Cambrian Coastline llŷn Peninsula snowdonia national Park 2017 2017 – a leGendarY Year Here’s a run-down of what you’ll find on the Legends past following pages and what to get up to when you’re out and about. 2 At a glance – 20 Legendary 34 Festivals and events and present a snapshot of our adventures six holiday areas 36 Further information 22 Cycling and 4 Welcome to our mountain biking 37 Places to stay Inside out Year of Legends 24 Food glorious food 38 Travel information this year, we’ve produced a slightly 6 Coast and country, and map different travel and holiday guide. it’s castles and culture 26 All at sea – based around the theme of legends beaches, watersports 40 Take your pick – 8 Legendary and wildlife wales’s holiday areas to reflect the fact that 2017 is wales’s experiences old ‘Year of legends’. this follows on from and new 28 Attractions and 2016’s ‘Year of adventure’, and will activities – be succeeded in 2018 by the ‘Year 10 Legendary places ideas to get you chosen by local going: narrow-gauge of the sea’. celebrities railways, family activity parks, world each theme focuses on wales’s strengths – the 14 Myth, mystery Heritage castles adventurous ‘Great outdoors’, the country’s and folklore and slate caverns, Caernarfon Castle myths, history and heritage, and the fact that birdwatching, three of wales’s four sides are washed by the sea. 16 The poet Hedd shopping, art and Wyn remembered crafts, museums what’s good for wales is very good for and galleries, Snowdonia Mountains and Coast, which 18 Stargazing in our fishing, golf, horse embraces those three themes like no place Dark Skies riding, adrenaline else. For 2017, this guide reveals all about our adventures legendary landscapes and the people who have shaped the character of north wales. Join the conversation and keep in touch visitsnowdonia.info they are legendary figures past and present. we’ll facebook.com/visitingsnowdonia keep up to date with what’s happening and bring you the thoughts of famous local lads Bryn twitter.com/visit_snowdonia what’s new by joining us on our social networks. flickr.com/visit_snowdonia terfel and dave brailsford, knighted ‘sirs’ both. don’t forget, it’s a two-way process. let us visitsnowdonia.wordpress.com Going back a bit, you’ll learn about the Princes know what you think, and share your thoughts, pinterest.com/visitsnowdonia of Gwynedd. they really existed, though we’re images and videos with others. not too sure about some of the stories involving instagram.com/visitsnowdonia youtube.com/Visitsnowdonia swords, magicians and dragons associated with king arthur (they make a good read, though). Published by: tourism, marketing and Customer Care service, economy and Community department, Cyngor Gwynedd, County offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd ll55 1sH. Copyright © 2017. what we can say for certain is that snowdonia Cyngor bwrdeistref sirol Conwy County borough Council. [email protected] Mountains and Coast plays a starring role in Guy Editorial written by writerog ltd, roger thomas Freelance services, writerog.co.uk richie’s new film, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Designed and produced by View Creative agency, viewcreative.co.uk Much of it was shot on location here, so take a Printed by w. o. Jones Printers ltd, wojprint.co.uk look (it’s due for release in may). Photographs: © alamy; © alan dop Photography; © alex meacock, Camera drone uk; © alun Fôn williams; © aPCe/snPa; © attractions of snowdonia; © bbC Cymru; © Conwy County borough Council; © Crown Copyright (2016) Cadw; © Crown Copyright (2016) Visit wales © Cyngor Gwynedd Council; and take a good look though this guide. as well as © Graig wen; © Jan davies; © kris williams; © national slate museum llanberis; © national trust images/John our legendary past we also feature experiences miller; © owain Fôn williams; © swift Holiday Homes;© trefeddian Hotel; © Visitbritain/ben selway; © waitrose and attractions from here and now that are Good Food Guide; Illustration: © brett breckon (page 14) already the stuff of legends. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in this publication, the publishers can accept no liability whatsoever for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions, or for any matter in any way connected with or arising out of the Roger Thomas, Editor publication of the information. Please check all prices and facilities before making your booking. when you’ve finished with the guide please forward to a friend or place in a suitable recycling container. ‘Land of contrasts’ is one of those that’s not quite so surprising when overused clichés scattered around travel you consider that guides with gay abandon. But here, it Snowdonia Mountains and Coast embraces happens to be true. One minute you’re the Snowdonia National up, up and away in the mountains. Park, llŷn Peninsula (an Area of Outstanding Next stop, you’re on the beach. It’s natural beauty) and no exaggeration to say that you can around 200 miles of coastline. to give you feel on top of the world in the morning an instant picture of the (Snowdon’s peak experience), and have way things change so quickly in these parts, At a glance Saharan quantities of sand beneath your we’ve split our region feet in the afternoon (at Harlech, Dinas into six areas. Black Rock Sands Dinlle or Black Rock Sands). Criccieth, Cardigan Bay Southern Snowdonia Conwy Valley and Bangor, Caernarfon, Llŷn Peninsula Porthmadog and the A castle-crowned More mountains – plus Hiraethog Llanberis and the Go out on a limb Vale of Ffestiniog Cambrian Coastline lakes and forests History, wooded hills and Villages of Snowdonia Oakwoods, beaches and heather moors Tops for mountains, castles it’s ‘snowdon’s arm’, a adrenaline activities Along with the we have our own north/ and activities wildly beautiful peninsula llŷn Peninsula, Cardigan south divide. southern what a difference a few that wraps you in a strong there’s coast – the bay puts the ‘coast’ into Snowdonia still has miles can make. the green, Mister Big in these parts embrace. llŷn’s mix of southern shores of the Snowdonia Mountains mountains – lots of them fertile Conwy Valley is is – guess? – Yr wyddfa/ culture and heritage, llŷn Peninsula and the and Coast. mountains – but they are greener flanked on the west by thick Snowdon, the highest traditional farmsteads and hauntingly beautiful meet the sea all along and rounder than those forests. Cross to the east mountain in wales and little ports, beaches, bays dwyryd estuary. and this lovely shoreline – up north. Cader idris and you’ll enter Hiraethog england. but it’s by no and sea-cliffs is quite unlike there’s country – lots but most memorably dominates the scene, (also called the denbigh means the only attraction. anything else you’ll find of it, including chunks at two outstandingly rearing its misty head moors), an unexplored There are mountain lakes in wales – or elsewhere, of mountain and beautiful estuaries, above dolgellau, while world of heather moorland and wooded valleys too, for that matter. little the wooded Vale of mawddach and dyfi. further east the Aran, set beneath big skies. all in and a coastline of big wonder, then, that the Ffestiniog. so you’re Other highlights include Arenigs and Berwyns all, this is an area of great beaches and sheltered coast is a protected ‘Area not short of scenery. mighty world Heritage rise above Bala and Llyn variety, with the mountain straits. man-made places of Outstanding Natural it’s the same when it Site-designated Harlech tegid, wales’s largest village of Capel Curig at one also make it into the big beauty’. walk it by following comes to attractions and Castle, picturesque natural lake. there end and the historic walled league, especially world- the llŷn Coastal Path (now places to visit – this part aberdyfi and little are forests too – most town of Conwy on the famous Caernarfon part of the all-wales Coast of wales is especially railways at Fairbourne famously, the Coed other. in between you’ll find Castle. and attractions Path). rich in history, heritage and tywyn. y brenin Forest Park, Betws-y-Coed, a buzzing like Zip world Velocity in and culture. don’t miss known far and wide country town. Bethesda have helped bring blaenau Ffestiniog, the for its world-class Snowdonia Mountains and old slate capital reborn mountain biking. Coast worldwide fame as an as an internationally activity hot spot. acclaimed activity centre. 2 Snowdonia Mountains and Coast visitsnowdonia.info 3 2017 is Visit Wales’s ‘Year of Legends’. The legends of yesterday and today Surf Snowdonia our legends take on many forms. they apply to people and places, sights and sounds, They couldn’t have chosen a more past and present. appropriate theme – after all, You’ll encounter them at dinas emrys in the lovely Nant Gwynant Valley near Beddgelert, we’re a country with an epic where it’s said there was a great battle between the red and the white dragon (guess who won?). they’re there in aberdyfi, past and rich heritage. New for old where a tidal bell tolls for the fabled it’s a theme that plays out particularly well here in snowdonia mountains but here’s the thing. new legends are kingdom of Cantre’r Gwaelod, submerged and Coast. myth, folklore and legend envelope our mountains and cling being created as we speak – at places like beneath Cardigan bay. to our coastline, with tales of wizards, princes and dragons, historic quarries and slate mines reborn Palatial Caernarfon Castle is a medieval shipwrecks, sunken kingdoms and sea monsters. as adventure (with a capital a) centres with the fastest ziplines in the world and, below monument that casts its net far and wide, ground, acrobatics on giant subterranean evoking memories of Imperial Rome, trampolines.