Things to Do in Snowdonia
Snowdonia, or Eryri if you use the Welsh name, is the crown of north Wales, a national park built on slate, stone and seriously big mountains. Everyone talks about the peak, and rightly, but there is far more to do than climb a single mountain. I have walked, ridden and scrambled my way through the park over many visits across the seasons, and the list below is the pick of what genuinely earns your time.
Climb Snowdon on the Llanberis Path
Snowdon, Yr Wyddfa, is the highest mountain in Wales and south of the Scottish peaks, and the Llanberis Path is its gentlest and most popular route up. It follows the long curve of the old railway line and is more a steep walk than a technical climb, which makes it perfect for a first proper mountain day. The summit is genuinely busy at times, with queues at the trig point in summer, so go early and be patient. If you are fitter and want more drama, the Pyg and Miners tracks from Pen y Pass offer a sharper route with superb cwm views, at the price of a car park that fills well before sunrise on fine days. Check the mountain forecast before you set off, whatever the route.
Ride the Llanberis Mountain Railway
You do not have to earn the summit on foot. The Snowdon Mountain Railway has hauled visitors to the top since 1896, and the steam engines give you the same immense view over the coast and the lakes in comfort. Book well ahead in summer because the trains sell out days in advance. It is a treat on a clear day and an honest way to get the reward without the ache, especially if you have children or legs that prefer not to climb. Even the journey itself, rattling and climbing over the old rack railway, is an experience in its own right.
Walk the Waterfalls and the Valleys
The park is laced with waterfalls and hidden valleys that most visitors rush straight past on the way to the summit. Aber Falls is an easy and rewarding walk as the river pours off a cliff into a pool below. Swallow Falls near Betws-y-Coed charges a small fee for a very photogenic double cascade set among trees. The quieter paths up the Ogwen valley and around the Cwm Idwal nature reserve offer glacial scenery and gentle walking that leaves the crowds far behind, with the jagged rocks of the Glyderau as a constant backdrop.
Take the Steam Train on the Ffestiniog Railway
For a slice of living industrial history, the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways are unmissable. The restored narrow gauge steam lines thread through the slate landscape and climb steep gradients through deep forest above the valley floor, with the mountains looming on every side. It is the most comfortable way to see the heart of the park on a wet day, and even the most reluctant train tourist tends to smile at the old carriages and the ever-changing view over the Ffestiniog estuary. It is a genuinely atmospheric way to spend an afternoon.
Try Adventure Sports
Snowdonia is the outdoor playground of the whole of Wales, and the options go well beyond walking. Zip lines and high ropes courses are big business here, strung across the valleys with some of the most dramatic settings in the UK. Coasteering along the coast around Barmouth and the Llyn Peninsula combines scrambling, cliff jumping and swimming in one adrenaline soaked, laughter filled outing. Kayaking on the lakes and tidal estuaries is calmer but just as memorable, and canyoning in the mountain streams mixes abseils with natural water slides. If you like your adventure wet and vertical, this is the place.
Explore Portmeirion and the Heritage
On the edge of the park, Portmeirion is the famous pastel Italianate village that starred in the old Prisoner television series, a wilfully strange and lovely place of gardens, exotic buildings and a pebbled beach, perfect for a few hours of gentle wandering and good ice cream. Couple it with the slate heritage of Llanberis, where the old quarrying history tells the hard, skilled story behind the landscape, and the National Slate Museum where the great wheels still turn. The combination of the whimsical and the industrial gives Snowdonia a real depth beyond the mountains.
Give Yourself Days, Not Hours
My honest advice is to stop trying to see Snowdonia in a rush. Pick a base like Llanberis, Beddgelert or Betws-y-Coed, and let the days unfold in front of you. One day on the mountain, one day by the waterfalls, one day on a railway, one day splashing on the coast, and the real character of this extraordinary corner of Wales starts to reveal itself. That unhurried approach, letting the weather and your energy decide the order, is what makes the difference between a whistle stop tick and a holiday that stays with you.
