Places to go - Snowdon

Snowdon

The inscription on Thomas Telford’s ornate iron arch proudly announces that the Waterloo Bridge was built in 1815 to commemorate Wellington’s victory over Napoleon. The bridge straddles the River Llugwy at Betws-y-Coed, one of the prettiest villages in North Wales, a short distance from where the river tumbles down a series of rocks at the picturesque Swallow Falls.

Centred on Snowdon, the highest peak in England and Wales (1,085 metres; 3,560 feet), Snowdonia is a compact region of distinctively shaped mountains, ideal for walking, climbing, and horseriding. Though predominantly rural in character, Snowdonia has a considerable industrial heritage, which forms the theme of tours round the Sygun Copper Mine, Llechwedd Slate Caverns, and Dinorwig underground hydroelectric power station.
Snowdon is not the highest mountain in Britain; it can claim to be the most spectacular. There are lots of walks up to the summit of Snowdon from villages all round the mountain, ranging from brisk walks to full climbing routes with crampons. Mind you for the less energetic, there is always the train from Llanberis to Snowdon’s summit. It is a rack and pinoin railway that mounts gradients as steep as 1 in 5, as it wends its way 5 miles up to the top of Snowdon

Snowdon Mountain Railway

As for walks, the easiest route up Snowdon follows a track alongside the railway from Llanberis. Then from the top of Llanberis Pass, three other routes fan out; the easiest is the miner’s track, which climbs from the shore of Llyn Llydaw. The Pig Track from there is harder and the third route, over Crib Goch, is not for the inexperienced.

On the west of Snowdon, two tracks are worth mention. Beddgelert Track, which starts 2 miles north of the village, is the harder of the two. The easier is the Snowdon Ranger Path starting from the shore of Llyn Cwellyn

The experienced climber might consider the Watkin Path from Nantgwynant on the south side of Snowdon.

You need proper climbing gear for this ascent of Mount Snowdon

Unlike most valleys in Snowdonia, which were formed by glaciation during the last ice age, Tal-y-Llyn is part of the Bala Fault, a 20-kilometre (12-mile) crack in the earth’s surface resulting from violent earth movements. The valley sits at the foot of Cader Idris (893 metres; 2,929 feet), one of the most popular mountains for climbers and walkers in the Snowdonia National park