Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Llanberis

Llanberis is a small town in North Wales, at the heart of Snowdonia and 6 miles from Caernarfon.

It is approached from England via Betws-y-Coed and the spectacular Llanberis Pass.

Slate mining has been carried out in the area for many years, and this is very evident from a glance at the mountainsides, especially across the lakes known as Llyn Padarn and Lyn Peris.

Old Llanberis, the original settlement a mile away towards Llanberis Pass, has the alternative Welsh name Nant Peris.

The impetus for the growth of the present day tourist town was the establishment of the Royal Victoria Hotel, whose management were instrumental in the creation of the Snowdon Mountain Railway, a rack and pinion narrow gauge railway which climbs almost to the summit.

The Llanberis Lake Railway runs beside Llyn Padarn. There is a station in the town, and another at the Welsh National Slate Museum.

Electric Mountain is an unusual attraction. Buses run deep into the heart of the mountain above Llyn Peris to learn about the hydro-electric pumped storage scheme.

The shell of the 13th century Dolbadarn Castle overlooks Llyn Peris. This was not one of Edward I's castles. It was a stronghold of the Welsh prince Llewelyn the Great.

There is an extremely picturesque waterfall on the lower slopes of Snowdon.

Llanberis was the birthplace of Marged vch Ifan, the strongest woman in Wales, who died in 1801 at the age of 105. When she was 70, she could still out-wrestle anybody.

The 18th century landscape painter Richard Wilson retired to Llanberis.