Things to do in Gwynedd

Aberdaron is a small village at the very tip of the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales, a remote community at the end of the long peninsula whose combination of the ancient church, the sheltered bay and the views toward Bardsey Island just two miles offshore creates one of the most evocative and most spiritually resonant destinations in Wales. The village was the last resting point for medieval pilgrims before they crossed the treacherous Bardsey Sound to the island monastery of Bardsey, and the tradition of pilgrimage that made Aberdaron a waystation in the medieval world gives it a depth of spiritual association that persists in the atmosphere of this remote place. The Church of St Hywyn by the beach dates from the twelfth century and was the principal church of the peninsula in the medieval period, its twin naves reflecting the expansion of the building to accommodate the pilgrim traffic that passed through on its way to Bardsey. The churchyard and the two-storey building above the beach known as Y Gegin Fawr, the Great Kitchen, where pilgrims were fed before their crossing, complete the physical evidence of the medieval pilgrimage tradition. R S Thomas, the Welsh priest and poet regarded by many as the finest Welsh poet of the twentieth century, served as vicar of Aberdaron from 1967 to 1978 and his poetry is saturated with the landscape and spiritual qualities of this remote peninsula. The combination of the Thomas association, the medieval pilgrimage heritage and the wild beauty of the surrounding coast makes Aberdaron a destination of exceptional cultural depth.

Barmouth Beach is one of the most popular beaches on the west coast of Wales, a long sandy shore stretching south from the Victorian resort town of Barmouth at the mouth of the Mawddach Estuary in Gwynedd, backed by dunes and looking out across Cardigan Bay toward the LlÅ·n Peninsula to the northwest. The beach occupies a setting of considerable natural drama, with the Rhinog mountains rising steeply just inland and the broad, shining expanse of the Mawddach Estuary providing one of the finest estuary landscapes in Wales immediately to the north of the town. Barmouth developed as a seaside resort in the Victorian period when the arrival of the Cambrian Coast Railway made it accessible from the English Midlands and provided the infrastructure for the hotels, boarding houses and amusement facilities of a working seaside town. The Victorian and Edwardian character of the seafront is still evident in the architecture of the promenade buildings, and the town retains the slightly faded charm appropriate to a resort that has been welcoming visitors for generations without being substantially modernised. The Barmouth Bridge, a wooden railway viaduct of exceptional length crossing the mouth of the Mawddach Estuary, is one of the most distinctive pieces of Victorian railway engineering in Wales and provides a pedestrian walkway across the estuary that offers remarkable views of the mountain and estuary landscape. The Mawddach Trail, a cycling and walking route along the former railway line on the southern side of the estuary from Barmouth to Dolgellau, is one of the finest low-level estuary walks in Wales, passing through a landscape of tidal mudflats, oak woodland and mountain backdrop. The town centre, with its independent shops and restaurants concentrated on the narrow streets above the beach, and the good coastal walking on the Rhinog headlands north of the estuary make Barmouth a rewarding destination for visitors seeking the combination of beach, estuary and mountain scenery that defines this exceptional stretch of the Welsh coast.

Barmouth Bridge is one of the most extraordinary pieces of Victorian railway engineering in Wales, a timber viaduct of approximately eight hundred metres length crossing the mouth of the Mawddach Estuary between Barmouth and Morfa Mawddach station on the Cambrian Coast Line. The bridge was built in 1867 and has been maintained in service ever since, carrying both the railway and a pedestrian walkway across the estuary in a structure that is simultaneously an outstanding piece of civil engineering heritage and a remarkable viewpoint over one of the finest estuarine landscapes in Wales. The construction of the bridge from timber rather than iron or masonry reflected both the economics of nineteenth-century railway building in this remote part of Wales and the particular challenges of crossing the shifting sands and tidal waters of the Mawddach mouth. The bridge rests on hundreds of timber piles driven into the estuary bed, supplemented by a swing section at the northern end that allows maritime traffic to pass when required. The structure requires continuous maintenance and periodic replacement of its timber components, a programme of ongoing conservation work that has kept a building dating from 1867 in operational railway use to the present day. The views from the pedestrian walkway of the bridge are exceptional in both directions. To the east the Mawddach Estuary stretches inland between the Rhinog mountains to the north and Cadair Idris rising massively to the south, a vista of mountain and water that John Ruskin described as one of the finest estuary landscapes in Europe. To the west Cardigan Bay opens toward the horizon with the sandy beach at Barmouth below and the distant outline of the LlÅ·n Peninsula closing the view to the northwest. The Mawddach Trail long-distance walking and cycling route runs from Barmouth to Dolgellau along the southern bank of the estuary, using the former railway trackbed that once extended inland from the junction at Morfa Mawddach. The trail provides a gentle, traffic-free route through an exceptionally scenic estuary landscape.

The Legend of Beddgelert – Myth or Reality? Nestled among the dramatic mountains of Beddgelert in Snowdonia National Park, this charming Welsh village is famous for one of the most powerful legends in Welsh folklore — the tragic story of Gelert the faithful dog. The village name itself means “Gelert’s Grave.” Long ago, Beddgelert was described as “a few dozen hard grey houses… huddled together in some majestic mountain scenery.” Even today, the village sits surrounded by breathtaking landscapes just south of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), the highest mountain in England and Wales. The Story of Prince Llywelyn and Gelert According to legend, the medieval Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Iorwerth once set out on a hunting trip, leaving his infant son at home under the watchful care of his loyal hunting dog, Gelert. When the prince returned, Gelert rushed to greet him. But something was terribly wrong — the dog’s muzzle was covered in blood, and the prince’s baby was nowhere to be seen. Believing the worst, Llywelyn flew into a rage and struck down his faithful companion. Moments later, he heard a baby crying. Pushing through nearby bushes, he discovered his son alive and safe in his cradle. Beside it lay the body of a giant wolf, slain after a fierce struggle. Gelert had fought the animal to the death to protect the child. Realising his terrible mistake, the prince rushed back to the dog — but it was too late. Gelert died from the wounds inflicted by his master. Overcome with grief and guilt, Llywelyn is said to have buried his loyal dog in the village. From that day on, the place became known as Beddgelert — the grave of Gelert. Legend or Clever Marketing? As powerful as the story is, historians believe it is almost certainly a myth. The tale was likely invented by local traders many years ago to attract visitors travelling through the Snowdon area. In reality, the name Beddgelert probably refers to Saint Gelert, a sixth-century religious figure associated with the region. By the mid-19th century the legend was already widely known. When the writer George Borrow visited the village in 1854, he recorded the story during his travels through Wales. His journey later became the basis for his famous book Wild Wales, published in 1862. Gelert’s Grave Today visitors can still see the supposed tomb of Gelert, located in a peaceful meadow below Cerrig Llan. The grave itself is simple, consisting of a stone slab lying on its side with two upright stones nearby. Whether the story behind it is true or not, it remains one of the most visited landmarks in the village. A Valley That Inspired Travellers George Borrow described the surrounding landscape as: “A wondrous valley — rivalling for grandeur and beauty any vale either in the Alps or Pyrenees.” It’s easy to see why. Beddgelert sits at the heart of some of the most spectacular scenery in North Wales. The skyline is dominated by Snowdon, while the surrounding countryside is filled with: Wooded valleys Rocky mountain slopes Crystal-clear lakes Fast-flowing rivers A Village Full of Character Despite its popularity, Beddgelert has managed to retain its traditional charm. The village is filled with stone-built houses, inns and small hotels, all surrounded by the dramatic landscape of Snowdonia. Small, welcoming and full of character, Beddgelert offers visitors a wide range of amenities including: Hotels and guest houses Cafés and restaurants Independent shops Local attractions All set within one of the most beautiful parts of Wales. A Story That Still Lives On Whether the legend of Gelert is true or simply a clever story told centuries ago, it has become an enduring part of Welsh culture. Today, visitors still walk through the quiet meadow to see Gelert’s grave, imagining the loyalty of a dog whose story continues to echo through the mountains of Snowdonia. Practical Summary Location: Beddgelert, Snowdonia National Park Meaning of the name: “Gelert’s Grave” Legend: Prince Llywelyn accidentally kills his faithful dog after mistaking it for harming his child Reality: The story was likely created to attract visitors Landmark: Gelert’s Grave in a meadow below Cerrig Llan

Bodnant Garden in the Conwy Valley in North Wales is one of the finest gardens in Britain, an 80-acre National Trust garden on the slopes above the River Conwy with views across the valley to the peaks of Snowdonia that provides a garden experience of exceptional beauty and horticultural richness across every season of the year. The garden was laid out from 1875 onward by the McLaren family, later Lords Aberconwy, who possessed both the horticultural knowledge and the resources to create a garden of truly ambitious scope, and the result is a place that combines formal Italianate terraces with wild woodland gardens in a seamless and entirely satisfying composition. The formal terraces near the house, constructed in the early twentieth century by the second Lord Aberconwy, are among the finest pieces of formal garden design in Wales. The series of five terraces descend from the house to the stream below in a progression of architectural garden spaces including the Canal Terrace, the Croquet Terrace, the Rose Terrace and the Italian Terrace, each with its own character and planting scheme and all linked by steps, balustrades and pools in a composition that manages the steep slope with both practicality and elegance. Bodnant is particularly celebrated for two seasonal spectacles. The laburnum arch, a tunnel approximately fifty metres long formed by trained laburnum trees, flowers in late May and early June in a cascade of yellow that is one of the most photographed garden features in Britain. The rhododendron and camellia plantings in the Dell, the wooded valley below the formal terraces, provide a sequence of flowering from January through June that makes Bodnant worth visiting throughout the spring season. The Dell itself, a wild garden in a steep wooded valley through which the Hiraethlyn stream runs, contains mature specimen trees of exceptional size and quality and provides a romantic and informal counterpoint to the formal terraces above.

Bryn Bras Castle near Brynrefail in Gwynedd is a nineteenth-century Romanesque Revival castle in the foothills of Snowdonia, built in the 1830s on the site of an earlier structure and representing the early Victorian enthusiasm for romantic castle architecture in the Welsh landscape. The castle is privately owned and has been available as a luxury self-catering holiday let, providing accommodation within an authentic nineteenth-century castle with views toward Snowdon and the surrounding mountains. The setting in the lower foothills of Snowdonia with its mountain backdrop, mature gardens and parkland views provides an unusually scenic base for exploring Snowdonia National Park, with the summit of Snowdon, the Welsh Highland Railway and the medieval castles of Gwynedd all within easy reach of this attractively situated historic property.

Cadair Idris, known in Welsh as the Chair of Idris, is one of the most dramatic and most atmospheric mountains in Wales, a great ridge of volcanic rocks rising to 893 metres in the southern Snowdonia National Park whose combination of the precipitous northern face dropping to the glacial lake of Llyn Cau, the extraordinary views from the summit plateau and the rich body of legend associated with the mountain create one of the most compelling mountain walking experiences in Britain. The mountain is the second most climbed in Wales after Snowdon and provides walking routes of significant variety and challenge. The summit plateau of Cadair Idris, the Penygadair ridge, provides views of exceptional range encompassing the Cambrian Mountains to the east, the Llŷn Peninsula to the north, Cardigan Bay to the west and the Brecon Beacons to the south, one of the most comprehensive panoramas available from any mountain summit in Wales. The view north from the summit down to the glacial lake of Llyn Cau, enclosed within the great corrie carved by the last Ice Age glacier, is one of the finest cliff and lake views in Wales. The legend that those who spend a night on the summit will either die, go mad or awaken as a poet is one of the most celebrated and most repeated in Welsh mountain mythology, and the folk tradition of the giant Idris sitting on the mountain with the sky as his observatory adds a dimension of imaginative richness to an already dramatic landscape.

Caernarfon Castle on the northwest coast of Wales is one of the most formidable and architecturally magnificent of the castles built by Edward I of England during his conquest and subjugation of Wales in the late thirteenth century, a vast fortress of polygonal towers and distinctive banded masonry that served simultaneously as a military stronghold, a seat of royal administration and a symbolic statement of English power over the conquered Welsh nation. Together with its companion fortresses at Conwy, Beaumaris and Harlech, Caernarfon forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognised as the finest surviving ensemble of medieval military architecture in Europe. The castle was begun in 1283 and continued under construction for several decades, its design departing significantly from the conventional round tower plan of English castle-building in favour of the distinctive polygonal towers and the banded masonry of dark and light stone that Edward directed in conscious imitation of the Theodosian walls of Constantinople, which he had seen during his crusade to the Holy Land. The symbolic reference to imperial architecture was entirely deliberate: Edward was building an English Jerusalem in Wales, a seat of power that would proclaim the permanence of his conquest in the most visible and architecturally prestigious terms available. The birth of Edward's son in the castle in 1284, subsequently presented to the Welsh as a prince who had been born in Wales and could speak no English, established the tradition of investing the eldest son of the English monarch as Prince of Wales, a ceremony that has been performed at Caernarfon on several occasions and most recently in 1969 when the investiture of Prince Charles was a major televised event. The castle's connection to this tradition of investiture has become an important part of its significance as a symbol of the constitutional relationship between England and Wales.

Architectural ingenuity and natural advantages combine in a must-visit Welsh-built fortress It may be remote. But it’s a magnet for all castle lovers. Strung along a jagged rocky outcrop in the Dysynni Valley at the foot of Cader Idris, Castell y Bere is especially good at evoking the spirit and atmosphere of Wales’s native castles. Built by Welsh ruler Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great) to protect Gwynedd’s southern frontier, construction began in 1221 with the castle remaining in use until 1294. Though much of the Castell y Bere’s strength can be attributed to its commanding location, its design is a testament to the ingenuity of its Welsh architects. The sophisticated entrance featuring two gatehouses with drawbridges and possibly portcullises was extremely advanced for its time, even by the standards of English fortifications.

Coed y Brenin, meaning the Forest of the King in Welsh, is a large forest park in the Mawddach Valley near Dolgellau in southern Snowdonia that has developed over the past two decades into one of the most important mountain biking centres in Britain, a network of purpose-built trails through the forest and the surrounding upland terrain that provides an exceptional range of cycling experiences from gentle family routes to some of the most technically challenging trails available in Wales. The visitor centre at the heart of the forest provides the facilities hub for the mountain biking community. The forest covers approximately 9,000 acres of the Mawddach and Eden valleys and the trail network extends through a landscape of considerable variety, the forest tracks providing sheltered riding through mature conifer and mixed woodland while the higher trails above the tree line provide mountain scenery of the southern Snowdonia uplands. The Gold Trail, the most celebrated and most challenging trail in the network, was the first purpose-built mountain bike trail in Wales and established Coed y Brenin as a pioneer of the trail centre model that has since been developed across the country. The river gorges and waterfalls of the Mawddach tributaries provide additional scenic interest within the forest, and the walking trails that complement the cycling network provide access to the same landscape for those on foot. The Mawddach Estuary below the forest, one of the most beautiful estuaries in Wales, provides an excellent complementary destination.

The Conwy Falls in the Conwy Valley near Betws-y-Coed are a dramatic series of waterfalls and rapids where the River Conwy descends through a narrow gorge of ancient volcanic rock in one of the finest and most accessible waterfall walks in Snowdonia National Park. The falls descend approximately 20 metres in the principal drop before continuing through a series of cascades and pools in the sheltered gorge below, the moss-covered rock walls and the ancient oak woodland above creating an atmosphere of enclosed natural drama characteristic of the Conwy Valley gorge landscapes. The geological setting of Conwy Falls reflects the ancient volcanic history of Snowdonia, the rocks through which the river cuts representing some of the oldest volcanic formations in the national park, formed approximately 450 million years ago during the Ordovician period. The differential hardness of the various volcanic and sedimentary layers has shaped the falls and gorge as the river has progressively eroded its bed over thousands of years since the last Ice Age, and the current falls represent a geological process still actively modifying the valley. The tea room and car park at the falls provide visitor facilities and the short walk to the viewpoint above the principal fall is accessible to most visitors. The longer walk through the gorge woodland below the falls extends the experience into an excellent riverside and woodland walk through some of the finest surviving ancient oak woodland in the Conwy Valley.

Spectacular coastal castle built – and destroyed – by powerful Welsh princes Cricieth is truly a castle to capture the imagination. Crowning its own rocky headland between two beaches it commands astonishing views over the town and across the wide sweep of Cardigan Bay. No wonder Turner felt moved to paint it. By then it was a picturesque ruin – destroyed by one of Wales’s most powerful medieval princes, Owain Glyndŵr. But it was built by two of his illustrious predecessors. First Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great) created the immense gatehouse flanked by D-shaped stone towers. Then his grandson Llywelyn ap Gruffudd – or Llywelyn the Last – added the outer ward, curtain walls and two new towers. Still this craggy fortress wasn’t enough to withstand the invasion of Edward I. The English king made a few improvements of his own, equipping the north tower with a stone-throwing machine to deter Welsh attacks. It was still in English hands in 1404 when the towers were burnt red by Owain Glyndŵr. Without a garrison to protect it, the town became entirely Welsh once more.

Welsh castle and solitary guardian of Eryri's (Snowdonia’s) Llanberis Pass Occupying a lofty, lonely spot overlooking the waters of Llyn Padarn, native-built Castell Dolbadarn was once a vital link in the defences of the ancient kingdom of Gwynedd. Most likely constructed by Llywelyn ap Iorwerth (Llywelyn the Great) in the late 12th or early 13th century, it stood watch over the strategic route inland from Caernarfon to the upper Conwy Valley. Today the site is dominated by the sturdy round tower, very different in style to the unmortared slate slabs which make up the castle’s curtain walls. Standing 50ft/15.2m high, the tower’s design was probably inspired by that of similar fortresses built by Llywelyn’s rivals in the borderlands of the southern Marches.

The Fairy Glen on the River Conwy near Betws-y-Coed in the Conwy Valley is a short but exceptionally beautiful wooded gorge where the river descends through a series of rapids, pools and small falls in a setting of ancient sessile oak woodland and moss-covered rock that creates one of the most atmospheric and most intimate natural landscapes in Snowdonia. The glen is reached by a short woodland path from the road near Fairy Glen Farm and the combination of the enclosed gorge, the clear water and the quality of the ancient woodland creates a nature experience of great delicacy and beauty. The sessile oak woodland of the Fairy Glen is one of the finest examples of Atlantic oakwood in the Conwy Valley, the ancient trees draped in ferns and mosses in the moist sheltered conditions of the gorge creating the characteristic western British oceanic woodland of exceptional botanical richness. The woodland floor supports a diverse community of woodland plants including wood sorrel, wood anemone and various ferns, and the combination of the tree canopy and the understorey creates layers of habitat for the woodland birds of the Snowdonia valleys. The name Fairy Glen reflects the Victorian Romantic response to this kind of sheltered, mossy, rushing-stream landscape, which appeared to those nineteenth-century visitors to provide the ideal habitat for the supernatural fairy beings of Celtic tradition. Many similar wooded gorges across Wales and Scotland bear the same name, but the Conwy example is among the finest and most accessible.

The Ffestiniog Railway is the oldest surviving independent narrow-gauge railway in the world, a 13.5-mile line running from Porthmadog on the Cardigan Bay coast through the mountains of southern Snowdonia to Blaenau Ffestiniog at the heart of the Welsh slate quarrying industry, whose combination of the extraordinary mountain scenery traversed, the Victorian and Edwardian carriages and steam locomotives maintained in working order and the industrial heritage of the slate trade that created the line provides one of the finest heritage railway experiences in Britain. The railway was built between 1832 and 1836 to carry slate from the quarries of Blaenau Ffestiniog to the harbour at Porthmadog for export to the world. The slate of Blaenau Ffestiniog roofed much of the Victorian world, and the railway that carried it to the coast was one of the most important industrial transport links in Wales. The closure of the railway in 1946 and its subsequent reopening by volunteer enthusiasts from 1955 onward is one of the defining stories of the heritage railway movement in Britain. The mountain section of the line between Tanygrisiau and Blaenau Ffestiniog traverses the most dramatically scenic section, the railway hugging the hillside above the reservoir with views across the mountains in a sequence of spectacular vistas. The combination of the Ffestiniog and the Welsh Highland Railway, which connects Caernarfon to Porthmadog through the heart of Snowdonia, creates one of the finest narrow-gauge railway experiences available anywhere in the world.