Tear out page here then fold along the dotted lines TURN OVER FOR MAP AND NUMBER LOCATIONS
Fold 1Outdoors in
North Wales
The myth-rich mountains and valleys of North
Wales were once a hive of mines and industry;
now, this landscape is a playground for hikers,
bikers and thrill-seekers.Sunrise over Snowdonia
National Park as seen from
the summit of SnowdonOn water
Adrenaline activities Landscapes
BETWS-Y-COED
Go Below has the world’s longest
underground zip line and can
take you to the deepest point in
Britain accessible to the public –
almost 400m below ground,
inside an old slate mine. Try
whizzing across lakes and
abseiling down shafts. No caving
experience is required. The
booking office is at Conwy Falls,
on the A5 two miles south
of Betws-y-Coed (go-below.co.
uk; Betws-y-Coed; from £49).BLAENAU FFESTINIOG
Most of the slate used to roof
19th-century Britain came from
Wales, much of it from the
mines of Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Encircled by dark, bare
mountains of slate, Blaenau’s
cathedral-sized former mines
have been ingeniously converted
into an underground adventure
world. Interconnected bouncy
nets, walkways, tunnels and
slides provide a playground for
practising trampoline tricks
(zipworld.co.uk; Llechwedd Slate
Caverns, Blaenau Ffestiniog;
one-hour trampolining £25).COED Y BRENIN
FOREST PARK
Covering 16 square miles, this
woodland park is Wales’s
premier location for mountain
biking. Ever-expanding, it’s
laced with more than 70 miles
of purpose-built cycle trails,
divided into eight graded routes
to suit everyone from beginners
to pros. Guidance is by
old-fashioned waterproof trail
cards or downloadable
geocaches and MP3 audio files.
Wildlife here includes fallow
deer (naturalresources.wales;
eight miles north of Dolgellau).SURF SNOWDONIA
On the site of an old aluminium
factory in the Conwy Valley,
Surf Snowdonia is perhaps the
most headline-stealing example
of North Wales’s reinvention as
an outdoors adventure hub.
This 300m inland lagoon
generates the world’s longest
surfable man-made waves.
Learn to surf or try SUP
(surfsnowdonia.com; Conway
Rd, Dolgarrog; 8am–11pm; surf
lesson from £55).PONTCYSYLLTE
AQUEDUCT
Built in 1805, the Unesco-listed
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is the
highest canal aqueduct ever built.
Guided tours (£3) run from near
the visitor centre; canal boats
offer trips along the ‘stream in the
sky’ from the nearby quay and
from Llangollen wharf. Or you can
freely stroll across. It’s four miles
east of Llangollen (pontcysyllte-
aqueduct.co.uk; visitor centre
10am–4pm Easter–Oct).PUFFIN ISLAND
CRUISES
Off Anglesey’s eastern point,
the Special Protection Area of
Puffin Island is alive with puffins,
cormorants and kittiwakes. Seals,
porpoises and dolphins call the
surrounding waters home.
Seacoast Safaris’ (weather-
dependent) 90-minute boat trips
cruise alongside the island or
through the Menai Strait; book
ahead (seacoastsafaris.co.uk;
Beaumaris; Apr–Oct; tour £10).SNOWDON
At the centre of Wales’s first
national park, Snowdon
(1,085m) is one of Britain’s most
awe-inspiring mountains and the
highest summit in Wales.
‘Yr Wyddfa’ in Welsh, it’s the
mythical resting place of the
giant Rhita Gawr. Every year
more than 350,000 people walk,
climb or take the rack-and-pinion
train (return £23 to £37) to the
summit (eryri-npa.gov.uk).ISLE OF ANGLESEY
At 276 square miles, the Isle of
Anglesey is Wales’s largest
island and bigger than any in
England. Miles of inspiring
coastline, hidden beaches and
Wales’s greatest concentration
of ancient sites make it tempting
for outdoors enthusiasts. Its
125-mile coastal walking path
takes 12 days, passing through
heath, saltmarsh, beaches and
Wales’s largest Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty
(visitanglesey.co.uk).Giant underground trampolines,
slides and tunnels at Zip WorldNot one for vertigo sufferers- the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
Wild horses grazing on Llanddwyn
Island, a peninsula on AngleseyFold 2MINI GUIDE
GWYDYR FOREST
The 28-square-mile Gwydyr
Forest of oak, beech and larch
encircles Betws-y-Coed,
scattered with the remnants of
lead and zinc mine workings. It’s
ideal for a day’s walking; Walks
Around Betws-y-Coed (£5),
available from the Snowdonia
National Park Information
Centre, details several circular
trails. The challenging 15.5-mile
Marin Trail mountain-biking
loop starts immediately
southwest of Llanrwst.