You might not need us to tell you that the Snowdonia National Park and its surrounding areas offer plenty of opportunities for adventurous days out. Whether you live here or you’re planning on stopping at one of the many great hotels Snowdonia has to offer, there’s always something to get up to in these Welsh valleys.
The Snowdonia National Park is known for its varied landscape, including coastal, mountain and woodland environments. There are plenty of designated walking and cycle paths along some of the most scenic routes within the national park, including the Mawddach Trail, Llanberis Path and Beddgelert forest.
The coastal Mawddach trail is suitable for both walkers and cyclists, and spans a distance of 8 miles. It follows the route of a disused railway line along the Mawddach Estuary, from the seaside town of Barmouth to Dolgellau.
The whole trail is clearly way-marked, and you can begin the trail from any of the six car parks along the way. The ground level is flat the whole way, making it suitable for prams and wheelchair users.
Along the way you’ll discover a range of nature and wildlife, as the route passes through a RSPB nature reserve as well as a couple of Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
The mountainous Llanberis Path is a hiking route which takes you all the way up to the summit of the tallest mountain in Wales, Snowdon. It’s said to be the easiest route up to the top, and you can start it at any point in Llanberis – however it’s recommended to start at the Mountain Railway station.
The Llanberis path is very well defined, and the initial start of the climb can be quite a tough one. The distance of the walk to the summit is 7 km, and takes just over 3 hours to complete in good weather.
The weather can be very unpredictable here in Wales, so you should bring all of the appropriate gear even if you don’t think you will need it to begin with.