©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Snowdonia & North Wales Includes ¨ Why Go? Ruthin . 724 Rugged mountain trails, historic train lines, World Heritage Llangollen . 725 castles and rejuvenated seaside towns ensure North Wales Snowdonia holds its own against attractions down south. The region National Park . 728 is dominated by Snowdonia National Park, where mighty Blaenau Ffestiniog . 735 peaks scrape moody skies. Protected by such a formidable mountain shield, it’s little Snowdon . 739 wonder that the less-visited Llŷn Peninsula and the ancient Porthmadog . 743 island enclave of Anglesey have retained their traditional Caernarfon . 747 language and culture. Bangor . 748 In fact, the whole region feels properly Welsh: you’ll hear Conwy . 750 the language on the street, see the Celtic legacy in the land- scape, and soak up the cultural pride in galleries, museums Llandudno . 752 and attractions, all the way from the beaches of the North Beaumaris . 756 Coast to the river- threaded heartland of northeast Wales. In Holyhead . 757 many ways, North Wales distills the very essence of Welsh- ness – just don’t mention that to the folks in Cardiff. Best Places to Eat When to Go ¨ ¨ Blas (p748) May is the driest month and Llandudno celebrates the warming weather with its Victorian Extravaganza festival. ¨ Soul Food (p734) ¨ May to September arguably gives you the best hiking ¨ Osteria (p748) weather, but the warmest months – July and August – bring ¨ Coconut Kitchen (p745) crowds. ¨ Tyddyn Llan (p728) ¨ The Snowdon train runs to the summit between Easter and November. ¨ In July you can shuttle between the beaches and Best Places to Llangollen’s International Musical Eisteddfod and Fringe Sleep Festival. ¨ Ffynnon (p729) ¨ Late autumn and early winter bring the heaviest rains, while late winter and early spring are particularly raw and bracing. ¨ Victoria House (p747) ¨ Cleifiog (p756) ¨ Totters (p747) ¨ Bodysgallen Hall (p754) 723 # 0 20 km e 0 10 miles Liverpool I R I S H Bay S E A Carmel Cemaes Liverpool Head #\ ^# Dulas Church 0¸A5025 Penmon Great Bay Bay Point M Point Orme's Little er #\ Red Head Orme's of Ayr se Holyhead /·M53 y Moelfre Wharf Puffin Head 0¸A548 Dee Bay #]7 Rhyl #] Anglesey Bay Island # #\ Estuary Holyhead Beaumaris Llandudno #] Llangefni #\ Holywell #\ Colwyn Bay #\ #\ Llanfair #1 Conwy /·A55 /·A5 /·A55 /·A550 #\ PG #÷Bodnant Rhosneigr #\ #] Clwydian Bangor Garden Queensferry y Ranges #\ it Elw Denbigh a Gwyndyr #\ C tr /·A5 l Moel S Forest 0¸A544 w ai y Famau /·A55 n #5 #\ d e Caernarfon Llanrwst 0¸A494 A M l & SNOWDONIA & #\ y 0¸A4085 Capel#\ Ruthin n Snowdon #\Betws-y-Coed Caernarfon (1085m) Curig Bay 0¸A499 R 0¸A494 Wrexham 0¸A470 #\ Pentrefoelas #] Beddgelert 0¸A498 #\ Eglwyseg â# Forest R /·A487 Beddgelert #4#\ Blaenau Ffestiniog /·A5 Erddig #\ Dee #6 Welsh Highland Railway #\ Porth Dinllaen 0¸A4212 Corwen Porthmadog Llangollen #3 #\ #\ #\ 0¸B4417 Llanystumdwy #\ N Criccieth Portmeirion Bala #\ Berwyn PontcysyllteN Llŷn #\ Mountains Aqueduct ORTH Tremadog E Snowdonia Vale of Peninsula Pwllheli Braich- Bay #\ d National Park Edeirion Harlech e y-Pwll n #÷ #\ Abersoch Coed- ion ENGLAND 8 #\ n W # Aberdaron y-Brenin /·AW 5 0¸A470 W Porth Forest 0¸A494 ALE Neigwl Bardsey (Hell's Mawddach#] Island Dolgellau i S Mouth) #\Estuary f Barmouth y N S D 0¸ #\ #R2 A458 Fairbourne N Cader Welshpool Dyfi #] OWDO Idris Forest 0¸A487 Dyfi Valley N IA & NO & IA Cardigan Bay #] Newtown /·A487 R T ^# H Aberystwyth W A L E S HIG hl IG H Snowdonia & North Wales Highlights T 1 Beaumaris (p756) Falling 4 Blaenau Ffestiniog journey on a narrow-gauge S for the Georgian charms of (p735) Testing claustrophobia in railway . Anglesey’s finest town. gloomy caverns . 7 Llandudno (p752) 2 Cader Idris (p728) 5 Caernarfon Castle (p747) Discovering vast Bronze Age Climbing Snowdonia’s second Witnessing the Byzantine mines alongside the Victoriana most-famous peak . beauty of North Wales’ at this popular seaside resort . 3 Pontcysyllte Aqueduct mightiest fortress . 8 Braich-y-Pwll (p746) (p725) Floating through the 6 Welsh Highland Railway Gazing towards the magical air across this World Heritage (p744) Taking a coast-to-coast ‘Pilgrims’ Island of Bardsey . Site,.