Gwynedd

Gwynedd is a local authority area in North Wales.

Cities, towns and villages

Cities

  • ๐ŸŒ Bangor โ€“ location of Penrhyn Castle, a National Trust mock-Norman edifice of the 19th century and The Spinnies, splendidly situated bird hides with the chance to see little egrets and kingfishers.

Towns

  • ๐ŸŒ Bala (Welsh: Y Bala) โ€” the glacial lake and surrounding mountains provides an excellent location for many activities.
  • ๐ŸŒ Barmouth (Abermaw or Y Bermo) โ€” seaside town with an 820 metre bridge offering stunning views of the Mawddach Estuary.
  • ๐ŸŒ Blaenau Ffestiniog โ€” old slate mining village, with opportunity to go down the slate caverns as well as ride a narrow-gauge railway.
  • ๐ŸŒ Caernarfon โ€” impressive castle.
  • ๐ŸŒ Dolgellau โ€” small town at the foot of Cadair Idris.
  • ๐ŸŒ Harlech โ€” castle is a must visit, as long as you have a head for heights.
  • ๐ŸŒ Porthmadog โ€” take the narrow gauge train to Blaenau Ffestiniog
  • ๐ŸŒ Pwllheli โ€” traditional market-town of the beautiful Llลทn Peninsula
  • ๐ŸŒ Tywyn โ€” seaside resort

Villages

  • ๐ŸŒ Aberdaron โ€” visit Plas yn Rhiw, a beautiful, though not large, National Trust property in nearby Rhiw.
  • ๐ŸŒ Aberdyfi โ€” village with opportunities for leisure and sport activities.
  • ๐ŸŒ Abersoch โ€” popular sailing destination.
  • ๐ŸŒ Beddgelert โ€” picturesque village, renowned for the grave of Prince Llywelyn's dog Gelert.
  • ๐ŸŒ Bethesda โ€” try the longest zip line in Europe and the fastest in the world.
  • ๐ŸŒ Criccieth (Cricieth) โ€” remains of castle with massive twin-towered gatehouse
  • ๐ŸŒ Corris โ€” King Arthur's Labyrinth slate quarry tour and craft shops.
  • ๐ŸŒ Dinas Mawddwy โ€” chance to buy woollen items and other traditional goods from mill outlet.
  • ๐ŸŒ Dinas Dinlle โ€” remains of an Iron age fort on the coast, a great beach and in land, Parc Glynllifon an arboretum and a modern amphitheatre worth seeing.
  • ๐ŸŒ Fairbourne โ€” small steam railway and a starting point to walk along the Mawddach Trail
  • ๐ŸŒ Llanberis โ€” National Slate Museum and start point for the train up Snowdon
  • ๐ŸŒ Nefyn โ€” village on the Llลทn Peninsula
  • ๐ŸŒ Penmaenpool (Pwll Penmaen) โ€” walk the Mawddach Way along the estuary.
  • ๐ŸŒ Rhyd Ddu โ€” starting point for walks up Snowdon
  • Talysarn

Other destinations

Talk

Most local people are bilingual in Welsh and English including all tourist shops and popular restaurants. Nonetheless, Welsh is many locals' first language and the one they feel most comfortable expressing themselves in, so any attempt you make to say a few phrases will be most welcome.

Get in

By car

A5 from Shrewsbury then the A470 and A494, or from Shrewsbury the A458 via Welshpool.

The A55 North Wales Expressway connects Chester to Holyhead via Bangor.

By train

The northern part of the county including Bangor can be reached with the North Wales Coast Line from Crewe and Chester, while the Cambrian Line connects the west coast including Barmouth and Pwllheli from Shrewsbury and Birmingham (England). Note the Birmingham/Shrewsbury train splits at Dovey Junction after Machynlleth part going to Aberystwyth, make sure you are in the correct carriage.

By bus

National Express have services to Caernarfon and Bangor from England.

Get around

See

There are a number of prehistoric monuments in the northern part of the county and in southern portion as well as Roman to Modern sites to visit in Gwynedd. Prehistoric sites include hill forts, standing stones, cairns and hut circles.

Large-scale slate mining was important to Wales's economy between the late-18th and mid-20th centuries, and there are many relics of this industry to be found all over Gwynedd, from the remains of quarries, to the railways used to transport the slate to waiting ships at the coast, to workers' housing and amenities. This treasure was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.

Go next

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