (%870327; www.joebrownonline WINERY // BUZZ IN FOR A SWEET .co.uk; 63 High St; h9am-5.30pm), a climbing BEVERAGE shop selling all things outdoors, has a no- All manner of honey-related goodies are tice board that includes gear for sale, ac- sold here, including a range of mead, commodation, fi ve-day forecasts and lots graded Roman, Celtic or medieval, de- of information and advice for walkers. pending on sweetness. There are also Another reliable place to gather recon- homemade fudges, preserves and fruit naissance is Swigod a Sebon (%870088; wine, and if you ask nicely the engaging 54 High St), the walker-friendly laundry on owner may let you sip before you com- the main street. mit. It also functions as a cafe (%870218; www.snowdonhoneyfarmandwinery.co.uk; High St;  LAKE CRUISES // DRIFT BENEATH snacks £4-5), serving ice cream, cream tea, THE CARVED CLIFFS cakes and sandwiches. The running times are a little sporadic, especially in the off season, but it’s worth  // A calling ahead for the departure times of CHILD-PLACATING ALTERNATIVE IF the Snowdon Star (%07974-716418; www THE SNOWDON TRAIN’S FULL .snowdonstar.co.uk; adult/child £5/3.50; h11am-5pm This little steam train (%870549; www May-Oct), which runs scenic 45-minute .lake-railway.co.uk; adult/child £7.20/6.70; hsee boat trips on Llyn Padarn. The boat sails online timetable) departs on a 5-mile return from the Padarn Country Park jetty near jaunt beside Llyn Padarn, part of the the National Slate Museum car park. 232 WEST OF SNOWDONIA LONELYPLANET.COM

 BOULDER ADVENTURES // TRANSPORT FAMILY BONDING WITH ADDED BUS // Snowdon Sherpa buses stop on the High St. S1 ADRENALIN heads to Pen-y-Pass (15 minutes) while S2 continues on If you are interested in outdoor activities to Capel Curig (23 minutes), Swallow Falls (28 minutes), such as coasteering, kayaking, canoeing, Betws-y-Coed (33 minutes) and Llanrwst (50 minutes). climbing, abseiling and gorge scram- Buses 85 and 86 head directly to Bangor (44 minutes) bling, contact Boulder Adventures while 87 and 88 head first to Caernarfon (30 minutes). (%870556; www.boulderadventures.co.uk; Bryn PARKING // There are several large car parks scattered Du Mountain Centre, Ty Du Rd; half-/full-day courses along the lakefront, charging about £4 per day. £35/55). Small groups and families can N Ŷ L devise their own adventure, plus hostel- L WEST OF E style accommodation is available within H T the spacious Victorian property. SNOWDONIA & I A N O GASTRONOMIC Just because it doesn’t have national D W HIGHLIGHTS O park status doesn’t mean that the west- N S ern extremity of Gwynedd is lacking in  DOLAFON TEA ROOM £ any way. It may not have the mountains %870993; www.dolafon.com; High St; sandwiches but it certainly has the sea – lapping £4-7, high tea £13; h10am-4.30pm peacefully alongside Caernarfon’s his- After taking that frightfully delightful toric walls, battering the rocks at Braich- little train up Snowdon, one does rather y-Pwll, producing surfer-friendly swells work up an appetite for tea and sand- at Porth Neigwl and cooling off the kids wiches. This dahling little place off ers 30 at Criccieth. You’re never far from it – diff erent teas, served with finger sand- you can dip your toes in it while enjoy- wiches, bara brith and scones with jam ing a pint at Porth Dinllaen’s T ŷ Coch and cream. Inn or catch glimpses of it between the Italianate colonnades of Portmeirion  PEAK RESTAURANT ££ village. And all those bracing sea breezes %872777; 86 High St; mains £12-15; seem to have blown any shreds of stuffi- hdinner Wed-Sun ness or British reserve from the local Charming owners and adventurer-sized populace. portions underpin this restaurant’s popularity and longevity. It continues to CAERNARFON serve the best hearty, Welsh-style din- ners in town. %01286 / pop 9600 Wedged between the gleaming Menai  SAFFRON £ Strait and the deep-purple mountains of %871777; www.llanberisorganics.co.uk; Snowdonia, Caernarfon’s main claim to 48 High St; v fame is its fantastical castle. Given the This organic deli and health-food shop town’s crucial historical importance, its sells takeaway foodstuff s, including proximity to the national park and its soups and sandwiches, as well as natural reputation as a centre of Welsh culture medicines and environmentally friendly (it has the highest percentage of Welsh- products. speakers of anywhere), parts of the town LONELYPLANET.COM WEST OF SNOWDONIA 233 centre are surprisingly down-at-heel. EXPLORING CAERNARFON Still, there’s a lot of charm and a tangible sense of history in the streets around the  CAERNARFON CASTLE // ONE OF castle. Within the cobbled lanes of the THE WORLD’S GREATEST MEDIEVAL old walled town are some fine Georgian CASTLES buildings, while the waterfront area has Majestic Caernarfon Castle (Cadw; started on the inevitable march towards %677617; www.cadw.wales.gov.uk; adult/child/ gentrification. family £4.95/4.60/15; h9am-5pm Apr-Oct, 9.30am- The castle was built by Edward I as the 4pm Mon-Sat & 11am-4pm Sun Nov-Mar) was built last link in his ‘iron ring’ and it’s now between 1283 and 1330 as a military stronghold, a seat of government and a S part of the Castles and Town Walls of N royal palace. Like the other royal strong- O King Edward in Gwynedd Unesco World W holds of the time, it was designed and D Heritage Site. O mainly supervised by Master James of N In an attempt by the then–prime A I St George, from Savoy, but the brief and & minister, (himself a T H scale were extraordinary. Inspired by E Welshman), to bring the royals closer to L the dream of Macsen Wledig recounted Ŷ L their Welsh constituency, the castle was N designated as the venue for the 1911 in- in the Mabinogion, Caernarfon echoes vestiture of the Prince of Wales. In retro- the 5th-century walls of , spect, linking the modern royals to such with colour-banded masonry and poly- a powerful symbol of Welsh subjugation gonal towers, instead of the traditional may not have been the best idea. At the round towers and turrets. crowning of Prince Charles in 1969 the Despite its -tale aspect it is thor- fi nationalist sentiment climaxed with an oughly forti ed with a series of murder attempt to blow up his train. holes and a sophisticated arrangement of multiple arrow slits. It repelled Owain ESSENTIAL INFORMATION Glyndŵ r’s army in 1404 with a garrison of only 28 men, and resisted three sieges EMERGENCIES // Police station (%673333; during the English Civil War before sur- Maesincla Lane) Half a mile east of the town centre. render to Cromwell’s army in 1646. TOURIST OFFICES // Tourist office A year after construction of the build- (%672232; Castle Ditch; h9.30am-4.30pm Apr-Oct, ing was begun, Edward I’s second son 10am-3.30pm Mon-Sat Nov-Mar) Opposite the castle’s was born here, becoming heir to the main entrance; incorporates the Pendeitsh Gallery. throne four months later when his elder brother died. To consolidate Edward’s ORIENTATION power he was made Prince of Wales The historical heart of Caernarfon is in 1301, and his much-eroded statue enclosed within stout 14th-century walls, is over the King’s Gate. He came to a just to the north of the castle, beside the very nasty end via a red-hot poker, but River Seiont (where it empties into the this did not destroy the title. However, Menai Strait). The centre of modern the first investiture that took place Caernarfon is just east of the castle, at here, rather than in , wasn’t Castle Sq (Y Maes). The main shopping until 1911 – of the rather less ill-fated area is pedestrianised Pool St, running Edward VIII. Although initiated by east from Castle Sq. the Prime Minister, Welshman David 234 WEST OF SNOWDONIA LONELYPLANET.COM

0 200m CAERNARFON 0 0.1m iles

A B C R d D d ' s ‚ a v i To Plas Menai (3mi); S t D Bangor (9mi) !0 ESSENTIAL "V INFORMATION 1 Victoria t Tourist Office & Pendeitsh S Dock "V r o Gallery...... 1 A3 "V g Menai n "À9 a Strait B EXPLORING e d CAERNARFON a n e Caernarfon Castle...... 2 B3 m P o Queen of the Sea...... 3 B4 o nt R elw e r L P o n T w thi ll N e GASTRONOMIC Ŷ h T B #p L a n HIGHLIGHTS l i l @ L k Q C h E u a r Black Boy t Inn...... 4 B2 2 10 y o i l i wn R w H w P a f d W Castell...... t T ...... 5 B3 T "i n a s S e E & t t t t Stoness Bistro...... 6 B3 S S 4 "@ S t A "i t e T I h t #2 Y w Tebot Bach...... 7 B3 c e a t N 12 r k g t S r h h a u a t r i O h r i l o o To PoliceStation NIGHTLIFEl i? c tÀ D C M N V W Eas tga te St (800m);A4086; Anglesey Arms ...... 8 A3 High St t O "i t t 6 "@ S Llanberis(7mi); S S l Galeri Caernarfon...... 9 B1 N l l t a t Rhyd Ddu(12mi); S 11 l l e S S a t W l Betws-y-Coed h s"@ e t l i e a 7 c e S ACCOMMODATION i (p341) i r C l a h M t P (22mi) T e S e n l h a t l y n ‚Black Boy Inn...... l t ...... (see 4) S P n a e l I g S g r a e n k d 14"7 Caer Menai...... T a n ...... 10 A2 l e e i n i r 3 o r e P o Totters...... 11 A3 1 #H H G r B ol Hill 8 h S D i t c t Victoria House ...... 12 A2 "? s t l e C a l 0 #2 l i C 000000 Ha s 00000 #2 P ";2 t l e 000 o o TRANSPORT l e S 0 #2 l e r t 5"@ q S t Beics Menai ...... 13 B3 A b s d g e C a B r i S l a te Qua y 13 #` tS Bus Stops...... 14 C3 # C e y h e s l Welsh Highland Railway...... 15 C4 A "V a p W b e S t e # l r A S w F t e 3 r t h S N To o u e g Roman Fort r e r S o S t s R i t n n S t (400m); h o v e r t i u n o n r e S e m a r o 0 ¸ A487 L Beddgelert R d i o n G d l a t T c w N n 4 e o b e (12mi) C S n e l i g o e d Welsh Highland "r w R H b d e Railway Station 15 o l e S r ‚ n t H o S e u To Porthmadog t l e g n ' h s R (18mi); d S ‚ t Pwllheli(21mi)

Lloyd George, it incensed the largely (they’re easier to spot from the quay). Nationalist local population. Inside there are displays on Edward I Caernarfon Castle is a large, relatively and the construction of the castle as well intact structure. You can walk on and as a short film The Eagle & The Dragon, through the interconnected walls and which screens on the half-hour. towers gathered around the central There is an exhibition plus cinematic green, most of which are well preserved glimpse of the 1969 investiture of today’s but empty. Prince of Wales, HRH Prince Charles, in Start at the Eagle Tower, the one the North East Tower. In the Queen’s with the flagpoles to the right of the en- Tower (named after Edward I’s wife trance. On the turrets you can spot the Eleanor) is the Regimental Museum of weathered eagle from which it gets its the Royal Welsh Fusiliers; poets Rob- name, alongside stone helmeted figures ert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon both intended to swell the garrison’s numbers served in the brigade. LONELYPLANET.COM WEST OF SNOWDONIA 235

 SEGONTIUM // WHEN IN WALES, as cassoulet and game pie. If you’re after BUILD A FORT something a little lighter, try the daily Just east of the centre, the excavated seafood specials. foundations of the Segontium Roman Fort (%675625; www.segontium.org.uk; Ffordd  CASTELL ££ Cwstenin; admission free; h12.30pm-4.30pm Tue- %669539; 33 Castle Sq; mains £8-9 Sun) represent the westernmost Roman Caernarfon’s chicest bar looks on to legionary fort of the . Castle Sq from behind its grand facade. Overlooking the Menai Strait, the fort Inside it’s all black furniture and pink dates back to AD 77, when General trim – which isn’t anywhere near as S Gnaeus Julius Agricola completed the much of a 1980s nightmare as it N O Roman conquest of Wales by capturing sounds. Drop in for soup or a sandwich W D the Isle of Anglesey. It was designed to at lunchtime (about £4) or a more sub- O N accommodate a force of up to 1000 in- stantial evening meal. A I & fantrymen, and coins recovered from the T H  STONES BISTRO ££ E site indicate that it was an active garrison L L fl %671152; 4 Hole in the Wall St; mains £11-16; Ŷ until AD 394 – a re ection of the crucial N strategic position. hdinner Tue-Sat, lunch Sun The on-site museum explains the back- Housed in what was a 17th-century tem- ground to complement the stark remains, perance house, this dark but cosy French- although it’s not always open, as it’s style bistro is open for dinner and Sunday staff ed by volunteers. The site is about half lunch, with speciality roast lamb and a mile along the A4085 (to Beddgelert), some decent options for vegetarians. which crosses through the middle of it.  Y TEBOT BACH £  CRUISES // MEANDER ALONG THE %678444; 13 Castle St; sandwiches £5; h10.30am- MENAI 5pm Tue-Sat The 1937 ferry Queen of the Sea The nicest of the many tearooms around (%672772; adult/child £5.50/3.50; hMay-Oct) of- the castle, this tiny place for a light bite fers 40-minute cruises, with a full com- has a cosy, living-room feel and off ers mentary, to the southwest entrance of homemade cakes and sandwiches. the Menai Strait and two-hour cruises in the other direction as far as the Menai NIGHTLIFE Suspension Bridge. They leave from Slate  ANGLESEY ARMS Quay, beside the castle. %672158; The Promenade; W GASTRONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS For a pint, the Anglesey Arms, down by the water, is your best bet, especially with  BLACK BOY INN ££ outside seating in summer off ering a %673604; www.black-boy-inn.com; Northgate St; great harbour view for a sundowner. mains £7-16; W Packed with original 16th-century fea-  GALERI CAERNARFON tures, this cosy pub is divided into a %685222; www.galericaernarfon.com; series of snug rooms and although the Victoria Dock wine might come out of a box, they serve This excellent multipurpose arts centre real ale and excellent hearty meals such hosts exhibitions, theatre, films and 236 WEST OF SNOWDONIA LONELYPLANET.COM

events; check the program online for AROUND CAERNARFON details. The stylish in-house DOC Cafe Bar serves all-day snacks and pre-event  BEACON CLIMBING CENTRE // suppers. START INDOORS BEFORE TAKING IT OUTSIDE TRANSPORT This large indoor climbing centre (%0845 450 8222; www.beaconclimbing.com; Ceun- BIKE // Beics Menai (%676804; www.beics ant) has over 100 climbs to learn and the menai.co.uk; 1 Slate Quay; per 2/4/6/8hr £13/15/17/20; chance to hone your skills; it’s situated h9.30am-4pm Tue-Sat) Hires bikes (including tan- near the village of Ceunant, halfway dems, children’s bikes and child seats) and can advise on N between Caernarfon and Llanberis, off Ŷ L local cycle routes. A brochure on Gwynedd recreational L the A4086. There are also 1½-hour taster E fi H cycle routes includes the 12.5-mile Lôn Ei on (starting T sessions for beginners for £55 per person. near the Welsh Highland Railway station and running & Registered climbers pay £6.50 per session. I A N south to Bryncir) and the 4.5-mile Lôn Las Menai (follow- O D ing the Menai Strait to the village of Y Felinheli). Lôn Las PLAS MENAI // LEARN NEW W  O Cymru passes through Caernarfon, heading northeast to N TRICKS ON THE WATER S Bangor and south to Criccieth. The excellent National Watersports BUS // Buses stop at stands along Penllyn, two blocks Centre (%01248-670964; www.plasmenai.co.uk), north of Pool St. Snowdon Sherpa bus S4 heads to 3 miles out along the A487 towards Ban- Beddgelert (30 minutes) via the Snowdon Ranger (20 gor, off ers a year-round range of water- minutes) and Rhyd Ddu (24 minutes) trailheads. Buses based courses for all interests and ability include 1/1A to Bangor (25 minutes), Plas Menai (five levels (sailing, power-boating, kayaking, minutes), Criccieth (35 minutes), Tremadog (37 minutes) windsurfing) plus multi-activity courses and Porthmadog (45 minutes); X5 to Conwy (1¼ hours) suitable for families and youth groups. and Llandudno (1½ hours); 12 to Parc Glynllifon (12 Advance reservations are necessary. The minutes) and Pwllheli (45 minutes) and 87/88 to Llan- centre also off ers on-site accommoda- beris (30 minutes). tion with en suite B&B (singles/doubles COACH // A National Express (www.national £45/70) and a bunkhouse (dorms £25). express.com) coach heads between Pwllheli (£6.80, one Bus 1A (Caernarfon to Bangor) stops hour) and London (£31, 10½ hours) daily, via Bangor here. (£6, 25 minutes), Llandudno (£7.30, one hour) and (£24, six hours).  GREENWOOD FOREST PARK // PARKING // Free street parking is at a premium but GREEN FUN FOR ALL THE FAMILY you might snatch a park in the walled town and there A 7-hectare adventure park underpinned are highly contested free parks by the water on the by a strong green ethos, GreenWood south embankment of Victoria Dock. Otherwise, there’s (%01248-670076; www.greenwoodforestpark pay-and-display parking by Slate Quay and on Balaclava .co.uk; Y Felinheli; adult/child £11/9.90; h11am-5pm Rd near Galeri Caernarfon (50p per hour, free from 8pm mid-Mar–Oct) has a slew of rides and activi- to 8am). ties. Grab a ride on the Green Dragon, TRAIN // Caernarfon is the northern terminus of the the world’s first people-powered roller Welsh Highland Railway tourist train (p244), which coaster. currently runs to just past Beddgelert (£22 return, 1½ It’s signposted from the A487 hours) and will connect to Porthmadog in 2011. The near Y Felinheli, 4 miles northeast of station is near the river on St Helen’s Rd. Caernarfon. LONELYPLANET.COM WEST OF SNOWDONIA 237

 INIGO JONES SLATEWORKS // region with isolated walking and cycling WIPE THE SLATE CLEAN THEN TAKE routes, some excellent beaches, a scatter- IT HOME ing of small fishing villages and 70 miles Since 1861 slate has been shaped and of wildlife-rich coastline (much of it in shipped from here, but it’s a safe bet they the hands of the NT, and almost 80% of it made less garden ornaments, placemats designated an Area of Outstanding Natu- and picture frames back then. Before you ral Beauty). Over the centuries the heavi- get laden down with what’s perhaps the est footfalls have been those of pilgrims ultimate North Welsh souvenir (dragon on their way to Bardsey Island. scales being hard to get hold of these Welsh is the language of everyday life S days), you can take a self-guided tour of here. Indeed, this is about as Welsh as it N O the slateworks (%01286-830242; www gets. The Llŷ n (pronounced khlee’en) and W D .inigojones.co.uk; ; tour per adult/child £4.50/4; O the Isle of Anglesey were the last places N h9am-5pm). The on-site Welsh Rock Cafe on the Roman and Norman itineraries, A I & T makes great Welsh cakes. and both have maintained a separate H E It’s on the A487, 5 miles south of identity, the Llŷ n especially so. Isolated L Ŷ L Caernarfon. physically and culturally from the rest of N Wales, the Llŷ n remained sympathetic to  PARC GLYNLLIFON // A LEAFY Catholicism long after it was suppressed ESCAPE FOR CRAFTY INDIVIDUALS by Henry VIII and in later centuries it’s Strewn with rare plants, follies, sculptures been an incubator of Welsh activism. and fountains, these historic gardens It was the birthplace of David Lloyd (%01286-830222; www.gwynedd.gov.uk/parc George, the first Welsh prime minister of glynllifon; adult/child £4/1.50; h10am-5pm) once the UK, and of (the Party of belonged to the estate of the Lords New- Wales), which was founded in Pwllheli . The grand neoclassical manor in 1925 and is now the main opposition house has been sold off separately and is party in the National (Welsh) Assembly. only sporadically open to the public. The heart and soul of the Parc is a craft centre ESSENTIAL INFORMATION where nine resident artisans rent units TOURIST OFFICES // Abersoch (%01758- and sell their wares in the shop. They also 712929; www.abersochandllyn.co.uk; High St; run monthly Craft Taster Days where h10.30am-4.30pm daily in summer) Independently they teach the likes of slate shaping, run and very helpful, it also off ers internet access (£2.50 blacksmithing, appliqué and wood carv- per 30 minutes). Pwllheli (%01758-613000; Station ing (from £20; call ahead for details). Sq; h10.30am-3pm Mon-Wed, Fri & Sat Nov-Mar, Parc Glynllifon is 6 miles south of 9am-5pm Apr-Oct) Caernarfon on the A499. LLŶN PENINSULA EXPLORING THE LLŶN PENINSULA Jutting out into the from the // A GHOST mountains of Snowdonia, the Llŷ n Pe- VILLAGE RESURRECTED BY A LIVING ninsula is a green finger of land, some 25 LANGUAGE miles long and averaging 8 miles in width. According to tradition it is here that the It’s a peaceful and largely undeveloped semi-mythical Celtic King Vortigern 238 WEST OF SNOWDONIA LONELYPLANET.COM

is buried. Today’s village was built for allowed lepers standing outside to watch quarry-workers in the 19th century, when Mass being celebrated. On the interior granite was dug out of the surrounding face of this wall there are rare remnants mountains and shipped to , of pre-Reformation frescoes. St ’s Manchester and elsewhere to be used in is at its most atmospheric during the building roads. The quarries closed after Christmas, Easter and harvest seasons, WWII and the village was gradually aban- when the floors are covered in reeds and doned. In 1978 it was given a new lease fragrant herbs – unless, of course, you’re of life when it was bought and restored as a hay-fever suff erer. the home of the Welsh Language & East of Pistyll are the 100m sea cliff s N Heritage Centre (%01758-750334; www Ŷ L of Carreg y Llam, a major North Wales L .nantgwrtheyrn.org; admission free; hcall ahead for E seabird site, with huge colonies of razor- H T times). Even if you don’t take a course, it’s a & bills, guillemots and kittiwakes. I A magical place – eerily quiet and ideal for a N O tranquil walk along world’s-end cliff s.  MORFA NEFYN // POSSIBLY D W The heritage centre has a small but WALES’ BEST POSITIONED PUB O N S compelling exhibition on the history of The diminutive village of Morfa Nefyn the Welsh language, but its main focus sits above a pretty crescent of sand at is off ering residential Welsh language Porth Dinllaen. It’s hard to believe that and literature courses to suit all levels this was once a busy cargo, shipbuilding of ability (from £280 for three days full- and herring port, the only safe haven on board), including B&B accommodation the peninsula’s north coast. Indeed, it in homely little grey-stone cottages and was eyed up by slate magnate William meals at the on-site restaurant. Madocks as a possible home for ferries to The centre is reached from the village Ireland, but in 1839 the House of Com- of Llithfaen (on the B4417) by following mons gave that job to Holyhead. Today, a path down a steep valley. If you’re driv- it’s owned in its entirety by the NT, ing take it very slowly and be extremely which maintains a small information careful. kiosk in its car park (£3 in summer, free

 ST BEUNO’S CHURCH // WHERE to NT members). LLŶN VISITORS HAVE STOPPED FOR At the western end of the beach is CENTURIES an isolated cluster of buildings, which One of the main pit-stops on the Bardsey include the legendary T ŷ Coch Inn pilgrimage, this ancient hospice church (%01758-720498; www.tycoch.co.uk; hnoon-4pm sits peacefully in the middle of its oval Sat & Sun, daily summer). It was famous for its churchyard below the village of Pistyll. views and toes-in-the-water pints even St Beuno (died 640) was to North Wales before Demi Moore shot key scenes from what St David was to the south of the the 2006 movie Half Light here. country (another St Beuno church is fur- For pub grub try Cliff s Inn (%01758- ther up the coast at , where 720356; mains £9-15), with views from the his religious community was based). conservatory eating area and generous This tiny stone church’s slate roof Sunday roasts. If you’re looking for a would originally have been thatched, but post offi ce or a supermarket, the larger original features include a Celtic carved but less attractive settlement of Nefyn font and a window beside the altar that lies slightly to the east. LONELYPLANET.COM WEST OF SNOWDONIA 239

WELSH LANGUAGE WOES

Although support for the Welsh language has strengthened in recent years and other minority cultures look to Wales as a shining example, in reality the threat to the language is acute. Economic hardship in rural areas, particularly Welsh-speaking communities, has re- sulted in migration to urban centres. Meanwhile, large numbers of non-Welsh speakers have been moving in, changing the cultural dynamic of rural Wales in a very short time. Historically, few of these migrants have learnt the Welsh language or become involved in local traditions, and their presence inflates house prices and forces local people out. S During the rise of nationalism from the 1960s to 1980s, opposition to the English N O W ‘invaders’ rose steadily and anti-English slogans and graffiti were common. Slogans D O such as ‘Dal dy dir ’ (Hold your ground) and ‘Ildiwch’ (Surrender) were emblazoned N A I on mountain sides and rural walls. A radical underground organisation, the Sons of & T Glyndŵr, went even further, firebombing English-owned holiday homes and, in doing H E so, causing much harm to the nationalists’ cause. L Ŷ L Today, peaceful ‘No Colonisation’ campaigns, such as those run by pressure group N Cymuned, target estate agents in England who are selling Welsh properties to outsiders. For more information visit www.wales4sale.com. These days more people are learning Welsh as a second language and all school- children are required to study Welsh up to the age of 16, but pressure on Welsh as a living first language remains.

 WHISTLING SANDS // SECLUDED past the earthworks, which are all that BEACH WITH SQUEAKY SAND remain of St Mary’s Abbey , to a Neo- Just north of Aberdaron is this crescent- lithic standing stone known as Maen shaped beach where the sand squeaks Melyn, bent like a finger towards the when you walk on it. From here it’s a island and suggesting this was a holy 2-mile coastal walk west via the twin place long before the or their headlands of Dinas Bach and Dinas Fawr saints arrived. to the cove of Porth Orion. Beneath the stone, a natural freshwater spring issues from a cleft in the rock be-  BRAICH-Y-PWLL // NEXT STOP, low the high tide mark; called St Mary’s BARDSEY Well (Ffynnon Fair), it was held to be While the boats for Bardsey now leave holy and pilgrims would sip from here from Porth Meudwy, this rugged NT before setting out. There are sheer drops property on the very tip of the Llŷ n to the sea and high surf, and we don’t Peninsula is where the medieval pil- recommend you attempt it. grims set off from – and one glimpse of Inland are strip fields that preserve the surf-pounded rocks will reinforce many of the patterns of ancient land-use. what a terrifying final voyage that must Keep an eye out for choughs, a cheeky have been. It’s an incredibly dramatic, red-legged relation of the crow, and the ancient-looking landscape, with Bard- rare spotted rock rose – this is the only sey rising out of the slate-grey sea like place on the British mainland where this the mystical Avalon. A path leads down yellow bloom is found. 240 WEST OF SNOWDONIA LONELYPLANET.COM

 ABERDARON // SEASIDE VILLAGE  BARDSEY ISLAND (YNYS ENLLI) // WITH SURPLUS PERSONALITY AND MYTHS, MAGICIANS, MONKS AND HISTORY MANY, MANY BONES Aberdaron (population 1000) is an ends- This mysterious island, 2 miles long of-the-earth kind of place with white- and 2 miles off the tip of the Llŷ n, is a washed, windswept houses contemplat- magical place, its otherworldliness em- ing Aberdaron Bay. It was traditionally phasised by its most poetic epithet: the the last resting spot before pilgrims made Isle of 20,000 Saints. In the 6th or 7th the treacherous crossing to Bardsey. century the obscure St Cadfan founded Lingering from this time is St Hywyn’s a monastery here, giving shelter to Celts N Church (h10am-5pm Apr-Oct, to 4pm Nov-Mar), fleeing the Saxon invaders, and medieval Ŷ L L E stoically positioned above the pebbly pilgrims followed in their wake. H T beach. The left half of the church dates A Celtic cross amidst the abbey ruins & I A from 1100 while the right half was added commemorates the 20,000 pilgrims who N O 400 years later, to cope with the volume came here to die – the 20,000 saints who D W of pilgrims. Welsh poet RS Thomas was give the island its ancient name. Their O N S the minister here from 1967 to 1978 and bones still periodically emerge from un- it seems an appropriate setting for his marked graves; it’s said that in the 1850s bleak, impassioned work (see p291). The they were used as fencing, there were so church was restored in 2006 and today many of them. has lots of information about local his- To add to its mythical status, it is one tory as well as two 6th-century memorial of many candidates for the Isle of Ava- stones and a medieval font and holy- lon, where King Arthur was taken after water stoup. the Battle of Camlann. Other legends say With their spiritual needs sorted, the the wizard Merlin is asleep in a glass cas- Bardsey-bound saints could then claim tle on the island along with the magical a meal at Y Gegin Fawr (The Big Kitchen; Thirteen Precious Curiosities of Britain. %01758-760359; h9am-6pm), a little thick- The island’s Welsh name means ‘Isle of walled building with tiny windows, just the Currents’, a reference to the treacher- over the bridge in the centre of the vil- ous tidal surges in Bardsey Sound, which lage. Dating from 1300, it still dishes up doubtless convinced medieval visitors that meals to hungry visitors. Other reliable their lives were indeed in God’s hands. eating options are Tŷ Newydd and the Most modern pilgrims to Bardsey are Ship Hotel (p341). There’s little else in seabird-watchers (the island is home the centre of the village apart from a to an important colony of Manx shear- store and a Spar supermarket with a post waters), although there are also some offi ce attached. 6th-century carved stones and the The little Gwylan Islands in the bay remains of a 13th-century abbey tower – are North Wales’ most important puffi n- along with a candy-striped lighthouse. breeding site. The Bardsey Island Trust (%0845 811 Parking is a problem in the village 2233; www.bardsey.org) is the custodian of the but there is a small private car park just island and can arrange holiday lets in before the bridge (£2 per two hours) and cottages there. In the summer months the NT is looking at buying some land to both Bardsey Boat Trips (%07971-769895; use for this purpose. www.bardseyboattrips.com) and Enlli Charters LONELYPLANET.COM WEST OF SNOWDONIA 241

THE BARDSEY PILGRIMAGE

At a time when journeys from Britain to were long, perilous and beyond the means of most people, the Pope decreed that three pilgrimages to the holy island of Bardsey would have the same spiritual value as one to . Tens of thousands of penitents took advan- tage of this get-out-of-purgatory-free (or at least quickly) card and many came here to die. In the 16th century, Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries and ban on pilgrimages put pay to the practice – although a steady trickle of modern-day pilgrims still walk the route today. The traditional pilgrimage route stops at ancient churches and holy wells along the way. It’s broken into nine legs on the Edge of Wales Walk (%01758-760652; www.edge S ofwaleswalk.co.uk) website, run by a cooperative of local residents. They can help to N O W arrange a 47-mile, self-guided walking tour, including five nights’ accommodation D O and baggage transfers (around £56 per night). A similar service is also offered for the N A I 84-mile Llŷn Coastal Path, which circumnavigates the peninsula. & T H E (%0845 811 3655; www.enllicharter.co.uk) takes (Hell’s Mouth) and Porth Ceiriad, while L Ŷ L boats to the island from Porth Meudwy sailors, windsurfers and boaters prefer N (adult/child £30/15), while Enlli Charters the gentle waters of Abersoch Bay. also departs from Pwllheli (adult/child West Coast Surf Shop (%713067; www £35/20); call ahead for details. .westcoastsurf.co.uk; Lôn Pen Cei; h9.30am-5pm) hires out boards and wetsuits all year  PLAS-YN-RHIW // GARDENS AND around. Its website features a live surf- VIEWS FROM A HISTORIC HOUSE cam and daily surf reports. Off axis A 16th-century Welsh manor house (%713407; www.off axis.co.uk; Lôn Engan; lessons restored by three sisters in the 1930s and incl equipment from £30) is another outdoors- ’40s, Plas-yn-Rhiw (%01758-780219; www cum-surf shop, which specialises in .nationaltrust.org.uk; adult/child £5/2.50; hnoon-5pm wakeboarding, windsurfing and surfing Thu-Sun Apr & Oct, Wed-Mon May-Aug, Thu-Mon Sep) lessons. features ornamental gardens that are a Abersoch Sailing School (%712963; sharp contrast to the surrounding moor- www.abersochsailingschool.co.uk)off ers sailings land and wonderful views over Cardigan lessons (from £45), joy rides (£25 per Bay. It’s on the heights near the hamlet person) and hires laser fun boats (one/ of Rhiw, 4 miles east of Aberdaron. two/three hours £30/45/60), catamarans (one/two/three hours £40/60/80), sea  ABERSOCH // SOCKING IT TO kayaks (single/double per hour £10/20) SURFERS AND SAILORS and skippered day racers and keelboats Abersoch (population 1000) comes alive (£75 per hour, minimum two hours). in summer with a 30,000-person influx Abersoch’s smartest boutique hotel is of boaties, surfers and beach bums. also its best restaurant. Venetia (%01758- Packed in high season, it’s a virtual ghost 713354; www.venetiawales.com; Lôn Sarn Bach; mains town in winter. Edged by gentle blue- £9-20; hThu-Sun winter, daily summer; p) spe- green hills, the town’s main attraction cialises in the traditional tastes of Venice, is its beaches and today it’s the Llŷ n’s particularly fish and pasta dishes and premier water-sports centre. Surfers head serves them under twinkling modern for the Atlantic swell at Porth Neigwl chandeliers in a grand Edwardian house. 242 WEST OF SNOWDONIA LONELYPLANET.COM

The ultimate surfer’s hang-out, wheth- www.bodegroes.co.uk; 3-course dinner £43; hlunch er for a beer or a hearty dinner, Fresh Sun, dinner Tue-Sat; p) has an elegant dining (%01758-710033; www.fresh-abersoch.co.uk; Stryd room but ups the Welshness by serving Fawr; mains £8-20; hlunch Sat & Sun, dinner Mon-Sat) its dishes on slabs of slate. Local, organic has beanbags, a TV area and a regular and sustainable produce features heavily clientele of surfer dudes. Head to Aber- on the menu. soch Cafe (%01758-713433; Stryd Fawr; mains £5-7; h9am-5pm) for cheap and cheerful  PWLLHELI // A TRANSPORT HUB snacks, such as cooked breakfasts, wraps, AND LITTLE ELSE burgers and jacket potatoes. With a population of 3900, Pwllheli N For a pint try the Vaynol Arms (poolth-heh-lee; meaning ‘salt-water Ŷ L L % W pool’) is the largest town on the Llŷ n. E ( 712776; Stryd Fawr; ), which has real ales, H T simple bar snacks and wi-fi access. There’s While it’s staunchly Welsh and has a & long sandy beach, it’s not a particularly I A a convenience store, post offi ce and vari- N O ous banks on the high street (stryd fawr ). interesting or attractive town to linger D W in. It is, however, the peninsula’s public O N  LLANBEDROG // ATTENTION- S transport hub. SEEKING MANSION AND TOP-NOTCH Enlli Charters has boats departing ART from here for Bardsey Island (p240). Only part of the attraction of the excel- The harbour, tourist offi ce, train station, lent Oriel Plas Glyn-y-Weddw (%01758- bus stands, post offi ce and supermarket 740763; www.oriel.org.uk; admission free; h10am- are all within a block of one another just 5pm Wed-Mon, daily summer) is the lively col- south of Y Maes, the main square. lection of work by contemporary Welsh Stylish yet relaxed, Taro Deg (%01758- artists, all of which is available for pur- 701271; Lôn Dywod; mains £4-6; h9am-4.30pm chase. The gallery is worth visiting just to Mon-Sat; W) is a central cafe off ering gape at the flamboyant Victorian Gothic newspapers to browse and a tasty selec- mansion it’s housed in, with its flashy tion of sandwiches and cakes. Another exposed beams and stained glass. There’s good lunch option is friendly Pili Palas also a nice little cafe and paths through (%01758-612248; 2-4 Stryd Moch; mains £4-5; the wooded grounds, which roll down to h10am-4.30pm Mon-Sat), which serves light NT-owned Llandbedrog beach. bites, such as hot ciabatta. Up on the main road (the A499), the Ship Inn (%01758-741111; www.theshipinn.org  PENARTH FAWR MEDIEVAL .uk; mains £6-14) is a popular, family-friendly HOUSE // STEP INTO THE MIDDLE pub off ering hearty bar meals with lots of AGES daily specials. Surrounded by stone farm buildings that Llanbedrog is 3 miles from Abersoch time forgot, Penarth Fawr is a privately and 4 miles west of Pwllheli. owned 1416 house that has somehow survived into the 21st century. It’s ba-  PLAS BODEGROES // CLASSIC sically one large hall with a big open COOKING IN AN ELEGANT SETTING hearth, and there are no set opening Set in a stately Georgian manor house hours or admission charges – just turn strewn with modern art, a mile inland up and see if it’s open. The aff able own- from Pwllheli along the A497, this slick ers are more than happy for you to potter restaurant with rooms (%01758-612363; about; keep a third eye open for the resi- LONELYPLANET.COM WEST OF SNOWDONIA 243 dent ghost. The hall sometimes doubles Today there is a small but informative as an arts and craft gallery. exhibition centre at the ticket offi ce. It’s signposted from the A497, 3.5 The town’s focal point is Y Maes, miles east of Pwllheli. a wide square on the High St (Stryd Fawr), the A497 Porthmadog–Pwllheli  LLANYSTUMDWY // BIRTHPLACE road. The seaside road running parallel OF A WARTIME LEADER to High St is Castle St (Ffordd Castell). The village of Llanystumdwy is the boy- There’s parking on the opposite side of hood home and final resting place of High St behind the Lion Hotel and the David Lloyd George, one of Wales’ finest train station is about two blocks west S ever political statesmen, and the British down the A497. Roots (%01766-523564; 46 N O prime minister from 1916 to 1922 (see High St; h10am-5pm), a Christian bookshop, W D O p287). There’s a small Lloyd George acts as the de-facto tourist offi ce. It has N Museum (%01766-522071; adult/child £4/3; OS maps and off ers internet access (£3 A I & h T 10.30am-5pm Mon-Fri Apr & May, Mon-Sat Jun, per hour). Also on High St is a small H E daily Jul-Sep, 11am-4pm Mon-Fri Oct), which gives supermarket, a post offi ce and a bank L Ŷ L an impression of the man and to some with an ATM. N extent illustrates the tension between his The best place to eat in town is Poach- nationality and position, through photos, ers Restaurant (%01766-522512; www.poachers posters and personal eff ects. Highgate, restaurant.co.uk; 66 High St; mains £11-19; hlunch the house he grew up in, is 50m away, Sun, dinner Wed-Sat). Look past the paper ser- and his grave is about 150m away on the viettes and limited wine choice and you’ll other side of the car park. The memorial find tasty Welsh dishes married with is designed by Clough Williams-Ellis, the some flavours of Asia. Try the good-value creator of Portmeirion (p246). three-course set menu (£17). The liveli- The turn-off to the village is 1.5 miles est pub in town is the Prince of Wales west of Criccieth on the A497. (%01766-522556; www.princeofwales-criccieth.co.uk; Y Maes; lunch £4-5, mains £7-15; hnoon-11pm), with  CRICCIETH // CASTLE ABOVE local ales and decent bar meals. THE SAND This genteel slow-moving seaside town TRANSPORT (population 1800) sits above a sweep of BIKE // Lôn Las Cymru passes through Criccieth, head- sand-and-stone beach about 5 miles west ing north to Caernarfon and east to Porthmadog. of Porthmadog. Its main claim to fame BUS // Bus 1 (Porthmadog–Caernarfon–Bangor) stops is ruined (Cadw; %01766- in Criccieth. All of the peninsula’s other bus services 522227; www.cadw.wales.gov.uk; adult/child £3/2.60; originate or terminate at Pwllheli, including bus 3 to h10am-5pm Apr-Oct, 9.30am-4pm Fri & Sat, 11am- Llanystumdwy (20 minutes), Criccieth (24 minutes), 4pm Sun Nov-Mar) perched up on the cliff top Tremadog (37 minutes) and Porthmadog (41 minutes); and off ering views stretching along the 8 to Morfa Nefyn (20 minutes); 8B to Llanbedrog (10 southern coast and across Tremadog minutes), Rhiw (35 minutes) and Whistling Sands Bay to Harlech. Constructed by Welsh (one hour); 12 to Caernarfon (45 minutes); 17/17B to prince Llewellyn the Great in 1239, it Llanbedrog (10 minutes), Aberdaron (45 minutes) and was overrun in 1283 by Edward I’s forces Rhiw (one hour); 18 to Llanbedrog (12 minutes) and and recaptured for the Welsh in 1404 by Abersoch (25 minutes) and 27 to Llithfaen (25 minutes) Owain Glyndŵ r, who promptly burnt it. and Pistyll (30 minutes). 244 WEST OF SNOWDONIA LONELYPLANET.COM

COACH // A National Express (www.national 1873, over 116,000 tons of Blaenau Ffes- express.com) coach heads between Pwllheli and London tiniog slate left Porthmadog for ports (£31, 10½ hours) daily, via Criccieth (£5.20, 17 minutes), around the world. Caernarfon (£6.80, one hour), Bangor (£7.30, 1½ hours) Today Porthmadog is the southern and Birmingham (£24, seven hours). terminus for two of Wales’ finest narrow- TRAIN // Pwllheli is the terminus of the Cambrian gauge train journeys, the Ffestiniog Coast Line, with direct trains to Criccieth (£2.70, 13 min- & Welsh Highland Railways. On its utes), Porthmadog (£3.90, 22 minutes), Harlech (£6.30, doorstep is the village of Portmeirion, a 45 minutes), Barmouth (£8.70, 1¼ hours), Fairbourne fantasy-style pocket of la dolce vita Italy (£8.70, 1¼ hours) and Machynlleth (£13, 2¼ hours). in North Wales. N Ŷ L L PORTHMADOG & E ESSENTIAL INFORMATION H T AROUND & EMERGENCIES // Police station (%512226; I A N %01766 / pop 4200 High St) O D Given its abundance of transport con- TOURIST OFFICES // Tourist office W O % h N nections and its position straddling the ( 512981; High St; 9.30am-5pm Easter-Oct, 10am- S Llŷ n Peninsula and Snowdonia National 3.30pm Mon-Sat Nov-Easter) Park, busy little Porthmadog (port-mad - uk) makes an excellent place to base ORIENTATION yourself for a few days. While the town The Cob is the only direct road to Porth- centre is nothing to look at, its estuarine madog from the southeast and as such setting off ers some nice views and walks. it’s subject to major traffi c congestion in Despite a few rough edges, Porth- summer. madog has a considerable amount of charm and a conspicuously friendly EXPLORING PORTHMADOG populace. It’s also overwhelmingly & AROUND Welsh-speaking. The town was founded by an 1821 Act  FFESTINIOG & WELSH of Parliament granting permission to HIGHLAND RAILWAYS // slate magnate William Alexander Mad- ROMANTIC RAIL ROUTES THROUGH ocks (after whom the town is named) THE MOUNTAINS to reclaim estuary land and create a There are ‘little trains’ all over Wales, a new harbour. Madocks began by laying legacy of Victorian industry, but Porth- a mile-long causeway called The Cob madog is doubly blessed. The two lines across , the estuary at the of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland mouth of the River Glaslyn. Some 400 Railways (%516024; www.festrail.co.uk) top hectares of wetland habitat behind The and tail the town, with a station at each Cob was drained and turned into farm- end of the High St. They’re run by the land. The resulting causeway provided oldest independent railway company in the route Madocks needed to transport the world, established by an Act of slate on the new down Parliament in 1832. to the new port. Departing from the south end, near In the 1870s it was estimated that over the Cob, the Ffestiniog Railway (adult/ a thousand vessels per year departed child return £18/17) is a fantastic, twisting from the harbour and, at the peak in and precipitous narrow-gauge railway LONELYPLANET.COM WEST OF SNOWDONIA 245

IS AMERICA REALLY WELSH?

Porthmadog may be named after William Alexander Madocks, but there’s another leg- endary namesake associated with the area. The story goes that in 1170 Madog ab Owain Gwynedd, a local prince, set off from here and ‘discovered’ America. The tale was dusted off during Elizabeth I’s reign to justify the English crown’s claim on the continent over Spain’s; the land’s indigenous occupants had no say in the matter. It gained further trac- tion during Wales’ 18th-century Romantic renaissance when it was deployed to give the Welsh a sense of pride in their past. Madog and his followers were said to have intermarried with Native Americans S and formed their own Welsh-speaking tribe. After America’s ‘re-discovery’, explorers N O W returned with stories of meeting Welsh-speaking clans in Virginia and Kentucky. In D O 1796 John Evans, the leader of a party that helped map the Missouri River, sought N A I and failed to find any evidence of them. Given that many small Native American tribes & T disappeared soon after colonisation, the Madog story still has some traction amongst H E hardcore Welsh patriots. L Ŷ L N that was built between 1832 and 1836 ist attraction in 1997 and until recently to haul slate down to Porthmadog was off ering only short trips from Porth- from the mines at Blaenau Ffestiniog. madog and rather longer ones from Horse-drawn wagons were replaced in Caernarfon as far as the trailheads of the the 1860s by steam locomotives and the Snowdon Ranger and Rhyd Ddu tracks line became a passenger service. Saved on the slopes of Snowdon. In 2010 the after years of neglect, it is one of Wales’ line was extended to Beddgelert and most spectacular and beautiful narrow- through the outrageously beautiful Ab- gauge journeys. Because it links the erglaslyn Pass to Pont , 2 miles Cambrian Coast and Conwy Valley main from Porthmadog. By the time you’re lines, it also serves as a serious public reading this, the last small gap should transport link. Nearly all services are have been plugged, connecting Caernar- steam-hauled. fon with Porthmadog, with a final leg The 13.5-mile (one-hour) journey along the main street to a new terminus heads through fern-fringed valleys and near the Ffestiniog Railway. tree-line passes before entering the soot-saturated darkness of the Moelwyn  TREMADOG // LAWRENCE OF Tunnel. It then hugs the fringe of Tan-y- ARABIA AND THE GOLDEN FLEECE Grisiau Reservoir and progresses into a Less than a mile north of central Porth- landscape of mist-shrouded mountains madog, Tremadog seems like an outlying and slate-grey cottages. suburb but it’s actually a separate vil- Exciting things are afoot with its sib- lage, grouped around a handsome town ling, the Welsh Highland Railway square. TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Ara- (Caernarfon–Pont Croesor adult/child return £28/26). bia) was born here on 16 August 1888, An amalgamation of several late 19th- although the Lawrence family moved century slate railways, the line opened to Oxford 12 years later. At the time of for passenger traffi c in 1923 but closed writing, their Church St house was being just 14 years later. It reopened as a tour- converted into a boutique hotel. 246 WEST OF SNOWDONIA LONELYPLANET.COM

0 400m PORTHMADOG 0 0.2m iles

A C Cambrian To Tremadog(650m); B D Coast Line ‚ Golden Fleece (650m); Glaslyn Osprey Project (3mi); Train Station Beddgelert (7mi); Caernarfon (18mi) 0 ¸ A487 "r 8"r "V A v Welsh Highland 1 e n Railway Station !0 u e R M a d d o G las l yn S t c ESSENTIAL S t "À3 E W INFORMATION a e H s s t Police Station...... 1 A2 To Criccieth i t g A l P (4mi); Pwllheli h v e s Tourist Office...... 2 B3 S e r (13mi) t t l 1 #Z S d M "? 6 S t N n t S n EXPLORING ‚ e w h a l a o Ŷ L 10 "@ N C e d d PORTHMADOG 0 ¸ A497 p o w L h a c o P 5 "f C S S n Coliseum...... 3 A1 E 2 e t H n a d 0 ¸ A487 Ffestiniog Railway...... 4 C3 T m se r R Kerfoots...... 5 A2 & 7 Purple Moose Brewery...... 6 B2 I A #2 9 "f N Rob Pierce Gallery...... 7 B2 D "i Llyn O o "V Welsh Highland Railway.....8 A1 D r a #2 Bach S W t #` H O i GASTRONOMIC N #2 g h S P l S HIGHLIGHTS @ i k t n Big Rock Cafe ...... 9 B2 B a 12 "7 t To Portmeirion (3mi); Grapevine ...... 10 A2 k S "V a r (3.2mi); Yr Hen Fecws...... (see 11) T e "iL P 3 r r o Blaenau Ffestiniog a 11 m 2 c (14mi); Dolgellau ACCOMMODATIONi (p342) d e b #H R R a (25mi); Bala Yr Hen Fecws ...... 11 B3 d r d 4 t h 0 ¸ A487 (28mi) To o r S t Ffestiniog "r B T h TRANSPORT Borth-y-Gest Railway e C ‚ Station o b Bus Stand ...... 12 B3 (700m) ‚ Harbour

Pubs don’t get much more atmos- heavy Italian influence, masterminded by pheric or fun than the Golden Fleece the Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams- (%512421; www.goldenfleeceinn.com; Market Sq; Ellis. Starting in 1926, Clough collected mains £4-12) on Tremadog’s main square. bits and pieces from disintegrating stately It’s an inviting and friendly old inn with mansions to create this weird and won- hop flowers hanging from the ceilings, derful seaside utopia over the course real ales, decent pub grub, an open fire of 50 years. When it was deemed to be for cold nights and a sunny courtyard for finished in 1976, Clough had reached balmy days. This is a great spot to sample the ripe old age of 90 and had designed a pint of the local microbrewery ale from and built many of the structures himself. the Purple Moose Brewery. A roster of Today all the buildings are listed and the live music and jam sessions entertains whole site is a Conservation Area. the troops, although the punters can be It’s really more like an amusement pretty entertaining themselves. park or a stage set than an actual village  PORTMEIRION // ITALY MEETS and, indeed, it formed the ideally surreal DISNEY ON THE WELSH COAST set for the cult TV series, , Set on its own tranquil peninsula reach- which was filmed here from 1966 to ing into the estuary, Portmeirion village 1967; it still draws fans of the show in (%01766-70000; www.portmeirion-village.com; adult/ droves with Prisoner conventions held child £8/4; h9.30am-5.30pm) is an oddball, annually in April. More recently the vil- gingerbread collection of buildings with a lage was the setting for the hugely popu- LONELYPLANET.COM WEST OF SNOWDONIA 247 lar TV series, . The giant plaster end of the crescent the path continues of Buddha, just off the piazza, around the cliff s; if you look carefully also featured in the 1958 film, The Inn you should be able to spot Harlech Castle of the Sixth Happiness, starring Ingrid in the distance. Bergman. A documentary on Williams-Ellis and  GLASLYN OSPREY PROJECT // Portmeirion screens on the hour in a TRAIN A TELESCOPE ON A RAPTOR building just above the central piazza. FAMILY Clough’s lifelong concern was with This RSPB project (www.rspb.org.uk; h10am- the whimsical and intriguing nature of 6pm Apr-Aug) was founded after a pair of S architecture, his raison d’être to dem- ospreys, regular visitors to Wales from N O onstrate how a naturally beautiful site Africa, first nested near Porthmadog W D fi O could be developed without de ling it. in 2004. A round-the-clock protection N scheme now operates during the breed- A I His life’s work now stands as a testament & T to beauty, something he described as ing season while a public viewing site H E ‘that strange necessity’. He died in 1978, is open at Pont Croesor with telescopes L Ŷ L having campaigned for the environment and live footage from the nest-cams. The N throughout his life. He was a founding project is on the B4410, off the A498 member of the Council for the Protec- northeast of Tremadog. tion of Rural Wales in 1928 and served as its president for 20 years.  LOCAL BUSINESSES // WAVING Most of the kooky cottages or scaled- THE FLAG FOR INDEPENDENT down mansions scattered about the site ENTERPRISE are available for holiday lets, while other Although the High St (Stryd Fawr) buildings contain cafes, restaurants and has an extravagant number of charity gift shops. Portmeirion pottery (the fa- shops and more than a few boarded up mously florid pottery designed by Susan, businesses, Porthmadog is proud of its Sir Clough’s daughter) is available, even status as a bastion for independent, lo- though these days it’s made in Stoke-on- cal enterprises – including Kerfoots Trent (England). (%512256; www.kerfoots.com; 138-145 High St), a Portmeirion is about 2 miles east of department store founded in 1874, and Porthmadog. It’s an easy enough walk, the Coliseum (%512108; High St), a classic, but Williams bus 99B has services at old-fashioned picture house. 9.55am and 1.05pm, Monday to Saturday One of approximately 30 micro- (10 minutes). breweries across Wales, Purple Moose (%515571; www.purplemoose.co.uk; St;  BORTH-Y-GEST // TUCKED AWAY h9am-5pm Mon-Fri) has grown from humble SEASIDE VILLAGE WITH STRIKING beginnings to employ four people and VIEWS supply pubs across North Wales. Its The best views over the estuary are from award-winning tipples include Snow- Terrace Rd, which becomes Garth Rd donia Ale, Madog’s Ale, Glaslyn Ale and above the harbour. At its end a path Dark Side of the Moose. You can buy heads down to Borth-y-Gest, a pretty these and associated memorabilia from horseshoe of candy coloured houses the brewery shop. Tours are given on overlooking a sandy bay. At the other request, if they’re not too busy.