More to celebrating Wales than St David's Day

With today (March 1st) being St David's Day, some may spend much of the day thinking about Wales and the possibilities of taking a trip there soon.

Those catching ferries from Dublin to Holyhead on the isle of Anglesey will find themselves perfectly located for exploring the wonders of north Wales, which include the island itself - home to Britain's longest place name at Llanfairpwllgyngyllgylgofgerychwynbroblllantisiliogogogoch and many beaches.

And over on the mainland, the mountains of Snowdonia rise up and alongside the scenery is a rich industrial history, part of which can be experienced at the National Slate Museum in Llanberis, a village at the foot of Snowdon.

The attraction is celebrating 40 years in existence this year and there will be a number of activities and events taking place.

This includes an exhibition about the first 40 years at the museum on the anniversary of its opening on May 25th, three years after the old Dinorwic Slate Quarry closed.

And the fun will continue on May 26th through a celebration for everyone - with cake included for all - making it a good time to bring the family.

Keeper of the museum Dr Dafydd Roberts said: "Since that day in 1972 the museum, which is one of the seven sites of National Museum Wales, has been visited by over 2.6 million people, all of which have walked through the magnificent archway in order to experience and learn more about the history of the great slate industry in this area."

He added: "We want our 40th birthday to reflect and celebrate all the activity that this historic place has seen over the last few decades, from its opening days in the seventies to its major redevelopment at the end of the nineties to free admission in the new millennium." 

Visitors to Llanberis can enjoy a wide range of other attractions, which include discovering that slate is the main material used in the highest building in England and Wales - the Hafod Eyriri visitor centre at the top of Snowdon, which can be reached either with a walk up from the village to the 3,560 ft summit or a less strenuous ride on the famous Snowdon Mountain Railway.

There are many other narrow-gauge steam railways to enjoy in the area, such as the Llanberis Lake Railway running alongside Llyn Padarn or, on the other side of Snowdon, the Welsh Highland Railway (WHR), which stretches 25 miles from Caernarfon to Porthmadog and offers lakeside views and access to the Snowdon Ranger path, one of the most popular walking routes up the mountain.

And Dinorwic is also the name of the huge hydro-electric power station under the mountain of Elidir Fawr, whose turbines can help rapidly increase electricity supplies to the national grid to cope with times of peak demand.

These can be seen as part of the tour of the Electric Mountain visitor centre.

People keen on learning more about the slate mining history of the area may also visit the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, where the past activity is evident by the huge spoil heaps around the town, which is nonetheless located among attractive scenery with mountains all about.

The Llechwedd Slate Caverns provide another attraction here for those keen to go underground and learn more about the slate mining heritage of the area, while the town is also home to another narrow-gauge railway - the Ffestiniog railway - which links up to the WHR 13 and a half miles away at Porthmadog.

People who like climbing mountains may enjoy Snowdon, but there are many others over 3,000 ft in the area. The Glyderau Ridge includes Elidor Fawr 93,029 ft), Y Gran (3,107 ft), Glyder Fawr (3,283 ft) and Glyder Fach (3,261 ft). The latter is famous for the cantilever stone, which many people have had themselves photographed standing on. For those who have a head for heights and the ability to scramble, the spectacularly narrow and craggy Tryfan (3,010 ft) stands nearby.

So while St David's Day may be an occasion to think of all things Welsh, few things can beat actually going there and enjoying its history, culture and scenery.