Snowdon

Looking north along the banks of the river Glaslyn to the foothills of Snowdon. The white houses mark the village of Beddgelert, in the county of Gwynedd. Between the river and the village lies the grave of Gelert, a gallant dog that, according to legend, saved the baby son of Prince Llewelyn I from a wolf.

The Llanberis Pass in Snowdonia National Park, north Wales, is typical of a U-shaped valley formed by glacial erosion. It runs for six miles southeast-northwest, from Pen-y-Pass down to the village of Llanberis at the head of Lake Padarn. Steep-sided corries hang above it, leading to the Snowdon arêtes, and in the valley bottom huge slabs of exposed rock show signs of glacial striation.

Highest mountain in Wales, 1,085 m/3,560 ft above sea level. Situated 16 km/10 mi southeast of the Menai Strait, it consists of a cluster of five peaks. At the foot of Snowdon are the Llanberis, Aberglaslyn, and Rhyd-ddu passes. A rack railway ascends to the summit from Llanberis. Snowdonia, the surrounding mountain range, was made a national park in 1951. It covers 2,188 sq km/845 sq mi of mountain, lakes, and forest land.

The five main peaks are Y Wyddfa (1,085 m/3,560 ft), Carnedd Ungain (1,065 m/3,494 ft), Crib Goch (921 m/3,022 ft), Y Lliwedd (898 m/2,946 ft), and Llechog (884 m/2,900 ft). Shaped roughly like an octopus, the massif extends six tentacles or arms around 12 lakes. It is extremely popular for both family walkers and mountaineers. There is a restaurant at the summit of Y Wyddfa.