Snowdonia & North Wales

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Includes  Why Go? Snowdonia Rugged mountain trails, historic train lines, World Heritage National Park...... 730 castles and rejuvenated seaside towns ensure North Wales Caernarfon...... 746 holds its own against attractions down south. The region Llŷn Peninsula...... 748 is dominated by Snowdonia National Park, where mighty Porthmadog peaks scrape moody skies. Protected by such a formidable & Around...... 752 mountain shield, it’s little wonder that the less-visited Llŷn Beaumaris...... 754 Peninsula and the ancient island enclave of Anglesey have retained their traditional language and culture. In fact, the Holyhead...... 756 whole region feels properly Welsh: you’ll hear the language Llandudno...... 758 on the street, see the Celtic legacy in the landscape, and Conwy...... 761 soak up the cultural pride in galleries, museums and attrac- Llangollen...... 764 tions, all the way from the beaches of the North Coast to Bangor...... 767 the river-threaded heartland of northeast Wales. In many ways, North Wales distils the very essence of Welshness – just don’t mention that to the folks in Cardiff.

Best Castles When to Go ¨¨Conwy Castle (p761) ¨¨May is the driest month and Llandudno celebrates the ¨¨Caernarfon Castle (p746) warming weather with its Victorian Extravaganza festival. ¨¨Beaumaris Castle (p754) ¨¨May to September arguably gives you the best hiking weather, but the warmest months – July and August – ¨¨Harlech Castle (p745) bring crowds. ¨¨The Snowdon train runs to the summit between Easter Best Heritage and November. Railways ¨¨In July you can shuttle between the beaches and Llangollen’s International Musical Eisteddfod and Fringe ¨¨Ffestiniog Railway (p753) Festival. ¨ ¨Welsh Highland Railway ¨¨Late autumn and early winter bring the heaviest rains, (p753) while late winter and early spring are particularly raw ¨¨Snowdon Mountain and bracing. Railway (p740) ¨¨Talyllyn Railway (p744) 5

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