Snowdonia National Park
A land of sea, mountains and castle, a land filled with heritage and history and so so much more...
The Snowdonia National Park Mountains & Coast satisfies all these expectations- and more. It could hardly be otherwise. Some of Britain's biggest, boldest mountain spring from its soil. The coastline is bathed in beauty. National Parklands, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Heritage Coast fill much of the landscape. The attractions here include castles, 'great little trains' and slate caverns. And there's a world-class choice of activities on tap, everything from walking to mountain biking, sailing to golfing.
Friendly Faces
Visitors appreciate the area's unique 'sense of place', an almost mystical amalgam of landscape and local culture, together with the 'Croeso' - 'Welcome' - that's such a part of the Welsh character.
This hospitality extends to the
accommodation on offer. With our choice of
Bed and Breakfast,
self Catering Cottages and
Camping/Caravanning there's sure to be something for everyone in our family run Business, we like to think that we can offer a taster of what life in Wales is really like, relaxed and comfortable.
And it's all here , so read on:-
Snowdonia National Park
Snowdonia National Park
Snowdonia
National Park was
established in 1951 and is
the second largest of the 11
National Parks in England
and Wales. The Park covers
2,132 square km (823 square
miles) and stretches from
Cardigan Bay's High Water
Mark in the west, to the
Conwy Valley in the east and
from the River Dyfi and its
estuary in the south to the
coast of Conwy Bay as far as
Conwy in the north. The
boundary map shows the
extent of the National Park
boundary.
The
Snowdonia National Park
takes its name from Snowdon
which, at 1085m (3,560
feet), is the highest peak
in Wales and England. In
Welsh, Snowdon used to be
called Yr Wyddfa Fawr (the
Great Tomb or the Great
Throne) or Carnedd y Cawr
(the Cairn of the Giant).
Nowadays it is simply called
Yr Wyddfa, but the various
names bear testament to a
land steeped in legends,
history and tradition. This
is the ancient Kingdom of
Gwynedd, the heart of Wales
and the stronghold of 'Cymraeg',
the Welsh Language. The
Welsh name for the National
Park is Eryri (The
Highland).
Snowdonia is
synonymous with extensive
areas of windswept uplands
and jagged peaks, the
"raison d'être" for its
National Park designation.
The nine mountain ranges
cover approximately 52% of
the Park and include many
peaks that are over 3000
feet (915m). Apart from the
beauty and charm of its high
mountains, Snowdonia has
inspiring natural and
semi-natural habitats. It is
a delightfully varied
landscape of steep river
gorges, waterfalls, passes
and green valleys. Remnants
of the once common oak, ash,
rowan and hazel woodlands
are found scattered
throughout the Park whilst
the beautiful Dyfi, Mawddach
and Dwyryd estuaries and 23
miles of coastline and sandy
beaches contribute to the
overall diversity of habitat
forms. This range of
habitats is recognised
nationally and
internationally by the
numerous designations
ranging from Local
Conservation Areas and Sites
of Special Scientific
Interest to Special Areas of
Conservation and the Dyfi
Estuary which is a proposed
World Biosphere Site.
This is unquestionably the most scenically varied National Park in Britain. Within its boundaries you'll find mountain, moor and sea, rocky peaks and green hills, wooded valleys and sublimely beautiful estuaries.
It was amongst the boulder-strewn Glyderau, a neighbour of Snowdon that the team that first conquered Everest trained in the early 1950s. But those classic mountains in the Park's north-western corner are just one piece in an intricate jigsaw. Snowdonia has its gentler side too. Around Ffestiniog and Betws y Coed there are sheltered vales clothed in ancient oakwoods, rivers and waterfalls, and the hauntingly beautiful heather moorlands of the undisturbed Migneint.
Keep traveling and you'll come to BALA, a small town set beside the largest natural lake in WALES and surrounded by green hills and mountins. Further south still there are more mountains - but again subtly differed to those of rugged Snowdon. The RHINOGYDD above Harlech are one of Britain's few remaining true wildernesses. And the southern gateway to the Park is guarded by mighty
CADER IDRIS, a giant summit looming over the rooftops of
DOLGELLAU.
COASTING ALONG
But it's in the west that you'll discover Snowdonia's biggest surprises. Snowdonia National Park also embraces a spectacular coastline of sandy beaches, dunes, headlands and esturaries. Mountains meet the sea in a memorable encounter along the DYFI, MAWDDACH and DWYRYD estuaries, on a coast dotted with charming resorts and villages.
So you can while away the morning on the beach and
walk the hills in the afternoon. That's the unique beauty of Snowdonia - and its scenic diversity is matched by a wealth of
outdoor activities. Follow in the footsteps of those Everst pioneers or take a gentle stroll along a riverbank. Go wildlife watching at nature reserves or head for the hills on horseback. Enjoy canoeing, sailing,
fishing,
golf and water sports or explore the countryside by
mountain bike.
|
