Description of the attraction
Snowdonia is a national park, the first national park in Wales and one of the first three in the UK, after the Rocky and Lake District. It is located in the north of Wales. The name Snowdonia comes from the name of Mount Snowdon - the highest in Wales (1085 m), initially it meant only the vicinity of the mountain, but with the creation of the national park in 1951, the whole park began to be called that.
The area of the park is 2, 140 sq. Km, on its territory there are the highest mountain in Wales and England, the largest lake in Wales, picturesque villages, 26,000 people live here, more than half of them speak Welsh. The length of the coastline is more than 60 km. In the UK, unlike other countries, national parks include not only public but also private lands. The park's headquarters are located in the village of Penrindydright. More than 6 million tourists visit the park annually.
Snowdonia is traditionally divided into four parts, and the northern part, where the highest mountains are located, is the most popular among tourists. In the center of the national park there is a site that is not included in it - this is the city of Blaenau-Festiniog and its surroundings. It was not included in the national park, because otherwise the city's industry would have suffered.
Snowdonia has 2,381 km of hiking trails, 264 km of hiking, horseback riding and cycling trails and 74 km of other roads. A significant part of the park also does not require a special permit to visit. Climbing Snowdon itself and other peaks are very popular, because almost all of these mountains can be accessed on foot without having any special mountaineering or climbing skills.
Most of the park is covered with forests, mostly deciduous. Several plants are endemic to Snowdonia and are protected. There are also rare animals and birds such as otters, ferrets, martens, ravens, peregrine falcons, osprey, gyrfalcon and red kites.
