The A498 is a 16-mile road between

Pen-y-Gwryd Pen-y-Gwryd is a pass at the head of Nantygwryd and Nant Cynnyd rivers close to the foot of Snowdon in Gwynedd, Wales. The area is located at the junction of the A4086 from Capel Curig to Llanberis and Caernarfon and the A498 from Beddgele ...

and Porthmadog in North Wales. At Pen-y-Gwryd, the A4086

Llanberis Pass The Llanberis Pass ( cy, Bwlch Llanberis; alternative English name, Pass of Llanberis) in Snowdonia carries the main road ( A4086) from the south-east to Llanberis, over Pen-y-Pass, between the mountain ranges of the Glyderau and the Snowdon ma ...

route bears off to the north. The A498 descends from a 277 m (909 ft.) summit at Pen-y-Gwryd and runs south west through the village of Beddgelert and the

Aberglaslyn Pass The Aberglaslyn Pass ( cy, Bwlch Aberglaslyn) is a narrow gorge of considerable beauty in Snowdonia, Gwynedd, north Wales. The A498 road/A4085 road follows a relatively level route along the Afon Glaslyn through the pass from Beddgelert to Pr ...

, where it overlaps the

A4085 List of A roads in zone 4 in Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island ...

. The A498 then passes through

Tremadog Tremadog (formerly Tremadoc) is a village in the community of Porthmadog, in Gwynedd, north west Wales; about north of Porthmadog town-centre. It was a planned settlement, founded by William Madocks, who bought the land in 1798. The centre of ...

, overlapping the A487 for a short length before passing under the

Cambrian Coast railway The Cambrian Line ( cy, Llinell y Cambrian), also known as the Cambrian Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell y Cambrian) and Cambrian Coast Line ( cy, Llinell Arfordir y Cambrian), is a railway line that runs from Shrewsbury, England, westwards to Aber ...

and terminating at Penamser on the A497 about a mile west of Porthmadog. At its northern end, the road forms a link via the A4086 with the A5 at

Capel Curig Capel Curig (; meaning " Curig's Chapel") is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Historically in Caernarfonshire, it lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy, and has a population of 226, reducing slightly to 206 ...

, forming a useful holiday route to the Beddgelert/Porthmadog area. At the junctions, the A4086 to Llanberis is the minor road at Pen-y-Gwryd, while the A498 is the minor road at Beddgelert. At Pont Aberglaslyn, the A4085 is the minor road diverging to Penrhyndeudraeth and at Tremadog, the A498 is the major road. The junction west of Tremadog is a roundabout and at Penamser, the A498 is the minor road. A498 Wales UK

There is a steep descent of Nantgwynant and some miles of this is on a substandard, narrow twisting alignment, where larger vehicles have difficulty in passing. There are further substandard sections in the Aberglaslyn Pass and towards Tremadog and coaches have had difficulty passing in this section. The road passes through Beddgelert by way of a sharp right angled bend over a river bridge, not recommended for articulated vehicles. In the Aberglaslyn Pass the trackbed of the Welsh Highland Railway, now being reconstructed, can be seen on the opposite side of the

Afon Glaslyn The Afon Glaslyn (English, ''River Glaslyn'') is a river in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. While not of great significance in terms of its length (about ), it is one of Gwynedd's primary rivers, and has greatly influenced the landscape in which it ...

. At its west end, the route crosses the new A487 Porthmadog Bypass at a roundabout west of Tremadog.

Recent improvements

In late 2008 the Bryn-y-felin road bridge was rebuilt under the Welsh Highland Railway as part of Gwynedd Council's WHR Bridges policy. Unfortunately the bridge was rebuilt without a footpath and of such narrow dimensions that any vehicles wider than a standard car find it difficult to pass. It also has a 14' 9" height restriction.

History

The road was created from early toll roads. There was some improvement in the 1960s/70s in Nantgwynant and south of the Aberglaslyn Pass. Just south of the Goat Hotel in Beddgelert is an arched railway overbridge (with height and width restrictions) built by the

Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway The Porthmadog, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway (PB&SSR) was a narrow gauge railway intended to connect Porthmadog with the North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways link terminus at Rhyd Ddu. Although some of the line was constructed between 1 ...

but never used.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:4-0498 Roads in Gwynedd