100 Greatest Experiences in Eryri

This is the essential Eryri bucket list: 100 experiences that capture what makes this extraordinary corner of Wales worth returning to again and again. Not just the summits and the famous viewpoints, but the quiet moments, the cultural encounters, the physical challenges and the simple pleasures that make Eryri a place rather than just a destination.

The Mountains

1. Reach the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) by any route
2. Walk the Snowdon Horseshoe: Crib Goch, the summit and Y Lliwedd in a single day
3. Stand on Adam and Eve on the summit of Tryfan
4. Climb to the summit of Cadair Idris and look out over Cardigan Bay
5. Walk the Carneddau ridge from Pen yr Ole Wen to Carnedd Llewelyn
6. See the sunrise from the summit of Moel Siabod
7. Traverse the Glyderau from Ogwen to Pen-y-Gwryd
8. Climb Crib Goch in good conditions, if the experience and fitness are there
9. Ascend Snowdon by the Watkin Path, one of the quieter major routes
10. Walk the Rhyd Ddu Path for the western view of Snowdon that most visitors never see

The Lakes and Water

1. See Llynnau Mymbyr at dawn with Snowdon reflected in still water
2. Walk to Glaslyn, the copper-green lake beneath Snowdon’s summit
3. Swim in Llyn Gwynant on a warm summer morning
4. Walk the circuit of Llyn Idwal in Cwm Idwal
5. Visit Aber Falls after heavy rain
6. Visit Swallow Falls late in the day when the day visitors have left
7. Kayak on Llyn Tegid at Bala
8. Find Llyn Crafnant on a quiet midweek day
9. Stand at the head of Llyn Cowlyd in the Carneddau, one of the loneliest spots in Eryri
10. Watch the Afon Glaslyn through the Aberglaslyn Pass after autumn rain

Culture and History

1. Visit Caernarfon Castle and walk the town walls
2. See Harlech Castle at sunset with Cardigan Bay turning gold behind it
3. Walk the walls of Conwy and look out over the estuary
4. Visit Dolbadarn Castle above Llanberis, the Welsh princes’ mountain stronghold
5. Go underground in the Llechwedd Slate Caverns at Blaenau Ffestiniog
6. Visit the National Slate Museum in Llanberis
7. Learn ten Welsh place names and what they actually mean
8. Find Dinas Emrys above Beddgelert and think about the two dragons
9. Read about the Penrhyn Quarry dispute and visit Bethesda
10. Hear Welsh spoken as the everyday language in a village shop

Railways and Transport

1. Ride the Snowdon Mountain Railway to the summit
2. Travel the full length of the Ffestiniog Railway
3. Take the Welsh Highland Railway through Beddgelert
4. Ride the Bala Lake Railway along the shore of Llyn Tegid
5. Cross Barmouth Bridge by train
6. Watch the Ffestiniog Railway cross the Cob at Porthmadog
7. Take the narrow-gauge Llanberis Lake Railway along the shore of Llyn Padarn
8. Watch a steam locomotive take on water at Tan-y-Bwlch station
9. Ride the Welsh Highland Railway’s full route from Caernarfon to Porthmadog
10. Board the Snowdon Mountain Railway at Llanberis and watch the rack-and-pinion mechanism engage

Villages and Food

1. Eat a bowl of cawl (Welsh lamb broth) in a village pub after a wet day on the mountains
2. Explore Beddgelert properly: both sides of the river, the church, the legend
3. Spend a morning in Betws-y-Coed before the coaches arrive
4. Browse the outdoor shops of Llanberis and talk to the staff about current conditions
5. Visit Portmeirion, the Italianate village on a Welsh estuary
6. Find a Welsh-language bookshop and buy something
7. Eat fresh fish on the Conwy quayside
8. Have tea and cake at the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel, where the 1953 Everest team prepared
9. Buy Welsh cakes fresh off the bakestone at a village market
10. Spend an evening in a Capel Curig pub listening to walkers compare routes

Nature and Wildlife

1. Watch peregrine falcons above Cwm Idwal
2. Look for pied flycatchers in the oak woods of the Aberglaslyn Pass in early summer
3. Hear a ring ouzel sing, the mountain blackbird of the high cwms
4. Watch a dipper on the rivers of the Ogwen valley
5. See the autumn colour in the Conwy valley from above Betws-y-Coed
6. Look (from a respectful distance) for arctic-alpine flowers on the ledges of Cwm Idwal in late spring
7. Watch red kites soaring over the hills of southern Eryri
8. Spot a chough tumbling along the Llŷn Peninsula’s sea cliffs
9. Look for Carneddau wild ponies grazing the open plateau
10. Watch dusk fall over the gwyniad’s home waters on Llyn Tegid

Adventure and Activities

1. Ride Zip World Velocity 2, billed as the fastest zip line in the world, at Penrhyn Quarry
2. Kayak the calm waters of Llyn Padarn
3. Mountain bike the trails at Coed y Brenin
4. Rock climb the classic slabs of Cwm Idwal with a qualified instructor
5. Wild swim in Glaslyn beneath Snowdon’s summit
6. Sea kayak off the Llŷn Peninsula coastline
7. Go underground on a slate-mine adventure tour near Blaenau Ffestiniog
8. Trail run the Pyg Track before the day’s walkers set out
9. Try winter mountaineering on Yr Wyddfa in full winter conditions, with the right skills or a guide
10. Explore a gorge or canyoning route in the hills around Betws-y-Coed with a qualified provider

Challenges

1. Climb all the Welsh 3,000-foot mountains in 24 hours (the Welsh 3000s challenge)
2. Complete the Snowdon Horseshoe
3. Walk all six main Snowdon routes
4. Scramble Tryfan‘s North Ridge
5. Complete a night walk to the Snowdon summit for sunrise
6. Run the Snowdon Race route, or just run up Snowdon
7. Swim in a mountain lake above 500 metres
8. Navigate from Ogwen to Pen-y-Gwryd across the Glyderau in poor visibility
9. Wild camp in the Carneddau, with the landowner’s permission and leaving no trace
10. Complete the Snowdonia 100 list

Photography

1. Photograph Llynnau Mymbyr at dawn with Snowdon reflected
2. Shoot Swallow Falls with a long exposure
3. Capture Harlech Castle at golden hour
4. Find the perfect light on the Rhinogydd in autumn
5. Photograph the Milky Way (see stargazing in Eryri) above the Carneddau on a clear winter night
6. Shoot the Aberglaslyn Pass in full autumn colour
7. Photograph Conwy Castle at blue hour, lit against a darkening sky
8. Capture the Ffestiniog Railway in low mist
9. Photograph Cadair Idris across the estuary from Barmouth
10. Shoot star trails over Llyn Padarn from the Llanberis shoreline

Welsh Culture and Language

1. Order a meal in Welsh, even with a shaky accent
2. Learn to read an Ordnance Survey map with Welsh place names
3. Attend a local eisteddfod, however small
4. Visit a Welsh-language bookshop and ask for a recommendation
5. Watch S4C for an evening and see how much you follow
6. Walk a route where every name is Welsh and work out what they mean
7. Spend a day somewhere Welsh is the everyday language of the street and the shop
8. Visit a Welsh Nonconformist chapel and read the memorial stones
9. Read part of Y Mabinogion before visiting the places it describes
10. Sit in Capel Curig’s churchyard at dusk and read the Welsh names on the headstones