16 day itinerary
93 pages / 95+ photographs / 3.8 MB file size

In north Wales, this National Park has a combination of beautiful valleys, coastline, lakes, waterfalls, fascinating castles, and rugged mountain ranges, including Snowdon.

Explore the intriguing towns and villages. Learn about the centuries of difficulties with the English.  Visit the superb castles of Edward I, which were deliberately built to suppress the Welsh.  Also learn about the many other facets of the history of the area, dating back to pre-Roman times.  Above all, enjoy the beauty of the mountains and valleys.  Learn about the Welsh language with clear, concise pronunciations, to make your stay more enjoyable.

This itinerary is based in two centres, from which to explore surrounding areas on day trips.  Therefore, the itinerary can also be used for short breaks.

Visit Snowdonia National Park:

Mountains	Snowdon is the second highest in Britain.  There are many others over 3,000 feet, including Cadair Idris
Valleys	nestled between the mountains, these are beautiful areas with ancient forts and castles
History	the area was a political stronghold at many times during the history of Wales.  Because of its beauty, it attracted wealthy landowners
Wildlife	is in abundance, especially near the river valleys.  There are 17 National Nature Reserves
Mountain roads	travel over passes, and along narrow roads - away from the usual tourist areas
Villages	many are on estuaries and rivers, and have fascinating histories and buildings
Slate mining	learn about this important industry over the centuries
Footpaths	walk along some of the 2,000 miles, including old tracks of miners and pilgrims
Many walks	carefully selected and researched, these all are well described, with good explanations of the interesting features

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Visit castles and forts:

Harlech	built by Edward I in 1283 to suppress the Welsh, and used in many other power struggles - it inspired the song Men of Harlech
Caernarfon	also built by Edward I, and used for the investiture of HRH Prince Charles as Prince of Wales in 1969
Conwy	also built by Edward I, it also has a walled town that is one of the most complete in Europe, and one of the world's finest
Penrhyn	completed in 1837, it is excessively elaborate, with crenellated walls and tall towers - all intended to impress
Gwydir	a Tudor mansion from the 1500s, with mock fortifications.  It was the home of the dynasty of the Wynn family, and is still a home
Other castles	visit the ancient ruins of Dolwyddelan, Dolbadarn and Castell-y-Bere - all romantically placed in valleys
Forts	occupation by the Romans has left the forts of Segontium and Tomen-y-Mur, both in strategic positions

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Visit other historic places:

Aberconwy House	a merchant's house, dating from at least the 1300s
Lasynys Fawr	the fascinating 1600s home of the Welsh bard, Ellis Wynne
Ty Mawr Wybrnant	the 1500s home of William Morgan, who translated the Bible into Welsh
Portmeirion	a fantasy Italian village on the edge of an estuary, and a location for the TV series The Prisoner
Plas Mawr	the best surviving Elizabethan town house in Britain, dating from 1576
Dyffryn Burial Chamber	dating from Neolithic times - up to 5,000 years ago

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Visit places of technological interest:

Centre for Alternative Technology	demonstrates environmentally friendly and sustainable ways of living, using water, wind and solar power
Power stations	three are in this land of lakes and valleys, at Dinorwig, Ffestiniog and Trawsfynydd - Britain's first inland nuclear power station
Mines	visits to slate, lead and copper mines are all included

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Visit other interesting places, including:

Bodnant Garden	a National Trust property, with superb formal and informal areas - facing the Conwy valley and Snowdonia mountains
Narrow gauge railways	the area is world-famous for these - most originally being built for the slate industry.  Now they provide a popular way to see the mountain scenery
Canolfan Tryweryn	the National Whitewater Centre for Wales
Ty Hyll	the 'Ugly House', built between sunset and dawn during one night in the 1400s
Museums	including the Museum of Modern Art, the Royal Welch Fusiliers' Museum, the Teapot Museum, the Welsh Slate Museum and 'Celtica', which centres on the Celts
Churches	a handful of ancient churches - mostly in remote places - provide an insight to the past
Others	many and varied other interests include the birthplace of Taliesin, Rupert Bear's Beddgelert, a woollen mill, a Roman road, and explanations of how the area developed

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Maps are important on this itinerary.  It is clearly stated which are recommended.