Local area
Hafod y Rhedrwydd sits between three great areas:
- the heart of Snowdonia (Snowdon and surrounding mountains, Capel Curig, Beddgelert etc);
- The Migneint and Arenig hills, stretching down towards Bala
- The Conwy valley, running from Betws-y-Coed up past Trefiw and the Bodnant Gardens to Conway and Llandudno
Streetmap has Ordnance-Survey maps for the whole area
Snowdonia National Park information site and Booking a space in the Snowdon (Pen-y-Pass) car park.
Steam Railways
Activity Centres
- Zip World
- Surf Snowdonia
- Plas y Brenin
- Bicycle hire and mountain bike routes
- Horse riding
- Water sports and sea canoeing
Places to see in wet weather
- The “Electric mountain” (Dinorwic power station, Llanberis)
- The National Slate Museum
- Llechwedd Slate Cavens, Blaenau Ffestiniog
- Shell Island
- Criccieth
- Caernarvon Castle
Zip World
Exhilarating activities including Europe’s longest zip wire and trampolining at three locations across Snowdonia (Blaenau Ffestiniog, Betws-y-Coed and Bethesda). “Fly, climb and traverse your way through our unique underground course in a disused slate mine”.
Surf Snowdonia
“Surf in the Mountains! Our man-made waves roll in beginner, intermediate and advanced zones. A safe, fun, friendly environment for surfers of all abilities”
Plas y Brenin
Based in Capel Curig, Plas y Brenin provides all kinds of outdoor activities, whether out on the hills, paddling about in the lake, dry-slope skiing or climbing on their indoor rock wall.
“At Plas y Brenin we like to think that we offer training opportunities that give you the best opportunity to make the most of your skills and ambitions. Our staff are amongst the most experienced, committed and competent outdoor enthusiasts you could ever hope to meet and it is their unique talents that make a visit to Plas y Brenin so special.
Whether you want a residential course, an update on the weather and climbing conditions, a bar meal and a chat or a qualification that could help you in your work you will find it here at the National Mountain Centre.”
Bicycle Hire
Beddgelert Forest cycling map
BeicsBrenin (bike hire & trails near Betws-y-Coed)
Running
Horse riding
National Park list of riding stables
Water sports
Plas Menai National Watersports Centre, Caernarvon (Sailing and sea canoeing)
National Park list of water sports centres
The “Electric Mountain” (Dinorwig Power Station, Llanberis).
Dinorwig is the largest pumped storage power station in Europe. During the night, when other power stations produce more electricity than the country needs, electric pumps move water from the bottom lake to one near the top of a mountain. Each evening when there is a surge in electrical demand, the water flows back down through turbines. The whole of the top lake is drained down in about 16 minutes. Information.
The machinery is hidden in huge underground caverns linked by 10 miles of tunnels (1 million cubic metres of rock were excavated for them). You travel down the tunnels in electric minibuses and can walk around and see the shafts rotating etc. (n.b. this is an industrial site, visitors must wear proper shoes – no high heels, flip-flops etc). There is a visitor centre and an audio-visual show too (terribly noisy!).
It makes you think! If we generated all of our electricity from wind turbines, we would need the equivalent of 400 Dinorwig-sized pumped storage systems to survive a 2-day lull in the wind, or 3500 to cope with a 17 day mid-winter lull.
The National Slate Museum
The National Slate Museum is located in Dinorwig quarry, next door to the Dinorwig power station (above).
(From Llanberis take the road across the lake – right is Dinorwig, left is the slate museum).
Llechwydd Slate Caverns
Tours down into the mine in a little train. Hear how the miners worked and lived!
Miners at Llechwydd took all day to bash a hole to a stick of dynamite. Compare this with the fearsome Kellow drill used at the Croesor mine which would drill a 2.5″ diameter, 7 foot deep hole in 90 seconds. The drill was powered by high pressure water, using 20 litres/second at 500 psi.
Dave Sallery’s website has beautiful pictures of old slate mines:
- The Slate Industry
- Rhosydd Quarry (onto of the pass at the head of the Croesor valley)
- Rhiwbach slate quarry
- Cwm Ciprwth copper mine
- Lliwedd copper mine
Shell Island
Shell Island is a private beach & camp site (£5 entry), good for a picnic amongst the sand dunes, looking at starfish etc. Two miles from Llanbedr, LL45 2PJ.
Portmeirion
Portmeirion is a huge “folly” – a village built by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis as a personal exercise in Italianate architecture. Sign-posted off the main road at Minffordd. 140 acres of gardens, park and woodland, 4 restaurants.
Criccieth
A picturesque Victorian coastal village complete with castle and ice cream shops, also Dylan’s restaurant.
Climbers’ places to eat
“Pete’s Eats” in the back streets of Llanberis (well known for spag. bol., egg&chips etc after a hard day’s climbing).
The Pen-y-Pass cafe (at the highest point on the road past Snowdon), also the café at the top of Snowdon.