Various Snowdon Walking Routes
Snowdonia (Eryri in Welsh) is an outstanding National Park in North Wales, famous for its mountainous landscape and coastline. Snowdonia National Park is full of history and is home to many famous villages and castles.
Snowdonia offers something for everyone, with events, attractions and numerous outdoor activities, all set in beautiful scenery. Snowdonia National Park makes a brilliant day trip, but there are also plenty of places to stay if you’re planning a longer trip.
Snowdonia is home to Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales at 3560ft. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the mountain every year to experience its unique presence and trek up one of the various Snowdon paths. The mountain is host to a large diversity of plants and animals and a lot of effort is made to maintain the mountain’s ecology.
There are many rare animals throughout Snowdonia, including mammals like otters, polecats and the feral goat, and birds such as the raven, peregrine, osprey, merlin and the red kite.
Some of the various villages in Snowdonia include Bethesda, Betws-y-Coed, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Llanbedr and Harlech.
Before the boundaries of Snowdonia were designated, the term “Snowdonia” referred to a much smaller area; the upland of northern Gwynedd centered around the Snowdon massif. The National Park now covers an area over double that size, reaching far south into the Meirionnydd.
Snowdonia has a wonderful range of accommodation establishments to suit all budgets in tastes including, B&B’s, hotels, camp sites and Holiday Parks Snowdonia.
Snowdonia National Park is located in the west of North Wales. The National Park attracts over six million visitors per year and has many attractions and popular towns and villages.
One of the main points in Snowdonia is Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales. The mountain is located in Llanberis and has numerous routes leading to the summit. A popular way to reach the peak of the mountain if you’re not a climber is the Snowdon Mountain Railway (SMR), a tourist railway which travels 4.7 miles to the top.
The Snowdon Mountain Railway is the only public rack and pinion railway in the UK and has been operating for over 100 years. The railway is owned by Heritage Great Britain plc, and they operate it is some of the harshest weather conditions in Britain. It closes during the winter, from November to mid March.
There is a visitor centre located at the summit of Snowdon called Hafod Eryri. The centre includes a refreshments area offering a selection of hot and cold snacks and drinks. A range of souvenirs are also available.
The trains run to the top of the mountain regularly every day during the summer months, sometimes the trains have to stop due to the extreme weather conditions experience on top of the mountain. The winds can reach over 150mph, with rainfall reaching 5 meters and temperatures hitting -20.
