Beddgelert

Beddgelert's hotels and guesthouses trade on the village's setting as much as its comfort, with many rooms looking straight out over the Glaslyn or Colwyn rivers or up towards the surrounding peaks. Traditional stone coaching inns sit alongside smaller family-run B&Bs, most within a short walk of the village centre, the railway station and the start of several popular walking routes. Given Beddgelert's status as a launch point for Snowdon and the wider national park, many guests are walkers and climbers, and hosts are generally well used to early breakfasts, drying rooms and advice on routes and weather. A handful of larger hotels further out along the Nantgwynant and Aberglaslyn roads offer more space and parking, useful for those touring by car rather than relying on the village itself.

Because Beddgelert is small and extremely popular with both day-trippers and overnight walkers, especially in summer, rooms can book up well in advance, and it is worth confirming parking arrangements when the village's own limited spaces fill early in the day. Outside peak season, rates tend to soften and the village empties out considerably by late afternoon once the coach parties and railway visitors have moved on, leaving a quieter, more local atmosphere for those staying over.

Beddgelert punches well above its size for things to see and do, from woodland walks to industrial history and one of Wales' best-loved heritage railways.

• Gelert's Grave — a short riverside walk from the village centre leads to the supposed burial mound of Prince Llywelyn's hound, with information boards telling the legend.
• Welsh Highland Railway — Beddgelert has its own station on this narrow-gauge line, which winds between Caernarfon and Porthmadog through some of the most dramatic scenery in Wales, including the Aberglaslyn Pass.
• Sygun Copper Mine — a former working mine about a mile outside the village, now open as a self-guided underground tour through Victorian workings and natural cave formations.
• Aberglaslyn Pass — a steep, wooded gorge just south of the village where the Glaslyn river crashes over rocks, followed by a popular riverside footpath and old railway trackbed.
• Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) — several routes up Wales' highest mountain, including the Rhyd-Ddu and Snowdon Ranger paths, start within a short drive of Beddgelert.
• Nantgwynant valley — the road east from Beddgelert climbs through this classic glacial valley past Llyn Dinas and Llyn Gwynant, both popular for lakeside walks and wild swimming.
• Beddgelert Forest — a Natural Resources Wales woodland with waymarked walking and mountain-biking trails on the edge of the village.

The village has a handful of well-regarded places to eat considering its size, including the Tanronnen Inn and the Prince Llewelyn, both traditional pubs serving hearty food near the river bridge, and Glaslyn Ices, a long-standing local ice cream parlour popular with walkers refuelling after a day on the hills. Caffi Glyndwr and other small cafes around the square offer breakfasts, cakes and Welsh produce, while several of the guesthouses and hotels open their dining rooms to non-residents in the evenings.

Camping around Beddgelert means pitching within sight of some of Snowdonia's highest peaks, with several sites dotted along the Nantgwynant valley and around Beddgelert Forest taking full advantage of the river and mountain scenery. As in the rest of Wales, wild camping is not a legal right and requires the landowner's permission; the popular informal camping once seen around Llyn Gwynant and Llyn Dinas has increasingly been formalised into managed campsites after years of littering and overcrowding, so it is best to book a recognised site rather than assume a pitch is free to use. Forestry Commission and privately run sites in the area offer both basic tent pitches and more developed facilities, and several now include glamping pods, safari tents or shepherd's huts for those who want the views without carrying full kit up the valley.

The terrain here is genuine mountain country, so campers should come prepared for fast-changing weather even in summer, with rain and wind able to sweep in off the Irish Sea with little warning. Riverside sites along the Glaslyn and Colwyn can be beautifully sheltered by woodland but are also prone to midges on still evenings, so repellent is worth packing. Late spring through early autumn is the most reliable camping season, when days are long enough for a full walk up Snowdon or through the Aberglaslyn Pass before returning to camp, though many sites stay open into autumn for those chasing quieter trails and turning leaves. Campfires and disposable barbecues are restricted or banned on many sites and in the surrounding forest during dry spells, so it is worth checking each site's rules before arrival.