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, 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 south 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, the least-used major route
10. Walk the Rhyd Ddu Path for the western view of Snowdon that most visitors never see

The Lakes and Water

11. See Llynnau Mymbyr at dawn with Snowdon reflected in still water
12. Walk to Glaslyn — the copper-green lake beneath Snowdon's summit
13. Swim in Llyn Gwynant on a warm summer morning
14. Walk the circuit of Llyn Idwal in Cwm Idwal
15. Visit Aber Falls after heavy rain
16. Walk to Swallow Falls at dusk when the day visitors have left
17. Kayak on Llyn Tegid at Bala
18. Find Llyn Crafnant on a quiet midweek day
19. Stand at the head of Llyn Cowlyd in the Carneddau — one of the loneliest spots in Eryri
20. Watch the Afon Glaslyn through the Aberglaslyn Pass after autumn rain

Culture and History

21. Visit Caernarfon Castle and walk the town walls
22. See Harlech Castle at sunset with Cardigan Bay turning gold behind it
23. Walk the walls of Conwy and look out over the estuary
24. Visit Dolbadarn Castle above Llanberis — the Welsh princes' mountain stronghold
25. Go underground in the Llechwedd Slate Caverns at Blaenau Ffestiniog
26. Visit the National Slate Museum in Llanberis
27. Learn ten Welsh place names and what they actually mean
28. Find Dinas Emrys above Beddgelert and think about the two dragons
29. Read about the Penrhyn Quarry Strike and visit Bethesda
30. Hear Welsh spoken as the everyday language in a village shop

Railways and Transport

31. Ride the Snowdon Mountain Railway to the summit
32. Travel the full length of the Ffestiniog Railway
33. Take the Welsh Highland Railway through Beddgelert
34. Ride the Bala Lake Railway along the shore of Llyn Tegid
35. Cross the Barmouth Viaduct by train
36. Watch the Ffestiniog Railway cross the Cob at Porthmadog
37. Take the miniature Llanberis Lake Railway along the shore of Llyn Padarn
38. Watch a steam locomotive take on water at Tan-y-Bwlch station
39. Ride the Welsh Highland Railway's full route from Caernarfon to Porthmadog
40. Board the Snowdon Mountain Railway at Llanberis station and watch the rack-and-pinion mechanism engage

Villages and Food

41. Eat a bowl of cawl (Welsh lamb stew) in a village pub after a wet day on the mountains
42. Explore Beddgelert properly — both sides of the river, the church, the legend
43. Spend a morning in Betws-y-Coed before the coaches arrive
44. Browse the outdoor shops of Llanberis and talk to the staff about current conditions
45. Visit Portmeirion — the Italian village built in a Welsh estuary
46. Find a Welsh-language bookshop and buy something
47. Eat fresh fish from the Conwy quayside
48. Have tea and cake at the Pen y Gwryd Hotel — where Hillary and Tenzing prepared for Everest
49. Buy Welsh cakes fresh off the bakestone at a village market
50. Spend an evening in a Capel Curig pub listening to walkers compare routes

Nature and Wildlife

51. Watch peregrine falcons above Cwm Idwal
52. Find a pied flycatcher nest box in the Aberglaslyn oak woods in summer
53. Hear a ring ouzel sing — the mountain blackbird of the high cwms
54. Watch a dipper on the Ogwen river below the Ogwen Valley car park
55. See the autumn colour in the Conwy Valley from above Betws-y-Coed
56. Find Snowdon lily (Lloydia serotina) on the ledges of Cwm Idwal in late spring
57. Watch red kites soaring above the Dyfi Valley in southern Eryri
58. Spot a chough tumbling along the Llŷn Peninsula's sea cliffs
59. Look for Carneddau wild ponies grazing the open plateau
60. Try to spot the gwyniad's home waters on Llyn Tegid at dusk

Adventure and Activities

61. Zip the fastest line in the world at Zip World Velocity 2, Penrhyn Quarry
62. Kayak the calm waters of Llyn Padarn
63. Mountain bike the trail centre at Coed y Brenin
64. Rock climb the classic slabs of Cwm Idwal
65. Wild swim in Glaslyn beneath Snowdon's summit
66. Sea kayak off the Llŷn Peninsula coastline
67. Go underground on a slate-mine adventure tour near Blaenau Ffestiniog
68. Trail run the Pyg Track before the day's walkers set out
69. Try winter mountaineering on Yr Wyddfa in full winter conditions
70. Explore a gorge or canyon route in the hills above Betws-y-Coed

Challenges

71. Climb all 15 Welsh 3,000-foot mountains in 24 hours (the Welsh 3000s challenge)
72. Complete the Snowdon Horseshoe
73. Walk all six main Snowdon routes
74. Scramble Tryfan's North Ridge
75. Complete a night walk to the Snowdon summit for sunrise
76. Run the Snowdon Race route — or just run up Snowdon
77. Swim in a mountain lake above 500 metres
78. Navigate from Ogwen to Pen y Gwryd across the Glyderau in poor visibility
79. Camp wild on the Carneddau
80. Complete the Snowdonia 100 list

Photography

81. Photograph Llynnau Mymbyr at dawn with Snowdon reflected
82. Shoot Swallow Falls at dusk with a long exposure
83. Capture Harlech Castle at golden hour
84. Find the perfect light on the Rhinogydd in autumn
85. Photograph the Milky Way above the Carneddau on a clear winter night
86. Shoot the Aberglaslyn Pass in full autumn colour
87. Photograph Conwy Castle at blue hour, lit against a darkening sky
88. Capture the Ffestiniog Railway crossing a viaduct in low mist
89. Photograph Cadair Idris from the beach at Barmouth
90. Shoot star trails over Llyn Padarn from the Llanberis shoreline

Welsh Culture and Language

91. Order a meal in Welsh, even with a shaky accent
92. Learn to read an Ordnance Survey map with Welsh place names
93. Attend a local eisteddfod, however small
94. Visit a Welsh-medium bookshop and ask for a recommendation
95. Listen to S4C for an evening and see how much you follow
96. Walk a route signed entirely in Welsh and work out where you're going
97. Spend a day somewhere Welsh is the everyday language of the street and the shop
98. Visit a Welsh nonconformist chapel and read the memorial stones
99. Read part of Y Mabinogion before visiting the places it describes
100. Sit in Capel Curig's churchyard at dusk and read the Welsh names on the headstones