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Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951.

Name and extent

It was a commonly held belief that the name is derived from ("eagle"), and thus means "the abode/land of eagles", but recent evidence is that it means ''highlands'', and is related to the Latin (to rise) as leading Welsh scholar Sir proved.

The term first appeared in a manuscript in the 9th-century , in an account of the downfall of the semi-legendary 5th-century king ( Vortigern).

In the Middle Ages, the title ''Prince of Wales and Lord of Snowdonia'' () was used by ; his grandfather used the title ''Prince of north Wales and Lord of Snowdonia.''

The name ''Snowdonia'' derives from ''Snowdon'', the highest mountain in the area and the highest mountain in Wales at . Before the boundaries of the national park were designated, "Snowdonia" was generally used to refer to a smaller area, namely the upland area of northern centred on the Snowdon massif, whereas the national park covers an area more than twice that size extending far to the south into . This is apparent in books published prior to 1951, such as the classic travelogue ''Wild Wales'' by George Borrow (1862) and ''The Mountains of Snowdonia'' by H. Carr & G. Lister (1925). F. J. North, as editor of the book ''Snowdonia'' (1949), states "When the Committee delineated provisional boundaries, they included areas some distance beyond Snowdonia proper". The traditional Snowdonia thus includes the ranges of Snowdon and its satellites, the , the , the and the Moel Hebog group. It does not include the hills to the south of . This area has a unique place in Welsh history, tradition, and culture.

Use of in English

In 2003, Cymuned launched a campaign for the scrapping of ''Snowdon'' and ''Snowdonia'' for their Welsh-language counterparts, and , respectively, with the campaign citing efforts similar to Uluru (also known as ''Ayers Rock'') and the use of Qomolangma instead of Mount Everest, which was named after Welsh-born George Everest.

In 2020, an e-petition calling for the removal of the English names was put forward to the Senedd. The petition was rejected as the devolved legislature stated it was the responsibility of the national park authority itself.

On 28 April 2021, Gwynedd councillor John Pughe Roberts put forward a motion for the names ''Snowdonia National Park'' and ''Snowdon'' to be replaced with the Welsh names and respectively, stating it as a "question of respect for the Welsh language". The motion was not considered and delayed, as the national park authority already appointed a "Welsh Place Names Task and Finish Group" to investigate the issue. The park authority however cannot compel other bodies and/or individuals to stop using the English names, with the proposals facing some criticism.

In April 2021, an e-petition was launched calling for ditching ''Snowdon'' and ''Snowdonia National Park'' for their Welsh equivalents. By June 2021, more than 5,300 people signed the petition.

In May 2021, following the dismissal of the motion, YouGov conducted a poll on Snowdon's name. 60% of Welsh adults supported the English name ''Snowdon'', compared to 30% wanting the Welsh name . Separating by language, 59% of Welsh speakers preferred the Welsh name, while 37% wanted ''Snowdon'' to not be scrapped entirely. 69% of non-Welsh speakers firmly supported ''Snowdon'' as the Mountain's name. The proposals to rename ''Snowdon'' are usually accompanied with proposals to rename ''Snowdonia''.

On 16 November 2022, Members of the Snowdonia National Park Authority committee voted to use the Welsh names and to refer to Wales' highest mountain and the mountain range over the English names "Snowdon" and "Snowdonia", respectively, in materials produced by the authority. The national park authority described the decision as "decisive action" and the authority's head of culture heritage stated that Welsh place names were part of the area's "special qualities" and that other public bodies, English-language press and filming companies have used the Welsh-language names. Prior to the decision, the park already included the Welsh names on English-language documents followed by the English names in parentheses. Although previous proposals advocated for ''Snowdonia'' to be scrapped entirely, the name ''Snowdonia'' is set in law, therefore the authority has the legal requirement to also use it in official statutory documents. The authority announced they are to conduct a review of the authority's branding in 2023 taking into account the new approach to Welsh place names.

Snowdonia National Park

Snowdonia National Park ( cy, Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri), was established in 1951 as the third national park in Britain, following the Peak District and the Lake District. It covers , and has of coastline. Snowdonia National Park covers parts of the counties of Gwynedd and Conwy.

The park is governed by the ''Snowdonia National Park Authority'', which is made up of local government and Welsh Government representatives, and its main offices are at Penrhyndeudraeth. Unlike national parks in other countries, Snowdonia (and other such parks in Britain) is made up of both public and private lands under a central planning authority. The makeup of land ownership at Snowdonia is as follows:

More than 26,000 people live within the park. 58.6% of the population could speak Welsh in 2011.

While most of the land is either open or mountainous land, there is a significant amount of agricultural activity within the park.

Since the local government re-organisation of 1998, the park lies partly in the county of Gwynedd, and partly in the county borough of Conwy. It is governed by the 18-member Eryri National Park Authority; nine members are appointed by Gwynedd, three by Conwy, and the remaining six by the Welsh Government to represent the national interest. Unusually, Snowdonia National Park has a hole in the middle, around the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, a slate quarrying centre. This was deliberately excluded from the park when it was set up to allow the development of new light industry to replace the reduced slate industry. (There is a similar situation in the Peak District National Park where the boundaries were drawn to exclude large built-up areas and industrial sites from the park with the town of Buxton and the adjacent quarries outside but surrounded on three sides by the park.) The Snowdonia Society is a registered charity formed in 1967. It is a voluntary group of people with an interest in the area and its protection.

Amory Lovins led the successful 1970s opposition to stop Rio Tinto digging up the area for a massive mine.

Geology

The geology of Snowdonia is key to the area's character. Glaciation during a succession of ice ages, has carved from a heavily faulted and folded succession of sedimentary and igneous rocks, a distinctive rocky landscape. The last ice age ended only just over 11,500 years ago, leaving a legacy of features attractive to visitors but which have also played a part in the development of geological science and continue to provide a focus for educational visits. Visiting Cwm Idwal in 1841 Charles Darwin realised that the landscape was the product of glaciation. The bedrock dates largely from the Cambrian and Ordovician periods with intrusions of Ordovician and Silurian age associated with the Caledonian Orogeny. There are smaller areas of Silurian age sedimentary rocks in the south and northeast and of Cenozoic era strata on the Cardigan Bay coast though the latter are concealed by more recent deposits. Low grade metamorphism of Cambrian and Ordovician mudstones has resulted in the slates, the extraction of which once formed the mainstay of the area's economy.

Geography

Mountains

The principal ranges of the traditional Snowdonia are the Snowdon massif itself, the Glyderau, the Carneddau, the Moelwynion and the Moel Hebog range. All of Wales' 3000ft mountains are to be found within the first three of these massifs and are most popular with visitors. To their south within the wider national park are the Rhinogydd and the Cadair Idris and Aran Fawddwy ranges. Besides these well-defined areas are a host of mountains which are less readily grouped though various guidebook writers have assigned them into groups such as the 'Arenigs', the 'Tarrens' and the 'Dyfi hills'.

Snowdon's summit at 1085 metres (3560') is the highest in Wales and the highest in Britain south of the Scottish Highlands. At 905 metres (2970') is the highest in Wales outside of northern Snowdonia and at 893 metres (2930'), next in line.

Rivers and lakes

Rivers draining the area empty directly into Cardigan Bay are typically short and steep. From north to south they include the and which share a common estuary, the and its tributaries the Wnion and the , the smaller and on the park's southern margin the Dovey. A series of rivers drain to the north coast. Largest of these is the Conwy on the park's eastern margin which along with the drains into Conwy Bay. Further west the and empty into the western end of the Menai Strait. A part of the east of the national park is within the upper Dee (Dyfrydwy) catchment and includes Llyn Tegid, the largest natural waterbody in Wales. A fuller list of the rivers and tributaries within the area is found at List of rivers of Wales.

There are few natural waterbodies of any size in Wales; Snowdonia is home to most. Besides Llyn Tegid, a few lakes occupy glacial troughs including and at and south of . , and to the south and west of Snowdon feature in this category as do and on the margins of the . There are numerous small lakes occupying glacial cirques owing to the former intensity of glacial action in Snowdonia. Known generically as tarns, examples include and on Snowdon, within the and on .

There are two large wholly man-made bodies of water in the area, and whilst numerous of the natural lakes have had their levels artificially raised to different degrees. reservoir and Power Station's are two cases where natural tarns have been dammed as part of pumped storage hydro-electric schemes.
A fuller list of the lakes within the area is found at List of lakes of Wales.

Coast

The national park meets the Irish Sea coast within Cardigan Bay between the Dovey estuary in the south and the estuary. The larger part of that frontage is characterised by dune systems, the largest of which are and . These two locations sport two of the largest sand/shingle spits in Wales. The major indentations of the Dovey, and estuaries are characterised by large expanses of intertidal sands and coastal marsh which are especially important for wildlife (- see natural history section). The northern tip of the national park extends to the north coast of Wales at Point, west of where precipitous cliffs have led to the road and railway negotiating the spot in tunnel.

Settlements

There are only three towns within the park boundary though several more immediately beyond it. is the most populous followed by Bala on the eastern boundary and then Harlech overlooking Tremadog Bay. More populous than these is the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog which is within an exclave, that is to say it is surrounded by the national park but excluded from it whilst the towns of Tywyn and Barmouth on the Cardigan Bay coast are within coastal exclaves. in the east, Machynlleth in the south and Porthmadog and Penrhyndeudraeth in the west are immediately beyond the boundary but still identified with the park, indeed the last of these hosts the headquarters of the Snowdonia National Park Authority. Similarly the local economies of towns of Conwy, Bethesda, and Llanberis in the north are inseparably linked to the national park as they provide multiple visitor services. The lower terminus of the Snowdon Mountain Railway is at Llanberis. Though adjacent to it, and are less obviously linked to the park.
There are numerous smaller settlements within the national park, prominent amongst which are the eastern 'gateway' village of , Aberdovey on the Dovey estuary and the small village of each of which attract large numbers of visitors. Other sizeable villages are at the southwest end of and .

Communications

Roads

Six primary routes serve Snowdonia, the busiest of which is the A55, a dual carriageway which runs along the north coast and provides strategic road access to the northern part of the national park. The most important north–south route within the park is the A470 running from the A55 south past to to . It exits the park a few miles to the southeast near . From , the A494 runs to whilst the A487 connects with . The A487 loops around the northwest of the park from via to before turning in land to meet the A470 east of . The A5 was built as a mail coach road by Thomas Telford between London and Holyhead; it enters the park near and leaves it near Bethesda. Other A class roads provide more local links; the A493 down the Dovey valley from and up the coast to then back up the valley to , the A496 from down the north side of the to Barmouth then north up the coast via to . The A4212 connecting with is relatively modern having been laid out in the 1960s in connection with the construction of . Three further roads thread their often twisting and narrow way through the northern mountains; A4085 links with , the A4086 links with via and the A498 links with the A4086 at . Other roads of note include that from up to via the 545 metre (1788') high pass of , the second highest tarmacked public road in Wales and the minor road running northwest and west from towards via the 531 metre (1742') high pass of .

Railways

The double track North Wales Coast Line passes along the northern boundary of the park between Conwy and Bangor briefly entering it at Point where it is in tunnel. Stations serve the communities of Conwy, Penmaenmawr, Llanfairfechan and Bangor. The single-track Conwy Valley Line runs south from Llandudno Junction, entering the park north of Betws-y-coed which is served by a station then west up the Lledr valley by way of further stations at Pont-y-pant, Dolwyddelan and Roman Bridge. After passing through a tunnel the passenger line now terminates at Blaenau Ffestiniog railway station. Prior to 1961 the route continued as the Bala and Ffestiniog Railway via Trawsfynydd to Bala joining another former route along the Dee valley which ran southwest via Dolgellau to join the still extant coastal Cambrian Line south of Barmouth. The Pwllheli branch of the Cambrian Line splits from the Aberystwyth branch at Dovey Junction and continues via stations at Aberdovey, Tywyn, Tonfanau, Llwyngwril, Fairbourne and Morfa Mawddach to Barmouth where it crosses the Mawddach estuary by the GradeII* listed wooden Barmouth Bridge, a structure which also provides for walkers and cyclists. Further stations serve Llanaber, Tal-y-bont, Dyffryn Ardudwy, Llanbedr, Pensarn and Llandanwg before reaching Harlech. Tygwyn, Talsarnau and Llandecwyn stations are the last before the line exits the park as it crosses the Dwyryd estuary via Pont Briwet and turns westwards bound for Pwllheli via Penrhyndeudraeth, Porthmadog and Criccieth.

Many sections of dismantled railway are now used by walking and cycling routes and are described elsewhere. The Bala Lake Railway is a heritage railway which has been established along a section of the former mainline route between Bala and Llanuwchllyn. Other heritage railways occupy sections of former mineral lines, often narrow gauge and are described in a separate section.

Climate

Snowdonia is one of the wettest parts of the United Kingdom; Crib Goch in Snowdonia is the wettest spot in the United Kingdom, with an average rainfall of a year over the 30-year period prior to the mid-2000s. (There is a rainfall gauge at 713 metres, 2340' on the slopes below Crib Goch.)

History

The earliest evidence for human occupation of the area dates from around 4000 - 3000 BCE with extensive traces of prehistoric field systems evident in the landscape. Within these are traces of irregular enclosures and hut circles. There are burial chambers of Neolithic and Bronze Age such as Bryn Cader Faner and Iron Age hillforts such as Bryn y Castell near Ffestiniog.

The region was finally conquered by the Romans by AD 77–78. Remains of Roman marching camps and practice camps are evident. There was a Roman fort and amphitheatre at Tomen y Mur. Roads are known to have connected with Segontium (Caernarfon) and Deva Victrix (Chester) and include the northern reaches of Sarn Helen.

There are numerous memorial stones of Early Christian affinity dating from the post-Roman period. The post-Roman hillfort of Dinas Emrys also dates to this time. Churches were introduced to the region in the 5th and 6th centuries. Llywelyn the Great and Llywelyn ap Gruffudd had various stone castles constructed to protect their borders and trade routes. Edward I built several castles around the margins including those at Harlech and Conwy for military and administrative reasons. Most are now protected within a World Heritage Site. Some of Snowdonia's many stone walls date back to this period too.

The 18th century saw the start of industrial exploitation of the area's resources, assisted by the appearance in the late part of the century of turnpike trusts making it more accessible. The engineer Thomas Telford left a legacy of road and railway construction in and around Snowdonia. A new harbour at Porthmadog linked to slate quarries at Ffestiniog via a narrow gauge railway. At its peak in the 19th century the slate industry employed around 12,000 men. A further 1000 were employed in stone quarrying at Graiglwyd and Penmaenmawr. Mining for copper, iron and gold was undertaken during the 18th and 19th centuries, leaving a legacy of mine and mill ruins today. Ruins of the gold industry are found at Cefn Coch on the Dolmelynllyn estate.

Natural history

The park's entire coastline is a Special Area of Conservation, which runs from the Llŷn Peninsula down the mid-Wales coast, the latter containing valuable sand dune systems.

The park's natural forests are of the mixed deciduous type, the commonest tree being the Welsh oak. Birch, ash, mountain-ash and hazel are also common. The park also contains some large (planted) coniferous forested areas such as Gwydir Forest near Betws-y-Coed, although some areas, once harvested, are now increasingly being allowed to regrow naturally.

Flora

Northern Snowdonia is the only place in Britain where the Snowdon lily (''Gagea serotina''), an arctic–alpine plant, is found and the only place in the world where the Snowdonia hawkweed ''Hieracium snowdoniense'' grows.

One of the major problems facing the park in recent years has been the growth of '' Rhododendron ponticum''. This fast-growing invasive species has a tendency to take over and stifle native species. It can form massive towering growths and has a companion fungus that grows on its roots producing toxins that are poisonous to any local flora and fauna for a seven-year period after the ''Rhododendron'' infestations have been eradicated. As a result, there are a number of desolate landscapes.

Fauna

Mammals in the park include otters, polecats, feral goats, and pine martens. Birds include raven, red-billed chough, peregrine, osprey, merlin and the red kite. The rainbow-coloured Snowdon beetle (''Chrysolina cerealis'') is only found in northern Snowdonia.

Conservation designations

Snowdonia has a particularly high number of protected sites in respect of its diverse ecology; nearly 20% of its total area is protected by UK and European law. Half of that area was set aside by the government under the European Habitats Directive as a Special Area of Conservation. There are a large number of Sites of special scientific interest (or 'SSSIs'), designated both for fauna and flora but also in some cases for geology. Nineteen of these sites are managed as national nature reserves by Natural Resources Wales. The park also contains twelve Special Areas of Conservation (or 'SACs'), three Special Protection Areas (or 'SPAs') and three Ramsar sites. Some are wholly within the park boundaries, others straddle it to various degrees.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest

There are numerous SSSIs within the park, the most extensive of which are Snowdonia, Estuary, and .

National nature reserves

The following NNRs are either wholly or partly within the park:
(in multiple parts), (in 2 parts), and Snowdon.

Special Areas of Conservation

The twelve SACs are as follows: Snowdonia SAC which covers much of the , and the Snowdon massif, Fens (north of Garndolbenmaen), the Oakwoods and Bat Sites - a series of sites between , and and and extending up the . It also includes many of the oakwoods of the and its tributaries. (in 2 parts), , River Dee and (Wales),
Forest Mines (north of ) and a part of the / Berwyn and South Clwyd Mountains SAC. The Peninsula and the SAC covers the entire Cardigan Bay coastline of the park and the sea area and extends above the high water mark at and around the Dovey and estuaries.

Special Protection Areas

The three SPAs are Dovey Estuary / (of which a part is within the park), (of which a part is within the park) and .

Ramsar sites

The three designated Ramsar site

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