How to get to Snowdonia National Park

Train

Major rail stations:

Virgin Trains operates direct train services run to Llandudno Junction and Bangor from London and the West Midlands.

www.virgintrains.co.uk

The Conwy Valley Line provides a link from Llandudno into Snowdonia and on to Blaenau Ffestiniog.

www.conwy.gov.uk

Machynlleth and Porthmadog can be reached via Shrewsbury on the Cambrian Coast Line.

www.thecambrianline.co.uk

Approximate journey times

Euston to Bangor 3.5 hrs
Birmingham New Street to Bangor 3 hrs
Manchester Oxford Street to Bangor 2.5 hrs
Cardiff Central 4.5hrs

www.traveline-cymru.info

www.nationalrail.co.uk

Local rail stations:

The Conwy Valley Line crosses the park with stations at

Betws y Coed
Pont y Pant
Dolwyddelan
Roman Bridge
Blaenau Ffestiniog

At Blaenau Ffestiniog, take a steam train on the specatular 13-mile Ffestiniog Railway route which runs through the park with three stops before it reaches Porthmadog

www.ffestiniograilway.co.uk

More heritage railways include the Llyn Padarn Railway from Dinorwig to Llanberis, the former slate mine railway at Talyllyn, and the Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid) Railway.

www.lake-railway.co.uk

www.talyllyn.co.uk

www.bala-lake-railway.co.uk

www.greatlittletrainsofwales.co.uk/snowdonmountainrailway

Bus

National Express services run to Llandudno, Bangor, Caernarfon and Porthmadog from London and Manchester.

Arriva operates a bus service from South Wales to Dolgellau, Porthmadog, Caernarfon and Bangor.

Approximate journey times

London to Caernarfon 9 hrs
Birmingham to Caernarfon 5 hrs 40mins
Manchester to Caernarfon 5 hrs
Cardiff to Caernarfon 9 hrs

National Express

08705 808080
www.nationalexpress.com

www.arrivabus.co.uk

Local buses

The Snowdon Sherpa bus service operates between Bethesda, Llanberis, Llanrwst, Porthmadog and Caernarfon in the summer tourist season. A scaled-down service operates in winter.

www.gwynedd.gov.uk/sherpa

For other bus information see

www.gwynedd.gov.uk/bustimes

www.snowdoniagreenkey.co.uk

www.swissitalianpaddlestea

mers.com/snowdonsherpa (unofficial site about Sherpa Bus)

Cycle

The Mawddach Trail - This is a nine-mile stretch of former railway track that follows the river from Morfa Mawddach (Barmouth railway bridge) to Dolgellau. For this and other traffic-free trails see

www.eryri-npa.gov.uk/traffic_free_trails

www.visitsnowdonia.info/cycling

Snowdonia is a mountain-biker's paradise with some of the best rides in Britain at

Coed y Brenin, Dolgellau (various trails)
Gwydir Forest, Betws y Coed (difficult, 25km)
Penmachno Forest (difficult, 19km/32km)
Beddgelert Forest (forest road, 4km/9km

www.forestry.gov.uk/forestrides

www.eryri-npa.gov.uk/coedybrenin

There are also more than 30 miles of easy to find recreational routes for walking and cycling in Gwynedd, many of them in the National Park. They are waymarked routes called Lonydd Glas (Recreational Routes).

www.gwynedd.gov.uk/lonyddglas