Weekly Photo Challenge: Tour Guide north Wales

In response to the WordPress Daily Post’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Tour Guide

North Wales incorporating the beautiful national park of Snowdonia a vast rugged area with waterfalls and trails, including several routes up to Snowdon the highest mountain in Wales.

We have castles, lakes, rivers, bridges, ruins, old slate quarries, forests, lighthouses and piers to name a few of the many wonderful attractions.

In Autumn the most photographed tea room in Britain. 15th century cottage, once a courthouse, and now a tea-room, Llanrwst north Wales UK Pont Fawr a narrow three-arch stone bridge, It is said to have been designed by Inigo Jones and it was built in 1636 by Sir John Wynn of Gwydir Castle. The bridge connects the town with Gwydir, a manor house dating from 1492, Originally built to carry horses and carts.

15th century cottage, once a courthouse, and now a tea-room owned by the National Trust next to Pont Fawr a narrow three-arch stone bridge, It is said to have been designed by Inigo Jones and it was built in 1636 by Sir John Wynn of Gwydir Castle. The bridge connects the town with Gwydir, a manor house dating from 1492, Originally built to carry horses and carts.

The Menai Suspension Bridge is a suspension bridge between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. Designed by Thomas Telford and in 1826, it is one of the first modern suspension bridges in the world.

Chirk Aqueduct is a 70-foot high and 710-foot long navigable aqueduct that carries what is now the Llangollen Canal across the Ceiriog Valley near Chirk, on the England-Wales border. The aqueduct was designed by Thomas Telford for the Ellesmere Canal and completed in 1801

At Ty Mawr Country Park is the Cefn Viaduct, designed by Henry Robertson and built by Thomas Brassey in 1848 to carry the Shrewsbury and Chester Railway across the valley of the River Dee, north Wales, UK

Evening photograph of Conwy Castle, Conwy Castle dominates the mouth of the River Conwy and the medieval walled town of Conwy in North Wales, UK The castle was built on the orders of King Edward I of England and construction began in 1283 under the direction of Edwards chief architect James of St. George. Today the castle is one of the best preserved castles in the whole of North Wales.

The old hump back bridge in Aberffraw, Anglesey, North Wales The stone bridge Built in 1731 by Sir Arthur Owen, the single span stone bridge over the river Ffraw is a particularly well preserved example of an early road bridge. it can be crossed on foot, but isn’t open to vehicles.

traditional stone-built 16th-century Welsh farmhouse with a crooked chimney

Victoria Pier at the seaside resort of Colwyn Bay on the coast of North Wales. The Pier dates back to 1899 and was extended from its original 316 feet long to 750 feet in 1903. Since those heydays Victoria Pier has been at the centre of a gripping story of survival almost demolished having suffered devastating fire and very recent severe weather damage by Storm Doris, a section of the lower end of the pier partially collapsed into the sea.

Llandudno Pier a seaside resort on the coast of North Wales, UK. At 2,295 ft the pier is the longest in Wales and the fifth longest in England and Wales

Porth Wen Brickworks Cemaes Bay Anglesey, north Wales, UK The Porth Wen brickworks operated c.1850 -1914

Natural Arch at Porth Wen Brickworks Cemaes Bay Anglesey, north Wales, UK. The Porth Wen brickworks operated c.1850 -1914

Nant Gwrtheyrn or “the Nant” as it is often called, is a magical place located in a former quarrying village on the northern coast of the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales, UK

St Cwyfan is known as the Church in the Sea. It is to be found on a small tidal island called Cribinau located off the west coast of Anglesey and close to the village of Aberffraw. Also known as Llangwyfan the church can be reached on foot at low tide. The present building is said to date back to the 12th or 13th Century

St Cwyfan is known as the Church in the Sea, also known as Llangwyfan Aberffraw, Anglesey north Wales

Gwenfaens Pillar – Rhoscolyn, Anglesey As legend has it, St Gwenfaen from whom the church at Rhoscolyn and medieval well nearby are named after, took refuge on top of this rock stack after fleeing her hermitage from viking raiders. As the tide came in and threatened to cover her rocky refuge, the angels descended and carried her away. Rhoscolyn is a village located on Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales. It is just over five miles south of Holyhead and is the most southerly settlement on the island. The name Rhoscolyn is said to mean The Moor (Rhos) of The Column (colyn), referring to a pillar which the Romans put up to mark the edge of their territories. Rhoscolyn lies in the south western corner of Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales, looking out into the Irish Sea. The defining feature of the landscape here is the dramatic, rocky coastline were there are numerous inlets and coves. Anglesey is an important study area for some of the most ancient rocks on our planet and Rhoscolyn is one of the island’s finest geological locations. It offers a spectacular display of complex, folded rocks which were old long before the mountains of Snowdonia even existed. Anglesey has long been, and continues to be, the focus of much interest, world-wide, by research scientists and students alike.

Seascape Sunset at the abandoned Talacre Lighthouse North Wales UK

The lighthouse at Penmon Point was built after the tragic disaster of the steam ship Rothesay Castle in 1831. When a day trip from Liverpool turned to tragedy with the loss of passengers and crew, it was decided that a lighthouse and accompanying Lifeboat Station was needed. The lighthouse watches over the treacherous waters between Penmon Point and Puffin Island, south east Anglesey, Wales, UK

Penrhyn Castle is a country house in Llandegai, Bangor, Gwynedd, North Wales, in the form of a Norman castle. It was originally a medieval fortified manor house. Penrhyn is one of the most admired of the numerous mock castles built in the United Kingdom

Dolwyddelan Castle is a Welsh castle locatedin Conwy North Wales. It is thought to have been built in the early 13th century by Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Gwynedd and North Wales

Dolbadarn Castle stands on a rocky hill some eighty feet above Llyn Padarn and Llyn Peris in the Llanberis Pass between Caernarfon and Snowdonia. The 13th century Castle is listed as a World Heritage Site.

The anchor outside Conwy Castle north Wales UK. Construction of the castle began in 1283

Chirk Castle located at Chirk, Wrexham, Wales UK. The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March as part of King Edward I’s chain of fortresses across the north of Wales. The castle was bought by Thomas Myddelton in 1595 for £5,000 (approx. £11 million as of 2008)

Minera Lead Mines Wrexham, Wales UK The first written record of the lead miners of Minera dates from 1296. The mine became a success story in the 18th century. Between 1761 and 1781, the city companies as owners of the mineral rights received nearly 13,000 in royalties. The mine flourished again after 1849. The Minera Mining Company invested in a new pumping engine in 1857. A year later they installed a new winding engine to raise the lead ore and to work the mechanical ore crusher. Soon after the company built new ore bins, dressing floors for sorting the lead from the waste and the ore house for drying, weighing and sampling the lead ready for sale. All this equipment enabled miners to mine ore from the deepest veins in Minera, up to 400 metres below the surface. In 1884 a new dressing floor was opened at Roy’s Shaft with all the latest machinery. The Meadow Shaft site became a dumping ground. Gradually the dressing floors were buried. Only the actual Meadow Shaft remained in use and it closed in 1914.

The Pumping Engine House at Dorothea Slate Quarry, Talysarn, Nantlle Valley, north Wales, UK. The Dorothea Quarry specialised in the production of blue and purple slates, mostly for roofing. Slate is a metamorphosed shale and that in Snowdonia is of Ordovician age. The quarry officially opened in 1829 though illegal quarrying in and around Nantlle had been active throughout the eighteenth century. Further investment was made in 1835 but production did not really get underway until the building boom of the latter nineteenth century. The Dorothea Quarry is five hundred feet deep and the last four hundred are in water. Around 1900 the company experimented with electric pumps to keep the quarry dewatered but was dissatisfied with them. Accordingly, in 1906 they installed a Cornish engine by Holman Brothers of Camborne, said to be the last ever built. The engine pumped ten gallons per second from five hundred feet working in a shaft of 465 feet depth. Its two coal-fired Lancashire boilers fed steam to a sixty-inch diameter single cylinder that rocked a cast-steel beam of twenty-three tons. The engine worked until 1951 when it was replaced by a sixty horse-power electric pump. It did brief duty in 1956. The engine and its house remain intact though the pump assembly has decayed and the boilers have been vandalised by copper thieves. The quarry closed in 1970 Watercolour style

Llanddwyn Island off the west coast of Anglesey, North Wales. The island forms part of the National Nature Reserve of Newborough Warren. The lighthouse Tŵr Mawr marks the western entrance to the Menai Strait.

The old Hospital at Llanberis Quarry Museum north Wales UK

The impressive three-storeyed Pont y Pandy mill, also known as Ynysypandy and Nant y Pandy slate processing works, which served the Gorseddau Quarry about 2 miles away, was built in 1856-7 by Evan Jones of Garndolbenmaen The slate mill was sited here due to lack of a suitable water supply at the quarry, a water wheel being used to operate the machinery. Pont y Pandy is an extraordinary building and looks more like a monastery than an industrial unit.

Church of St David’s at Pantasaph north Wales UK Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The acronym INRI in English reads as Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews.

On the northern side of the Great Orme, Llandudno, north Wales, UK nestling in a sheltered hollow, is the church of Saint Tudno built in the 12th century.

St. Marys Church Beddgelert north Wales, is the site of one of the oldest religious establishments in Wales. An early Christian community was established there in the 6th century AD

Ty Hyll – Ugly House built in 1475, Some legends say it was built by robbers and thieves, taking advantage of travellers, near Capel Curig north Wales

Berwyn railway Station on its ledge above the River Dee , Denbighshire, Wales, was formerly a station on the Ruabon to Barmouth line. Passenger services were originally suspended from 14 December 1964 following flood damage and officially closed to passengers on Monday 18 January 1965. Restored and reopened in 1986 as an intermediate station on the Llangollen Railway.

Rhos quarry barrack ruins Capel Curig. Snowdonia National Park. North Wales, UK

a very frosty morning at Valle Crucis Abbey is located near Llangollen, north Wales, UK. Nearby is the Pillar of Eliseg, a ninth century stone cross partly destroyed during the civil war. This ancient monument gives the abbey its name, which translated is ‘the valley of the cross’.founded in 1201

Ruins at the Cwmorthin Slate Quarry, a substantial disused slate mine found on the shores of Cwmorthin lake above the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales, UK.

Penmon Priory is located on Anglesey, where the Menai Strait returns to the Irish Sea. The Priory sits in a pastoral location close to the banks of the Menai Strait clustered together with St Seiriol’s Church, the Dovecote, and the ancient Holy Well of St Seiriol. The monastery was founded by the 6th Century celtic Saint, Seiriol, but Viking raids have destroyed the remains of the original structure. The church and the conical tower were built in the middle of the 12th Century under the authority of Gruffudd ap Cynan and Owain Gwynedd, and it remains to this day as the finest example of a 12th Century church in Gwynedd. A new chancel with richly carved arches and pillars was added in the 13th Century. and Penmon became an Augustinian Priory.

Sunset at Anglesey Barracks, they comprised two rows of 11 dwellings, served as accommodation for quarrymen, they would spend the week based in the barracks working in the quarry, leaving their homes very early on Monday morning and returning Saturday afternoon. Conditions were spartan. Each two-room unit had a living area with a fireplace and a sleeping area for four men. Facilities were scant no running water, toilets or electricity. Public-health inspectors closed down these barracks in 1948. Dinorwic Quarry, Llanberis north Wales, UK panorama best viewed Large

Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, and has been described as – probably the busiest mountain in Britain. It is designated as a national nature reserve for its rare flora and fauna. In Welsh folklore, the summit of Snowdon is said to be the tomb of Rhitta Gawr, a giant. This is claimed to be the reason for the Welsh name Yr Wyddfa, literally meaning – the tumulus – a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Rhitta Gawr wore a cloak made of men’s beards, and was slain by King Arthur after claiming Arthur’s beard. Llyn Peris is a lake in Snowdonia, Wales, approximately 1.8 km long and situated close to the villages of Llanberis and Nant Peris.

Peris lake and Snowdon, Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, and has been described as – probably the busiest mountain in Britain. It is designated as a national nature reserve for its rare flora and fauna. In Welsh folklore, the summit of Snowdon is said to be the tomb of Rhitta Gawr, a giant. This is claimed to be the reason for the Welsh name Yr Wyddfa, literally meaning – the tumulus – a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Rhitta Gawr wore a cloak made of men’s beards, and was slain by King Arthur after claiming Arthur’s beard. Dinorwic Slate Quarry, a large former slate quarry, located between the villages of Llanberis and Dinorwig in north Wales. It was the second largest slate quarry in the world. It covered more than 700 acres. wonderful view of Snowdon the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of 1,085 metres above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland.

Pen yr Ole Wen is the seventh highest mountain in Snowdonia and in Wales. It is the most southerly of the Carneddau range. The mountain lies to the north of Idwal Cottage youth hostel on the A5 road, from where it has a pyramidal appearance

view to Tryfan mountains east face, Snowdonia National Park, Ogwen Valley, Conwy, North Wales, UK

The Dinorwic Slate Quarry is a large former slate quarry, located between the villages of Llanberis and Dinorwig in north Wales. It was the second largest slate quarry in the world, after the neighbouring Penrhyn Quarry.It covered more than 700 acres Through one of the ruined quarry buildings you get a fantastic view of Snowdon the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of 1,085 metres above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland.

The Snowdon Mountain Railway is a narrow gauge rack and pinion mountain railway in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is a tourist railway that travels for 4.7 miles from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon, the highest peak in England and Wales.

Moored boat at Morfa Nefyn beach, a small village located on the northern coast of the Llyn Peninsula, north Wales, UK

In 2013 This tiny pub in Wales was named as one of the worlds best beach bars, beating hotspots in Australia, Florida and the Caribbean. Ty Coch Inn – Welsh for Red House looks out onto the Irish Sea and the sands at Porthdinllaen on the North Wales coast.

Moored boats on Llyn Nantlle Uchaf. A lake in the Nantlle Valley, Gwynedd, Wales. UK

Geirionydd lake lies in a valley near Capel Curig and Betws y Coed, North Wales UK, where the northern edge of the Gwydyr Forest meets the lower slopes of the Carneddau mountains. The lake is almost a mile long and covers an area of 45 acres

Winter Cyclist on the Winding Road to Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales and England.

No 87 steam loco st Waunfawr station on the Welsh Highland Railway north wales UK. The South African Class NG G16 2-6-2+2-6-2 of 1937 is a South African steam locomotive from the South African Railways era. Between 1937 and 1968 the South African Railways placed thirty-four Class NG G16 Garratt articulated steam locomotives with a 2-6-2+2-6-2 Double Prairie type wheel arrangement in service on the Avontuur Railway and on the Natal narrow gauge lines.

A small mountain stream leading into Ogwen lake at the foot of Tryfan mountain, Snowdonia, north Wales, UK

Decorative Iron Gate leading to Idwal lake and the Devils Kitchen, snowdonia national park, north wales,uk

The snow covered mountains of Cwm Idwal, a very popular attraction for visitors interested in walking, climbing, fishing and geology. Cwm Idwal is a national nature reserve, and one of the few places in Britain where the Snowdon Lilly can be found, Snowdonia National Park, North Wales, UK

Frozen Ogwen lake, Snowdonia North Wales, UK.
The lake is surrounded by high mountains, including Pen yr Ole Wen and Tryfan, considered to be one of the finest mountains in Wales.

Winter Waterfall at the Pont Pen-y-benglog, A5 road bridge over the Ogwen river in Snowdonia National Park Ogwen, North Wales, UK

Winter at the wooden foot bridge leading to Cwm Idwal lake, Snowdonia, north Wales UK Cwm Idwal is a very popular attraction for visitors interested in walking, climbing, fishing and geology. Cwm Idwal is a national nature reserve, and one of the few places in Britain where the Snowdon Lilly can be found. It is an area to be treated with extra special respect. It is an area which is home to lots of wildlife.

Boat house at the frozen lake Ogwen, Snowdonia North Wales, UK. The lake is surrounded by high mountains, including Pen yr Ole Wen and Tryfan, considered to be one of the finest mountains in Wales. Ogwen is an extremely shallow lake, with a depth of only three metres, and is around a mile long. It lies at a height of 310 metres above sea level.

Stone bridge near Watkin Path. Edward Watkin created a path from the quarry to the Snowdon summit the first designated footpath in Britain, and the first step towards opening the countryside to walkers. The path was officially opened in 1892 by the Prime Minister William Gladstone, who was 83 years old at the time. He addressed a crowd of over 2000 people from a rock on the side of the path, which is known today as the Gladstone Rock. This is thought to be one of the most hard going paths up Snowdon, as it starts only a little above sea level. The path starts off wide and quite even, but becomes rocky towards the second half, and then crosses loose scree. This location was used as the Khyber Pass in the well known film Carry on up the Khyber.

The Llyn Peninsula is a beautiful, hilly arm of land tapering from Snowdonia’s mountains into the Irish Sea. north Wales UK

Llyn Llydaw, the largest and deepest lake on the Miners Track, Snowdonia National Park, north Wales, UK, is crossed by a causeway at its eastern end.

Llyn Idwal a small lake that lies within Cwm Idwal in the Glyderau mountains with Tryfan Mountain in the background, Snowdonia, North Wales UK

Crib Goch is described as a knife-edged arête in the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, Wales. The name means red ridge in the Welsh language. The highest point on the arête is 923 metres 3,028 ft above sea level. All routes which tackle Crib Goch are considered mountaineering routes in winter or scrambles in summer. This first part of the ridge is exposed with precipices below, having resulted in several fatalities, even of experienced mountaineers the Snowdonia National Park Authority describe it as not a mountain for the inexperienced. An arête is a thin, almost knife-like, ridge of rock which is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys.

Large ships anchor resting on the ground surrounded by autumn colours in front of Conway Castle north Wales UK. Construction of the castle began in 1283

The Snowdon Horseshoe from Llynnau Mymbyr. The Mymbyr lakes are located in a very beautiful spot on the outskirts of Capel Curig, north Wales, UK. Blessed with one of the best views in Snowdonia – that being the dramatic Snowdon horseshoe.

Winter valley sun beams at Nant Ffrancon Pass Snowdonia north Wales UK

Beautiful sunny spring day by the Lake in north Wales

Autumn with the acers turning red North Wales UK

in the historic market town of Ruthin is the only Pentonville-style prison now open to the public in the UK. Its high walls, clean lines and superior ventilation system epitomise the style of Pentonville – but its dark cells and harsh regimes in Victorian times were far from grand. From 1654 to 1916, thousands of prisoners – men, women and children, innocent and guilty – passed through its gates

13th century stone coffin in Gwydir Chapel at St Grwsts Church, Llanrwst, Conwy, north Wales.

Panorama of the Foundry at the National Slate Museum, Llanberis, North Wales

The Big Wheel at the National Slate Museum Llanberis, Gwynedd north Wales, was built in 1870 by the De Winton company of Caernarfon, Wales. This is the largest water wheel on the British mainland: it is 15.4 metres in diameter. Water to power the wheel was piped down from the slopes of Snowdon in cast iron pipes and its power drove the machinery to produce slates for roof all over Industrial Britain. The wheel is so finely balanced that it begins to turn the minute just one of its 140 buckets fills with water. The wheel itself is a testament to the talent of local engineers, and still works perfectly a century and a half after it was built.

waterfall at the Clywedog Valley, coedpoeth, Wrexham north Wales, UK

Padarn lake late evening awaiting sunset, looking towards Dolbadarn Castle and beyond to Snowdon north Wales, UK

close up colours of a autumn forrest north Wales

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