The A496 is a major coastal and mountainous road in southern

Snowdonia Snowdonia, or Eryri (), is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in North Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales Welsh 3000s, over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon (), which i ...

. The road is 32.8 miles in length, from

Blaenau Ffestiniog Blaenau Ffestiniog () is a town in Gwynedd, Wales. Once a slate mining centre in historic Merionethshire, it now relies much on tourists, drawn for instance to the Ffestiniog Railway and Llechwedd Slate Caverns. It reached a population of 12,0 ...

Llanelltyd Llanelltyd is a small village and community in Gwynedd, to the northwest of Dolgellau. The community population taken at the 2011 census was 514, 57.4% of which speak Welsh. It is home to the 12th-century Cymer Abbey, a grade I listed build ...

, via

Harlech Harlech () is a seaside resort and community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, North Wales, and formerly in the Historic counties of Wales, historic county of Merionethshire. It lies on Tremadog Bay in the Snowdonia National Park. Before 1966, it ...

. The original northern terminus of the road before A470 re-numbering was

Llandudno Llandudno (, ) is a seaside resort, town and community (Wales), community in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located on the Creuddyn peninsula, which protrudes into the Irish Sea. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 UK census, the community � ...

. The road passes through a diverse landscape, including the mountainous region of Blaenau Ffestiniog, two estuaries, and the Cambrian Coast.

Description

The northernmost point of the road is the A470 (Church Road) junction at Blaenau Ffestiniog. The road by-passes Glanypwll, Rhiwbryfdir and

Tanygrisiau Tanygrisiau is a village and area within Blaenau Ffestiniog in the upper end of the Vale of Ffestiniog in the county of Gwynedd, north-west Wales (). It can be found along the southern side of the Moelwyn mountain range and dates to around 1750 ...

before descending towards the

Vale of Ffestiniog The Vale of Ffestiniog is a valley in the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, North Wales. It stretches from Ffestiniog in the east and runs in a westerly direction towards Tremadog Bay, terminating near Porthmadog. The Afon Dwyryd runs thro ...

along the course of Afon Goedol. The road passes through the village of

Maentwrog Maentwrog () is a village and community in the Welsh county of Merionethshire (now part of Gwynedd), lying in the Vale of Ffestiniog just below Blaenau Ffestiniog, within the Snowdonia National Park. The River Dwyryd runs alongside the vil ...

, before crossing Afon Prysor near the Ceunant Llennyrch National Nature Reserve. The road follows the southern banks of the

River Dwyryd The River Dwyryd (), is a river in Gwynedd, Wales which flows principally westwards; draining to the sea into Tremadog Bay, south of Porthmadog. Geography The Dwyryd rises in the hills to the north of Ffestiniog. At its most northern extent, w ...

, before reaching the

Cardigan Bay Cardigan Bay () is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales between Bardsey Island, Gwynedd in the north, and Strumble Head, Pembrokeshire at its southern end. It is the largest bay in Wales. Geography Cardigan Bay ha ...

coast at

Talsarnau Talsarnau () is a village and community in the Ardudwy area of Gwynedd in Wales. Its population was 525 in 2001, and had increased to 550 at the 2011 Census. The village of Talsarnau is situated on the A496 coastal road between Maentwrog an ...

. The road runs alongside the

Cambrian Line The Cambrian Line (), sometimes split into the Cambrian Main Line () and Cambrian Coast Line () for its branches, is a railway line that runs from Shrewsbury in England, westwards to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli in Wales. Passenger train services ...

railway for much of the coast route, bypassing

before ascending inland via the villages of Llanbedr, Llanfair and Dyffryn Ardudwy. The road returns to the coast at Llanaber, before the semi-urban stretch through the seaside town of

Barmouth Barmouth (formal ; colloquially ) is a seaside town and community in the county of Gwynedd, north-west Wales; it lies on the estuary of the Afon Mawddach and Cardigan Bay. Located in the historic county of Merionethshire, the Welsh form of t ...

. After passing the

Barmouth Bridge Barmouth Bridge ( Welsh: ''Pont Abermaw''), or Barmouth Viaduct is a Grade II* listed single-track wooden railway viaduct across the estuary of the River Mawddach near Barmouth, Wales. It is long and carries the Cambrian Line. It is the longe ...

, the road returns inland, along the northern banks of the

Mawddach is a river in Gwynedd, Wales, which has its source in a wide area north of Dduallt in Snowdonia. It is 28 miles (45 km) in length, and is much branched; many of the significant tributaries are of a similar size to the main river. The ...

estuary, via Farchynys and Bontddu. Nearing the road's southern terminus, the road passes the

Penmaenpool Penmaenpool () is a hamlet on the south side of the estuary of the River Mawddach in Wales, near Dolgellau. A Grade II listed toll bridge provides access across the estuary for light vehicles. Points of interest Penmaenpool toll bridge is a ...

Bridge junction before reaching

, north of

Dolgellau Dolgellau (; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the Historic counties of Wales, historic county of Merion ...

Landmarks

Along the road is

St Twrog's Church, Maentwrog Saint Twrog's Church is in the village of Maentwrog in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, lying in the Vale of Ffestiniog, within the Snowdonia National Park. It is in the Deanery of Ardudwy. It is designated by Cadw as a Grade II listed bu ...

, a church noted for its stone, which in legend was reputedly thrown by a giant to kill

Pryderi Pryderi fab Pwyll is a prominent figure in Welsh mythology, the son of Pwyll and Rhiannon, and king of Dyfed after his father's death. He is the only character to appear in all Four Branches of the Mabinogi, although the size of his role varies ...

. He is said to lie underneath it.

References

External links

SABRE: A496
{{DEFAULTSORT:4-0496 Roads in Wales