Walks around Conwy and the foothills of Northern Snowdonia - David Berry

The stunning medieval fortified walled town of Conwy, standing near the mouth of the Afon Conwy estuary against a backdrop of mountains, is a designated World Heritage Site. Its impressive late 13thC castle was built for Edward 1 to strengthen his conquest of Wales, and the walls, over mile in length, originally with 22 towers enclosed a new town occupied by English settlers. Crossing the estuary are two historic bridges built by renowned engineers: Thomas Telfords graceful suspension bridge (1822-26) and the adjacent tubular railway bridge built by Robert Stephenson which opened in 1849. Conwy was once an important port and boats still continue the towns mussel fishing tradition. Today the estuary and marina are home to many small pleasure boats and yachts, and the town remains a mecca for visitors.
Just to the west of Conwy is historic Sychnant Pass and Conwy Mountain, the first of a series of dramatic hills towering above the coast and the towns of Llanfairfechan and Penmaenmawr, some scarred by old granite quarries. Behind these coastal hills is an upland plateau overlooked by the foothills of the Carneddau mountains. This diverse open upland landscape, once occupied by early man and now grazed by wild ponies, contains ancient standing stones and stone circles. It is crossed by an ancient highway, later a Roman Road, and the more recent waymarked North Wales Path.
The 30 walks in this book explore the area around Conwy, and the delightful foothills and upland valleys in the northern fringes of the Snowdonia National Park, using an extensive network of delightful paths and upland tracks.
The routes, which range from a simple 2 mile beach walk to a 8 mile upland walk to Tal-y-fan mountain, are well within the capability of most people. Many routes contain shorter walk options.