Snowdonia: landscapes that will transport you to another era.
The snowdonia national park consists of nine mountains -including the mount snowdon , highest peak of Welsh **and England** -, numerous gorges through which flow rivers and bouncing waterfalls, forests of oak, hazel and ash trees, and even 40 kilometers of wild sandy beaches.
A very diverse landscape that is worth discovering at a leisurely pace, letting nature and history thoroughly soak the soul.
Trails for nature lovers… And the myths
The best way to enjoy the attractions of Snowdonia National Park is on foot. A complete trail network tour the more than 2,000 square kilometers of the park.
Mount Snowdon
Most visitors, however, focus on the 6 different paths that lead to the top of Snowdon , which with its 1,085 meters above sea level and the status of being **the highest peak in Wales and England**, is the most precious trophy.
These are the six routes : Llanberis Path, Miners Path, Pyg Track, Watkin Path, Rhyd Ddu Path or Beddgelert Path, and Snowdon Ranger. Llanberis Path, with its 14.5 kilometres, is the easiest and longest route. More than a century ago, mules and ponies used to climb this path carrying tourists on their backs.
During the ascent, the landscape changes every moment. After rounding a bend, the view offers distant forests of oak and birch. Beyond, waterfalls gushing through the grasses and bushes of neighboring mountains.
And from the top you can see the immensity of the park, including the beautiful Llyn Llydaw Lake , one of those that claim to have been the final tomb of the greatest symbol of the Arthurian legends: Excalibur sword.
Different protagonist stories of the Welsh oral tradition point to the Lakes Ogwen and Dinah as a final resting place for Excalibur, as well as stating that the imprint of the horseshoe of King Arthur's horse, Llamrai , can be seen imprinted on the surface of a rock resting on the shore of Lake Barfog.
Llyn Llydaw Lake
Other of the most iconic mountains of the snowdonia national park it is Cader Idris. With their 893 meters above sea level, Cader Idris is at the southern gate of Snowdonia and there are many legends that associate the mountain with Idris the Giant who supposedly inhabited it.
Some of the nearby lakes, such as Llyn Mwyngul , are reputed to be bottomless, and those who venture up the mountain at night should pay attention before sleeping on its slopes, as it is said that those who spend the night in Cader Idris wake up mad... If they ever open their eyes again.
Castles and towns of Snowdonia
Perhaps, in reality, giant battles never occurred in Snowdonia, but their castles yes they witnessed bloody battles between fierce warriors.
It is the case of Harlem Castle , which rises, archaic and powerful, on a cliff that, centuries ago, stood over the fierce sea of Ireland .
Today, after the receding of the waters, the imposing harlech fortress looks like a stone ship that has run aground in a parallel world to which it no longer belongs.
Harlem Castle
The visit to the castle must include a good walk through the lonely beach and the green rounded hills that surround it , in which the only army that roams freely, today, is made up of woolly sheep that stubbornly lower the level of the grass.
Black-faced sheep prowl, too, around the village Betws-y-Coed , whose Welsh name means “house of prayer in the forest” and has been included in the list of most beautiful towns in the United Kingdom on several occasions.
Betws-y-Coed grew up around a 6th century monastery. A stone islet in the middle of a dense forest mass.
The village of Betws-y-Coed
Its quiet streets, connected by a stone bridge near a small waterfall, overlook stone mansions that house cozy restaurants and cafes, beautiful Bed & Breakfasts, holiday homes and countless shops of mountain and camping equipment, one of the most popular activities in Snowdonia National Park.
Another of the beautiful towns in the park is Beddgelert , which sits by the confluence of the Glaslyn and Colwyn rivers. It was named for Gelert, the strongest and most loyal dog of King Llywelyn 'The Great'.
Legend has it that the Welsh king killed his dog because he believed that he had killed his little son, realizing that he had not been like that, broken with pain, he buried the dog with great ceremony and never smiled again.
Mount Snowdon and Sir Edmund Hillary
Also at Beddgelert, as at Betws-y-Coed, there are mountain equipment stores. And it is that two of the greatest mountaineers in history left their legacy on the slopes of Snowdonia National Park.
Beddgelert Houses
In the early morning of May 29, 1953 , the hotel owner Pen-Y-Gwryd , situated in the heart of Snowdonia National Park, rudely woke up all his guests.
He had just received confirmation of news that would mark a milestone in the history of world mountaineering: Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay they had reached the top of the highest mountain in the world, The Everest.
Just a few months earlier, both heroes had been training on the slopes near Welsh Mount Snowdon.
The terrain was not excessively high, but it was very technical. During their internships, Hillary and Norgay they had stayed in that small mountain hotel that today is a reference for mountaineers from all over the world.
That same morning, when the sun had not yet risen, a row of torches headed for the top of snowdon , paying tribute to the heroes and lighting up a land that contains magic in its purest form.
We escaped?