(; ) is a village,

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in

. It is a centre for outdoor activities in

Snowdonia 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 na ...

, including

walking Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an ' inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults ...

, mountaineering,

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done ...

, mountain biking and pony trekking, as well as

water sport Water sports or aquatic sports are sport activities conducted on waterbodies, and can be categorized according to the degree of immersion by the participants. On the water * Boat racing, the use of powerboats to participate in races * Boatin ...

s such as

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...

. The community includes Nant Peris. Llanberis takes its name from , an early Welsh saint. It is twinned with the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

town of in Lombardy.

History

The ruins of Castle, which were painted by Richard Wilson and J. M. W. Turner, stand above the village. The 13th century fortress was built by the Great and is a grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. The church of St is grade II* listed, as is the chapel of . In the 18th century was the home of the legendary strong woman Marged ferch Ifan.

Demographics

According to the

United Kingdom Census 2011 A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...

, the

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of was 1,844, with 74.7% of those aged 3 years and over able to speak Welsh, compared to 61.6% across Anglesey according to the Annual Population Survey.

Local attractions

Places of interest in and near the village include the

Snowdon Mountain Railway The Snowdon Mountain Railway (SMR; cy, Rheilffordd yr Wyddfa) is a Narrow-gauge railway, narrow gauge Rack railway, rack and pinion mountain railway in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is a tourist railway that travels for from Llanberis to the ...

, the National Slate Museum, the Lake Railway, country park and Electric Mountain. Tours of Power Station are also available from a purpose-built visitor centre. The village is a common starting point for ascents of Snowdon along the Path. Although it is the longest route, it is the least strenuous ascent, largely following the line of the Snowdon Mountain Railway. This makes it the most popular walking route on the mountain. Castle, a fortification built by the Welsh prince the Great during the early 13th century, is located at the base of the Pass. The castle was important militarily and as a symbol of 's power and authority. It features a large stone keep, which historian Richard Avent considers "the finest surviving example of a Welsh round tower". In 1284 was taken by

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vas ...

, who removed some of its timbers to build his new castle at . was used as a

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

for some years, before falling into ruin. In the 18th and 19th century it was a popular destination for painters interested in Sublime and

Picturesque Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...

landscapes. It is now owned by and managed as a

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural ...

, and is protected as a grade I

Mountain Rescue Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. This tends to include mountains with tech ...

Team deals with 150–200 incidents a year and is one of the busiest mountain rescue teams in the country. The team is run entirely by volunteers who rely solely on donations from the public for funding. Mountain Film Festival, which is held in annually in February, began in 2004. It was placed on hiatus in 2019 due to a lack of funding. It is the home of the Slateman Triathlon which runs in early summer each year. It attracts over 2,000 triathletes and many more spectators over two days. It is a mountain triathlon which begins in , follows on the bike up to , and finishes with a run in the Snowdonian mountains. It is also the start and finish of the Snowdonia Marathon

Transport

Bus services to are provided by

Arriva Buses Wales Arriva Buses Wales ( cy, Bysiau Arriva Cymru) is a bus operator providing services in northern Wales and Chester in northern England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus. History Crosville Motor Services was formed in 1919 and operated serv ...

and Coaches. Former operator

Padarn Bus Padarn Bus was a bus company based in Llanberis, Gwynedd. It operated 21 routes in North Wales plus three summer services in Snowdonia National Park. Many of its vehicles and routes were acquired when it merged with larger company KMP. The o ...

, which went into receivership in 2014, was based in the town and ran several routes to it, including a number of open-top routes. Another local bus company, Express Motors, based in , ran services to but had its bus licence revoked in 2017. The village used to be served by railway station on a

branch line A branch line is a phrase used in railway terminology to denote a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Industrial spur An industr ...

of the Carnarvonshire Railway. Passenger services ceased in 1932; freight continued until closure in 1964.Baughan, Peter E. (1980). ''North and mid Wales''. David & Charles. p. 105. The heritage

and Lake Railway both have stations in the town, but serve primarily as tourist attractions rather than local transport links.

Notable people

* Griffith Williams (1769–1838), bardic name ''Gutyn Peris'', a Welsh language poet, brought up in Llanberis * Annie Foulkes (1877-1962) a writer and teacher of French. * Thomas Rowland Hughes (1903–1949), broadcaster, dramatist and poet. * Marc Lloyd Williams (born 1973) a former footballer with 576 club caps and the Welsh Premier League's all-time top scorer with 319 goals; brought up in Llanberis

Gallery

(Barcelona) View across Llanberis Lake toward Snowdon c.1799-1800 - William Turner - Tate Britain.jpg, ''View across Llanberis Lake toward Snowdon'' c.1799-1800 - William Turner -

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in ...

Llanberris & Snowden, Caernarvonshire.jpeg, Llanberris, St. Padarns Church, Llanberis (geograph 2803408).jpg, St 's church Llanberis Station 2004.jpg, left, Station forecourt

References

External links

Llanberis' Website

Llanberis Tourism

Llanberis Mountain Rescue – Online home of the country's busiest mountain rescue team

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Llanberis and surrounding area
{{authority control Llanberis Villages in Gwynedd