Lonely Planet Asia August 2017

MINI GUIDE

Outdoors in North Wales

COMPILED BY LORNA PARKES, WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM PETER DRAGICEVICH. PHOTOGRAPHS: LLOYD-HORGAN/ISTOCK/GETTY, DAVID LYONS/ALAMY, MARBURY/ISTOCK/GETTY, CANOPY AND STARS PR, MAKSIME/ISTOCK/GETTY

North Wales essentials The know-how

FURTHER READING

Lonely Planet’s

Wales (£14.99)

dedicates a

number of

chapters to

North Wales,

while the Great Britain

guidebook (£19.99)

succinctly covers the

region in its Snowdonia &

North Wales chapter,

which can be downloaded

individually at

lonelyplanet.com for

£2.99. The Mabinogion

(£8.99; Oxford University

Press) is a classic

collection of Welsh folk

tales; or try A History of

Wales (£16.99; Penguin)

by John Davies for a

fascinating overview

of the country’s past.

CLIMBING SNOWDON

Several routes lead up to the

barren summit of Snowdon.

Llanberis Path The longest

route, starting in Llanberis

(five miles; three hours).

Snowdon Ranger Path Simple,

but with two steep sections;

starts at YHA Snowdon Ranger

(four miles; three hours).

Miners’ Track Broad and flat,

with a couple of steep sections.

Begins at Pen-y-Pass car park

(four miles; three hours).

Pyg Track Great views; climbs

steeply, from the western end of

Pen-y-Pass car park (three-and-

a-half miles; three hours).

Rhyd Ddu Path Follows grazing

land before skirting the rim of

Cwm Clogwyn; uncrowded (four

miles; three hours).

Watkin Path A challenging route

that involves an ascent of more

than 1,000m (four miles;

three-and-a-

half hours).

(beech-bank.co.uk; 2 High St,

Llanberis; from £80).

The Living-Room Treehouse

Experience is a Peter Pan and

Swiss Family Robinson fantasy

come to life. Six rustic-glam

treehouses with wood-burning

stoves sit in an enchanting forest

off the A470 (living-room.co;

two-night stay £379).

An elegant property set

among gardens in the Vale of

Edeyrnion, Tyddyn Llan is a cosy

bolthole for a rural retreat on the

edge of Snowdonia. It offers

walking packages and a Michelin–

starred restaurant (Bala;

tyddynllan.co.uk; Llandrillo, nr

Corwen; from £190).

WHERE TO STAY

Set in a characterful double-

gabled stone house near the

Snowdon railway, Beech Bank is

a fantastic b&b choice. A stylish

renovation has created beautiful

bathrooms and exuberant décor

TRANSPORT

Bangor is a good rail hub in the

heart of North Wales, serviced

by Virgin Trains from UK cities

including London and

Manchester, with some direct

trains (from £60; virgintrains.co.

uk); Virgin trains also run to

Holyhead and Llandudno.

National Express also services the

area. Major rail routes

throughout the region include

the North Wales Coast Line, the

Cambrian Coast Line, and the

Conwy Valley Line. Snowdon

trailheads are well served by

Sherpa buses, but away from

tourist areas services are limited

(gwynedd.gov.uk; day ticket £5).

Plot your route with TravelIne

Cymru (traveline.cymru).

Six individual treehouses offer

back-to-nature accommodation

Tours Activities Sights Sleeping

nd-a-

urs).