'''North Wales''' is in the United Kingdom.

Counties

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Cities and Towns

North Wales has many picturesque towns. Below is a list of the most notable. For others, please see specific county articles.

Cities

  • Bangor (Gwynedd)
  • Towns

  • Bala (Gwynedd) - a mecca for watersports enthusiasts with Wales' largest natural lake and the National White Water Centre
  • Blaenau Ffestiniog (Gwynedd) - Slate mining town where visitors can take a train underground at Llechwedd Caverns. Also the northern terminus of the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway
  • Caernarfon (Gwynedd) - dominated by it's castle, symbolic seat of English power in North Wales
  • Conwy - medieval, fortified town with impressive castle and quaint shops
  • Dolgellau (Gwynedd) - picturesque market town with gold in its surrounding hills and an annual World Music Festival
  • Denbigh (Denbighshire) - is a picturesque market town and one of the most historic towns in North Wales.
  • Holyhead (Anglesey) - high-speed ferry to Dublin
  • Llandudno (Conwy) - genteel victorian seaside resort
  • Llangollen (Denbighshire) - small town in Dee valley, excellent hike to Castle ruins, Valle Crucis Abbey, canal tours, and home to an annual music festival
  • Porthmadog (Gwynedd) - port town and southern terminus of both the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways. Nearest town to the Italianate village of Portmeirion where cult TV series ''The Prisoner'' was filmed
  • Rhyl (Denbighshire) - rundown traditional British seaside resort, trying hard to improve and bring back the glory days
  • Tywyn (Gwynedd) - Popular seaside resort with miles of sandy beach. Home to the world-famous Talyllyn Railway.
  • Wrexham - a county and town
  • Other destinations

    National Parks

  • Snowdonia National Park - great hiking territory, which includes Wales' highest mountain. Eryri (Snowdonia in Welsh) is the second largest National Park in England and Wales. This place has a link with Aurthurian legends, such as Merlin's dragons were supposedly at Dinas Emrys.
  • Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)

    Three of Wales' five AONB's are in North Wales.
  • The Isle of Anglesey- has one of the most distinctive, attractive and varied landscapes in the British Isles. Anglesey was designated as an Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) in 1966 in order to protect the aesthetic appeal and variety of the island's coastal landscape and habitats from inappropriate development. The AONB is predominantly a coastal designation, covering most of the island's 125 miles coastline (including Llanddwyn), it contains rocky headlands, golden beaches, dunes, heaths and fine green countryside. Some of the beaches are recognised as being amongst the best in Great Britain and Europe. The AONB supports a wealth of wildlife such as choughs, grey seals, sea lavender and silver studded blue butterflies. There are also many areas protected for their nature conservation value, such as Newborough Warren National Nature Reserve, and several Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
  • Lleyn AONB. The peninsula sticking out westwards into the Irish Sea, beyond Snowdonia, in the north-west of the country
  • Clwydian Range AONB. A range of hills running southwards from the coast at Prestatyn to Llandegla, in Denbighshire in the north-east of the country, close to the border with England. The highest and best known hill is ''Moel Famau'', and many of the hills are the sites of Iron Age Hillforts.
  • Understand

    Talk

    North Wales is bilingual. While almost 100% of the people you meet can speak and understand English, you are also quite likely to hear Welsh being spoken, especially as you travel further west within the region. According to the census of 2005, 68.7% of the people in Gwynedd can speak Welsh. You're least likely to encounter Welsh speakers on the north coast east of Conwy.

    Get in

    By Rail

    Mainline train services within North Wales are run by Arriva Trains Wales [http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/].

  • The '''North Wales Coast Line''' links Manchester, Crewe and London (in England) with the northern seaside resorts of Rhyl and Prestatyn, the city of Bangor, the isle of Anglesey and the port of Holyhead. Through tickets to Dublin (Ireland) are available, which include the ferry from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire. Services are run by Arriva (from Manchester) and Virgin Trains (from London and Crewe)
  • The beautiful '''Cambrian Coast Line''' runs from Shrewsbury (in England), across Mid-Wales through Machynlleth, and through the coastal towns of Tywyn and Barmouth, through the south part of Snowdonia, Harlech and Porthmadog, and along the south coast of the Lleyn Peninsula to Pwllheli.
  • The '''Borderlands Line''' runs between Shrewsbury, Wrexham and Bidston, linking various Flintshire towns and villages with the Wirral, Shrewsbury and Wrexham. A new rail service is planned to link Wrexham, Oswestry and Shrewsbury to London
  • By Sea

  • Regular ferry services operate between Holyhead and Ireland, (Dublin and Dun Laoghaire), and is provided by two carriers. Stenaline[http://www.stenaline.co.uk] and Irish Ferries[http://www.irishferries.ie] both offer multiple daily service between the two ports for passengers and vehicles. Bookings can be made through their respective websites.
  • By Air

    An air service connecting RAF Valley in Anglesey to Cardiff International Airport in South Wales has recently opened charging __50 each way, and the journey takes about an hour. For flights from other destinations Manchester and Liverpool airports, across the border in England are the closest bet, or Birmingham airport for the Cambrian Coast area.

    By Car

    The main roads into North Wales are the A55 which runs along the north coast, connecting with the M56 and M53 near Chester, and the A5, which leaves the M54 at Shrewsbury and heads west to Betws y Coed and then north-west to Bangor

    By Bus

  • '''National Express'''[http://www.nationalexpress.co.uk] operates coach services to North Wales from around the UK. Services terminate at Wrexham and Holyhead.
  • '''Traws-Cambria''' [http://www.trawscambria.org.uk/website/?lang=en] cross-Wales services come from Cardiff and Swansea in the south via Aberystwyth or Brecon
  • Get around

    By Rail

    (See also ''Get In'' above for details of lines into and across North Wales)

  • The '''Conwy Valley Line''' stretches from Llandudno Junction along the Conwy Valley to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and connects with trains on both the North Wales Coast line and the Ffestiniog Railway.
  • The narrow-gauge '''Ffestiniog Railway''' connects the Cambrian Coast line at Porthmadog with the Conwy Valley line at Blaenau Ffestiniog
  • Another narrow gauge line, the '''Welsh Highland Railway''' will shortly re-open, connecting Porthmadog to Caernarfon via Beddgelert
  • By Bus

  • '''Traws-Cambria''' [http://www.trawscambria.org.uk/website/?lang=en] cross-Wales services converge at Dolgellau, from Bangor in the north-west and Wrexham in the north-east.
  • '''Bws Gwynedd'''[http://www.gwynedd.gov.uk/gwy_doc.asp?cat=2498&doc=12493&Language=1] services operate across Gwynedd, with longer distance services to Wrexham and Chester
  • See

    Castles

    There are a number of castles from the 12th and 13th centuries spread across North Wales. These date back to the time of the battles by the Welsh Princes of Gwynedd to resist the rule of King John, and more significantly, King Edward I of England. Most of the castles are in the care of ''Cadw''[http://www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/], the historic environment service of the Welsh Assembly Government.

  • '''Beaumaris''' - at the eastern tip of Anglesey. The final part of Edward I's ''Ring of Steel'' around North Wales, provocatively located immediately across the narrow Menai Strait from ''Garth Celyn'', the seat of the Princes of Gwynedd.
  • '''Caernarfon''' - planned seat of Edward I's power in Wales. Located in the town of Caernarfon
  • '''Castell y Bere''' - Last stronghold of the Welsh Princes, and their most impressive fortress. Stunning location in Bro Dysynni.
  • '''Conwy''' - built by Edward I to control the stategically significant town and river of the same name.
  • '''Criccieth''' - Welsh built castle near the eastern end of the Lleyn Peninsula
  • '''Dinas Bran''' - atmospheric ruin on a hilltop near Llangollen
  • '''Dolbadarn''' - Welsh built castle situated between ''Llyn Peris'' and ''Llyn Padarn'' lakes, close to the town of Llanberis
  • '''Dolwyddelan''' - Welsh castle, in the village of the same name on the main A470 road between Betws-y-Coed and Blaenau Ffestiniog. Reputed birthplace of Prince Llywelyn the Great. The Disney film ''Dragonslayer'' was filmed here.
  • '''Flint''' - Edward I's first castle in Wales, in the far north-east close to the English border in Flintshire. Part of Shakespeare's play ''Richard II'' is set within Flint Castle.
  • '''Harlech''' - Another of Edward I's "ring of steel". Looks menacingly across Tremadog Bay at Criccieth Castle.
  • '''Rhuddlan''' - in the small town of the same name, south of Rhyl. The remains of an older ''Motte and Bailey'' castle, '''Twtil''', can still be seen in the grounds of Rhuddlan Castle.
  • Heritage Railways

    For many visitors to North Wales, the main draw is the number of historic steam railways in the area. Some, such as the Bala Lake Railway and Llangollen Railway, run on stretches of lines that were part of the national railways network until the infamous ''Beeching'' cuts closed many lines in the 1960s. Others, including the Talyllyn and Ffestiniog Railways, were built by mine or quarry owners to transport their produce (usually slate) down to a port or to a mainline train station. Most of the railways are owned and run by societies of volunteer enthusiasts.

    Standard gauge

  • Llangollen Railway[http://llangollenrail.llangollen-railway.co.uk/]
  • Narrow gauge

  • Bala Lake Railway[http://www.bala-lake-railway.co.uk/]
  • Corris Railway[http://www.corris.co.uk/], near Machynlleth
  • Ffestiniog Railway[http://www.festrail.co.uk/], runs from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog
  • Llanberis Lake Railway[http://www.lake-railway.co.uk/]
  • Snowdon Mountain Railway[http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk], runs from Llanberis all the way to the summit of Mount Snowdon, Wales' highest mountain
  • Talyllyn Railway[http://www.talyllyn.co.uk/], Tywyn
  • *World's first heritage railway and inspiration for the Ealing comedy film ''The Titfield Thunderbolt''. Features in the popular ''Railway Series'' of childrens books by Rev W Awdry as the "Skarloey Railway".
  • Welsh Highland Railway[http://www.festrail.co.uk/]
  • Miniature railways

  • Conwy Valley Railway Museum[http://www.conwyrailwaymuseum.co.uk/], Betws-y-Coed
  • Fairbourne Railway[http://www.fairbournerailway.com/], south of Barmouth
  • Rhyl Miniature Railway[http://www.rhylminiaturerailway.co.uk/]. The oldest miniature railway still running in the UK.
  • Do

  • '''Local Adventure Activities''' Bangor is a great base for enjoying local adventure activities. Why not enjoy the rugged natural surroundings by trying out some Sea Kayaking, Rock Abseiling, Cliff Jumping, Sea Level Traversing, Gorge Scrambling (all __40 per person) or even Mountain Horse Riding. Some local instructors include Shaggy Sheep Wales Activities [http://www.shaggysheepwales.co.uk] or ComeAndTry.com [http://www.comeandtry.com].
  • Eat

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    Get out