Unesco World Heritage Bid and Alternatives to Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)
Walking through Dinorwig Quarry with Grib Coch and Snowdon shrouded in cloud in the background.
Snowdon is very much the main attraction for thousands of guests visiting North Wales every year. There is no better feeling in my opinion than conquering a mountain no matter how big or small and Yr Wyddfa, which translated to English is “Snowdon” being the third-largest Mountain in the UK is simply breathtaking. One my favourite parts of climbing a mountain is meeting people along the way. Everyone conquering the same challenge, the joint sense of accomplishment, the feeling of togetherness, and also joint tiredness at the end of the day, sharing a well-earned meal and drink is simply the best way to spend a day.
The reason why I admire Snowdon so much as a visitor destination is the fact that many abilities and ages are able to walk to the summit. There are multiple paths ranging from slow and easy of the Llanberis Path to scrambles and climbs for the more advanced such as Grib Coch (more can be read about the various paths up Snowdon on my previous post, the link to which can be found at the end of this blog post)
Unesco World Heritage Bid
There are however many other attractions in North Wales that visitors should consider as part of any itinerary when visiting Snowdonia. Currently and very excitingly is a bid which has been put forward by government ministers for the old slate mining sites of Gwynedd to be listed as Unesco World Heritage Sites. We will have to wait until next year of 2021 for the decision on the future status of the quarries which will be taken during the 2021 UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting.
There are 7 sites that encompass the Welsh Slate Landscape but the two I would like to talk about are Dinorwig Quarry in Llanberis and Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda.
Dinorwig Quarry is located in Llanberis, a short walk from the high street and across from Llyn Padarn. The National Slate Museum is a great starting point before visiting the quarries to soak in the history of the area and the slate industry which once roofed the world.
Spend an afternoon in Dinorwig Quarries day in Llanberis
Years of writing slate on slate has created a wall of stories of locals and visitors alike.
A viewpoint from the quarries across to Llanberis
Slate Miners Cottages
To access Dinorwig Quarries from Llanberis you can either travel up to Dinorwig and start from the top or walk directly from National Slate Museum up the ‘Zig Zags’ as they are known. Be aware that this route is not for the faint of heart and care must be taken due to missing walls and loose paths.
Walking through the quarries you will come across many old and beautiful buildings and artifacts from many years ago. I walk through regularly and every time there is something new that I haven’t seen. Old cottages, some with cooking pots still inside. Slate trains and tracks, slate chairs and fireplaces. I’ve even seen wild strawberries inside the old cottages. The wildlife is also spectacular with huge buzzards soaring around the quarries and rare and much loved Dinorwig Goats. Keep walking and you will reach a series of lower sloped zig zags that take you back onto the road into Llanberis. The circular route from Llanberis National Slate Museum through the quarries back to Llanberis takes approx 2.5 hours. You can work the quarries directly from Crashpad Lodges by taking an ancient path that takes from door to door approx 3.5 hours. See the animated route below!
Penryhn Quarries in Bethesda makes up another of the 7 sites bidding for Unesco World Heritage Status. This beautiful quarry is also home to Zip World and Velocity 2, the fastest zip line in Europe, Quarry Karts and The Penrhyn Quarry Tour. A great day out and only a 25 minute drive from Crashpad Lodges.
Velocity 2 at Zip World - a 25 minute drive from Llanberis
So on your next visit to North Wales please make sure to visit these wonderful sites and hopefully you can say you have been to a Unesco World Heritage site come 2021.
More recommendations for other places and unique gems to discover in North Wales will feature in later blog posts so please make sure to subscribe to follow.
Different routes to reach the peak of Snowdon can be read on a previous blog post below
http://crashpadlodges.com/blog/2019/3/24/walking-up-yr-wyddfa-snowdon-wales-highest-mountain
About Yr Helfa Fawr
Yr Helfa, the old Welsh building from where we run our business Crashpad Lodges is located on the foothills of Snowdon close to the village of Llanberis. Formerly part of a settlement of farms Yr Helfa was once a smaller building which housed both farmers and animals, now home to many wonderful guests who visit Snowdonia every year.
Crashpad Lodges is the business that we run from Yr Helfa, our first accommodation site. Our aim - to create low carbon footprint accommodation in unique settings for guests and local communities to enjoy for many years to come.
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