Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Llanberis

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Population
  
2,026 (2011)

Community
  
Llanberis

Ceremonial county
  
Gwynedd

Local time
  
Thursday 10:41 AM

OS grid reference
  
SH572602

Principal area
  
Gwynedd

Country
  
Wales

Dialling code
  
01286

Llanberis

Weather
  
7°C, Wind NE at 23 km/h, 89% Humidity

Points of interest
  
Snowdon, National Slate Museum, Llanberis Lake Railway, Snowdon Mountain Railway, Llanberis Pass

Self catering llanberis holiday cottage snowdon nearby jasmine bach


Llanberis is a village in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake Llyn Padarn and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a popular centre for outdoor activities in Snowdonia, including walking, mountaineering, climbing, mountain biking and pony trekking as well as water sports such as Scuba Diving. The international fell race known as the Snowdon Race (Welsh: Ras Yr Wyddfa) to the summit of Snowdon begins in the village.

Contents

Map of Llanberis, Caernarfon, UK

Llanberis takes its name from Saint Peris, an early Welsh saint. It is twinned with the Italian town of Morbegno in Lombardy.

Self catering llanberis holiday cottage snowdon nearby


History

See also: Notable people


The ruins of Dolbadarn Castle, which were famously painted by Richard Wilson and J.M.W. Turner, stand above the village. The 13th century fortress was built by Llywelyn the Great and is a grade I listed building.

The churches St Padarn are both grade II* listed buildings, as is the chapel of Capel Coch.

In the 18th century Llanberis was the home of the legendary strong woman Marged Ferch Ifan.

Demographics

According to the United Kingdom Census 2011, the population of Llanberis was 2,026, with 74.7% of those aged 3 years and over were able to speak Welsh.

Local attractions

Places of interest in and near the village include the Snowdon Mountain Railway, the National Slate Museum, the Llanberis Lake Railway and Padarn country park. Tours of Dinorwig power station are also available from a purpose-built visitor centre.

The village is a popular starting point for ascents of Snowdon because the Llanberis Path begins in the village. Although it is the longest route, it is the least rigorous route to the summit, largely following the line of the Snowdon Mountain Railway. This makes it the most popular walking route on the mountain.

Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team deals with 150–200 incidents a year and is one of the busiest mountain rescue teams in the country. The team is run entirely by volunteers who rely solely on donations from the public for funding.

Llanberis Mountain Film Festival, which is held in annually in February, began in 2004.

It is the home of the Slateman Triathlon which runs in early summer each year. It attracts over 2,000 triathletes and many more spectators over two days. It is a mountain triathlon which begins in Llyn Padarn, follows on the bike up to Capel Curig, and finishes with a run in the Snowdonian mountains.

Transport

Bus services to Llanberis are provided by Express Motors and Bws Peris. Former operator Padarn Bus, which went into receivership in 2014, was based in the town and ran several routes to it; these and include a number of open-top routes.

The village used to be served by Llanberis railway station on a branch line of the Carnarvonshire Railway. Passenger services ceased in 1932; freight continued until closure in 1964. The heritage Snowdon Mountain Railway and Llanberis Lake Railway both have stations in the town, but serve primarily as tourist attractions instead of local transport links.

References

Llanberis Wikipedia