Clockwise from main:
View into The Piazza at Portmeirion;
Harlech Castle from
the beach and dunes; Caernarfon Castle
Wicklow Mountains. Watching the sun set over Caernarfon Bay from a perch high on the mountain’s slopes is one of the most spectacular sights you will ever see. The Llanberis Path is the smoothest
approach up Snowdon and the most popular, with a wide trail that winds up beside the Snowdon Mountain Railway. It’s pretty steep in places, so many choose to enjoy the views by taking the train that goes all the way to the top and stops at the new Summit Visitor Centre. Mountaineering afi cionados might wish to stay at the Pen-Y-Gwryd Hotel at the foot of the mountain, from where Sir Hillary and Tenzing trained for the fi rst successful ascent of Mount Everest in 1953. You can continue the railway theme by
boarding the steam train on the Llanberis Lake Railway. It runs past the high circular tower of 13th-century Dolbadarn Castle, heads through the 800-acre Padarn Country Park and joins the old slate railway route to run along the shores of the glacially-formed Lake Padarn to Penllyn, offering glorious views of the mountain. The Country Park includes the ancient Coed Dinorwig oak woodland and the Vivian Quarry with its deep blue lagoon. It was part of the huge
90 BRITAIN
Dinorwig Quarry complex, which is said to have ‘roofed the world’ and was a hive of industrial activity before it closed in 1969. A visit to the nearby candy-coloured village
of Portmeirion is worthwhile. The delicate architecture is at odds with the rugged surroundings of Snowdonia, but it provides a pretty alternative to the grand views. For the Victorians, the resorts of Aberdovey and Barmouth were ‘the most beautiful watering places in Great Britain’ and Barmouth’s location, between a mountain range and the
sea, is particularly picturesque. Located in the south-west corner of the National Park, it is rich with connections to the old shipping and slate industries. There’s a pretty harbour too, bordered by the beautiful Mawddach estuary. It is the perfect place for a vintage seaside holiday, complete with a fairground and donkeys in the summertime. The call of the mountain draws people back
Anglesey Colwyn Bay Bangor Caernarfon Snowdon NATIONAL PARK SNOWDONIA Portmeirion Aberdaron
to Snowdon year after year. It is a monument to the rugged and wild splendour of nature and, with its powerful claim on the legend of King Arthur whose knights are said to be sleeping in a cave on the mountain, it’s a place of romance that is imbued with tales of old. Along with Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike, Britain’s three great peaks dominate the countryside for miles around and, as Wordsworth said, their lofty crests “connect the landscape with the quiet of the sky”.
For details about the Three Peaks Challenge visit
www.thethreepeakschallenge.co.uk. For more information about Ben Nevis visit
www.visit-fortwilliam.co.uk. For Snowdonia visit
www.visitsnowdonia.info and for Scafell Pike visit
www.lakedistrict.gov.uk,
www.golakes.co.uk or
www.visitcumbria.com.
www.britain-magazine.com
PHOTOS: ©VISITBRITAIN/JAMES MCCORMICK/ISTOCK
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