6 Best Sights in Porthmadog, Wales

A wealth of legend, poetry, and song is conjured up by the 13th-century Harlech Castle, built by Edward I to help subdue the Welsh. Its mighty ruins, visible for miles, are as dramatic as its history (though you have to imagine the sea, which used to crash against the rocks below but receded in the 19th century). Harlech was occupied by the Welsh Prince Owain Glyndwr from 1404 to 1408 during his revolt against the English. The music of the traditional folk song "Men of Harlech" refers to the heroic defense of this castle in 1468 by Dafydd ap Eynion, who, summoned to surrender, is alleged to have replied: "I held a castle in France until every old woman in Wales heard of it, and I will hold a castle in Wales until every old woman in France hears of it." On a clear day you can climb the battlements for a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. A helpful visitor center explains the castle's history; you can also arrange to stay overnight in one of five luxury apartments overlooking the castle. The castle dominates the coastal town of Harlech, 12 miles south of Porthmadog.

Founded in the early 19th century to carry slate, the Ffestiniog Railway starts at the quayside and climbs up 700 feet through a wooded vale, past a waterfall, and across the mountains. The northern terminus is in Blaenau Ffestiniog, famous for its slate mines, where you have a 40-minute break to look around. The Ffestiniog Railway is perhaps the best of several small steam lines in this part of the country. Porthmadog gets very crowded in summer, and parking is limited, so you might want to make this journey from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog instead. Check the website for the daily timetables for "Mountain Spirit" and "The Quarryman."

In the Victorian seaside resort of Criccieth, a few miles west of Porthmadog on the A497, a medieval castle with sweeping views crowns the headland. Criccieth was the scene of the last real uprising against English rule in Wales, in the early 1400s, when it was attacked and burned by rebel prince and latter-day folk hero Owain Glyndwr (1359–1416). David Lloyd George, who was prime minister of Britain for most of World War I, grew up in Wales and lived in the town; a small museum in his childhood home honors him.

On the very tip of a thumb-shape bay jutting out into the Irish Sea, this miniscule but gorgeous little harbor community is 20 miles from Porthmadog. There's a wide, sheltered beach where the sand is so fine that it squeaks underfoot, and whitewashed cottages line the curving seafront. Park at the nearby visitor center, one mile from the beach.

Remote, atmospheric, and astoundingly little-known, Tre'r Ceiri is one of the most impressive ancient monuments in Wales. Today parts of the 4th-century fort's outer walls are still intact (rising more than 18 feet in places), and within are the ruins of 150 stone huts. They were inhabited by a Celtic tribe known as the Ordovices, and may have survived as a settlement for up to 700 years. From Porthmadog, take the A497 west, then turn left onto the A499 just before Pwllheli. At the village of Llanaelhaearn, turn left onto the B4417. Less than a mile down this road is an unmarked footpath on the right leading straight up a hill to Tre'r Ceiri.

You can take a short rail ride on this narrow-gauge railway, tour the engine sheds, and clamber onto the locomotives housed here. If the train looks small, wait until you see the miniature version that's a hit with kids.