Stark, beautiful North Wales

By KEVIN JONES

Okay, we know that Wales is a country all of its own and is only a component part of Great Britain; but for ease, we've lumped our look at North Wales, a ruggedly beautiful part of the world, in with the Web Wombat guide to England's North West for the simple reason that most of its visitors gain access via the major English arterials.

Add to the fact that Liverpool is known as the capital of North Wales (as well as the capital of Ireland, north and south) and you'll appreciate that there is a fair old crossover between the North West and North Wales.

Having said that, there is an atmosphere all of its own in North Wales, especially in the far-flung, mountainous regions that contain more sheep than people.

As well as the heartstopping scenery, there are ruined castles and druid circles, Roman remains and an indefinable air of mystery that pervades a region steeped in legend, of sleeping princes, wizards and strange monsters.

The craggy, starkly beautiful North Welsh coastline is dotted with centuries-old castles that have survived the harsh mountain elements remarkably well.

And if you enjoy a good, robust walk or fancy a bit of backpacking or climbing, North Wales is for you. You can cut your teeth walking around the gentler mountains that hug the coastline before you venture further inland to tackle the real deal: Snowdonia.

Snowdonia is a fell-walker's dream and even provides peaks that your actual mountaineers get a challenge out of climbing.

Like the Lake District 100 miles to its north, Snowdonia is a remarkably compact but breathtakingly beautiful range of mountains, valleys and rivers.

Star of the show, of course, is Mount Snowdon, Wales's biggest peak at 3560 feet. It might not be the highest mountain in Britain but it is probably the most spectacular and, depending upon how you approach it, you can walk it or climb it.

Snowdonia is one of Britain's great national parks and a national treasure. It stretches from Conwy to Aberdyfi and is some 25 miles wide. There is no shortage of places to walk, and unlike many other national parks it is rarely crowded.

As well as lakes and rivers, there are cliff top tracks and Roman roads that cross the mountains. And mountains are, of course, the main attraction. Snowdonia actually embraces 15 peaks over 3,000 feet high, so there is no shortage of challenging climbs for the mountaineer or fell walker.

Betws-y-Coed (pronounce it Betsy Co-Edd) is the charming, if bustling 'Gateway to Snowdonia' where you can buy everything you need to tackle the mountains.

Llanberis, with its twin lakes at the foot of Snowdon and the craggy Llanberis Pass, is a well-located and popular touring centre, with a similar ambience to Betws-y-Coed.

Further south, the stone-built market town of Dolgellau (pronounced "Doll Gethly") sits beneath the looming summit of Cader Idris, while Bala, alongside Wales' longest natural lake, guards Snowdonia's eastern gateway.

Ringed by mountains including the Glyders, Moel Siabod and the foothills of the Carneddau range, Capel Curig is home to Plas-y-Brenin - The National Mountain Centre - providing excellent facilities for climbing, canoeing, dry slope skiing and orienteering.

If you have neither the fitness nor the time to commune with North Welsh nature, you can have a great time checking out North Wales's myriad castles or enjoying the friendly hospitality of its coastal resort towns, such as Llandudno, Conwy, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay or Bangor.

A good place to combine both pleasures is Conwy, a lively town with a stunning castle and what the Irish would call a "good craic" about it.

It is a short drive from the stately resort of Llandudno to its north-east and a slightly longer haul from Bangor, North Wales' university town, to its east.

Bangor, being a uni town, is a real young person's town. It has all the pulse and life you would expect to find in a major student hang-out.

It has some great pubs and cafes and has a relative sophistication about it that you don't generally find in this neck of the woods.

It is also very handily placed for the Snowdonia visitor. Within 15 minutes from Bangor, you can be in the heart of the national park.

The afore-mentioned Llandudno is a charming, quintessentially Victorian seaside resort town with one major difference - an huge, imposing headland called the Great Orme that guards its eastern flank and provides memorable views and great sightseeing.

If you drive on past Bangor you can either hop over the Menai Bridge and check out the island of Anglesey, a major holiday drawcard for people in the North West, or carry on to Caernarfon, home to one of Wales's most impressive castles.

Caernarfon Castle was the scene for the investiture of the current Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, back in the Seventies.

Don't crack any funny jokes about big ears, talking to plants or Diana round here, by the way; they can be quite patriotic despite the fact the area is the heartland of Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Nationalist Party.

Head down the Llyn Peninsula from Caernarfon and you'll come across such delights as Pwllheli or you head further down to Portmeirion, on the Cardigan Bay coast.

This fascinating place became world-famous in the Sixties with the cult television series The Prisoner by Patrick McGoohan.

If you ever saw it and loved the look of "The Village", come here and take a look at the real thing.

The great thing about North Wales's many attractions is that they are so easily accessible from England's major north-western centres. You can leave the centres of Liverpool and Manchester and be in the mountains within two or three hours. It's even easier to get there from Chester.

So, if you're in the region with a bit of time on your hands, you won't regret a side trip along the North Wales coast.

Similarly, if you're en route to Ireland, don't forget that one of the main ferry passages goes from Anglesey. You could include a Welsh sojourn in your travel plans.