Getting there:

• Dolgellau is best reached by car, sitting on key routes through southern Eryri.

• The town does not have a mainline railway station, so driving is the most practical option for most visitors.

Parking:

• There are public car parks in and around the town centre, all within easy walking distance of shops, cafés, and walking routes.

• Additional parking is available near:

  • The Mawddach Trail access points

  • The Torrent Walk and Precipice Walk start points

  • The road up towards Cregennen Lakes

Tips:

• If you’re walking from the town, use a central car park and start on foot.

• If heading straight for a specific walk or lake, it’s often easier to park near the trailhead.

Dolgellau developed as a market town serving the upland farming and mining communities of this part of Wales. Its position at a crossing point between north and mid Wales gave it long-standing importance as a local commercial centre.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, the town expanded with the growth of wool, flannel, and mining industries, and later benefited from the arrival of the railway, which helped open the area to visitors and walkers.

Many of the stone buildings in the town centre date from this period and give Dolgellau its distinctive historic character today — a blend of rural Welsh market town and early outdoor tourism centre.

Just outside the area is Yr Ysgwrn, the former home of Hedd Wyn, one of Wales’ most famous World War I poets.

Hedd Wyn was posthumously awarded the Bardic Chair at the National Eisteddfod in 1917 after being killed in action. The chair was draped in black and became one of the most powerful symbols in Welsh cultural history.

Today, Yr Ysgwrn is preserved as a museum and memorial to his life and work, offering a deeply moving insight into Welsh literature, rural life, and the impact of the war.

Getting there:

• Blaenau Ffestiniog is reached by car via scenic mountain roads from Dolgellau, Betws-y-Coed, and Porthmadog.

• It also has a railway station, served by the Ffestiniog Railway and mainline connections via the Conwy Valley line.

Parking:

• There are public car parks in and around the town centre, within easy walking distance of shops and attractions.

• Additional parking is available at:

  • Llechwedd Slate Caverns

  • Zip World Llechwedd

  • Antur Stiniog

Tips:

• The town is compact, but attractions are spread around the hillsides, so driving between sites can save time.

• Roads can be steep and narrow in places.

Before the 19th century, Blaenau Ffestiniog was a small upland community. Everything changed when large-scale slate quarrying began.

During the Victorian period, the town became one of the most important slate-producing centres in the world, with quarries sending slate by rail and ship to roof buildings across Britain and far beyond.

The arrival of the Ffestiniog Railway transformed the industry by allowing slate to be transported efficiently from the mountains to the coast. At its peak, thousands of men worked in the quarries, and the town expanded rapidly.

When the slate industry declined in the 20th century, Blaenau went through a difficult period. Today, it is reinventing itself by celebrating its industrial heritage and using its dramatic landscape for adventure tourism.

The Ffestiniog Railway is one of the oldest narrow-gauge railways in the world, originally built to carry slate from the quarries of Blaenau Ffestiniog down to the harbour at Porthmadog.

Today, it runs as a heritage steam railway and is one of the most scenic rail journeys in Britain, climbing through forests, mountains, and rocky cuttings into the heart of slate country.

The railway also offers:

• Special event trains

• On-train dining and hampers

• A café and shop at the station

It’s one of the best ways to appreciate both the scale of the landscape and the engineering achievement of the slate industry.

Getting there:

• Betws-y-Coed is easily reached by car and also has a mainline railway station on the Conwy Valley line.

Parking:

• There are several public car parks in and around the village, within easy walking distance of the centre.

• Additional parking is available near:

  • Swallow Falls

  • Conwy Falls Forest Park

  • Some entrances to Gwydir Forest

Tips:

• The village gets very busy in peak season, so arriving early in the day helps.

• Many walks start directly from the village, so a central car park is often the most convenient choice.

The name “Betws-y-Coed” means “Prayer House in the Wood,” suggesting an early religious site. The area was settled by Celts and later influenced by the Romans, who built roads through the region.

During the medieval period, the village developed as a small river crossing and stopping point for travellers. Its real growth came in the 19th century with the arrival of the railway in 1868, when it became a fashionable destination for Victorian tourists, artists, and walkers.

From this period onwards, Betws-y-Coed established itself as the main base for exploring the mountains, forests, and waterfalls of Snowdonia, a role it still plays today.

The rivers around Betws-y-Coed cut through hard rock, creating a series of gorges, cascades, and waterfalls.

Highlights include:

• Swallow Falls, the most famous and dramatic

• The Fairy Glen at Conwy Falls Forest Park

• River views from Pont-y-Pair Bridge

These are some of the best short, high-impact walks in the whole of Eryri and are perfect if you want spectacular scenery without a long mountain hike.

Getting there:

• Conwy is easily reached by car from the A55 North Wales Expressway.

• It also has a mainline railway station on the North Wales Coast Line.

Parking:

• There are several public car parks around the edge of the walled town and near the quayside.

• It’s best to park outside the walls and explore the town on foot.

Tips:

• The town is compact and very walkable.

• In peak season, arrive early or later in the afternoon to avoid the busiest periods.

Conwy stands on a site that was already important before the English conquest — originally home to a Cistercian abbey.

In 1283, Edward I chose the site for one of his great fortress towns during his conquest of Wales. The abbey was moved, and the castle and walled town were constructed at enormous speed and cost.

Conwy became a key administrative and military centre for English rule in North Wales. Today, it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing of the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward I in Gwynedd.

Conwy Castle is one of the greatest surviving medieval fortresses in Europe and one of the finest achievements of Edward I’s castle-building campaign in Wales. Built between 1283 and 1287, it combines overwhelming military power with surprisingly sophisticated royal living quarters.

When you visit, look out for:

The Royal Apartments
Conwy contains the most intact set of medieval royal apartments in Wales. These were not crude barracks but carefully designed living spaces for the king and queen, with private chambers, fireplaces, latrines, and large windows overlooking the estuary. They give a rare insight into how medieval royalty actually lived inside a fortress.

The Great Hall
This was the ceremonial heart of the castle, where feasts, meetings, and royal business took place. Imagine banners, tapestries, and long tables filling the space, with the castle functioning not just as a fortress but as a working seat of government.

The Chapel
A private royal chapel sits within the castle complex, reminding you that this was a complete royal household, not just a military installation.

The Towers and Wall Walks
Climb the towers and walk the battlements for some of the best views in all of North Wales — across the town walls, the Conwy estuary, and towards the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia). These viewpoints also make the castle’s defensive genius very clear.

The Twin-towered Gatehouse
The main entrance is a masterpiece of medieval military architecture, designed to control, trap, and destroy attackers using portcullises, murder holes, and multiple defensive doors.

Medieval Engineering Details
Look for:

• Arrow loops and crossbow slits

• Spiral staircases designed to disadvantage attackers

• Massive stone thicknesses and clever defensive angles

• Evidence of how supplies, water, and people were moved around the fortress

The 1294 Siege Story
During a Welsh uprising led by Madog ap Llywelyn, Edward I was trapped inside Conwy Castle over winter and had to be resupplied by sea. Standing on the walls overlooking the estuary, you can directly see how the castle’s location made this possible.

Why Conwy Castle Is Special

Conwy is not just big and dramatic — it is exceptionally complete. Unlike many castles that survive as fragments, Conwy still allows you to:

• Understand how the castle functioned as a fortress

• See how it worked as a royal palace

• Walk a near-complete defensive circuit

• Experience the full scale and ambition of Edward I’s conquest architecture

It is a true UNESCO World Heritage Site for a reason.

Plas Mawr (“Great House”) was built in the late 16th century for Robert Wynn, a wealthy merchant.

It is:

• One of the finest Elizabethan townhouses in Britain

• Remarkably well preserved

• Filled with period rooms, plasterwork, and furnishings

Nearby, Aberconwy House offers a much earlier glimpse into medieval merchant life, making Conwy unusual in having important domestic buildings from very different eras within a few minutes’ walk.