Wales Northern Attractions

Road signs proclaiming "Croeso i Gymru" ("Welcome to Wales") greet the visitor as he enters the country and bear witness to the warm hospitality of the Welsh. The elegant little town of Llandudno is one of Britain's longest established seaside resorts, and the North Wales coast offers a great variety of scenery, with its spacious beaches and lively bathing resorts, rugged cliffs, little fishing villages and secluded bays. Snowdonia National Park, with Wales' highest mountain, Snowdon (3560ft/1085m) has for centuries attracted climbers and walkers. The Lleyn Peninsula and the Clwydian Range are also designated as "areas of outstanding natural beauty", and there are many historical sites and charming little towns, deep ravines and picturesque valleys, which turn any outing into a voyage of discovery.

North Wales comprises the former counties of Caernarfon and Merioneth, which after reorganization formed the county of Gwynedd, and the former counties of Denbigh and Flint, which after reorganization became the county of Clwyd. The Tudor dynasty, which ascended the English throne, originally came from North Wales, while today the British heir to the throne is proclaimed "Prince of Wales" at Caernarfon Castle - the present Prince Charles' investiture took place there in 1969. The nationalist party of Wales, Plaid Cymru, was also founded in North Wales in 1925. In 1966 the party sent its first member of parliament to the House of Commons at Westminster: Gwynfor Evans (b. 1912), a symbolic figure for the newly awakened Welsh nationalism.

Many Welsh place-names begin with the syllable "llan", which means "church". Other common beginnings are "aber" = "river-mouth"; "afon" = "river"; "bryn" = "hill"; "craig" = "rock"; "llyn" = "lake"; "rhos" = "moorland".