Best time to visit Snowdonia

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Best time to visit Snowdonia

This is a land of four seasons in one day so please be prepared and don’t forget to pack accordingly.

With mountains and sea in close proximity, precipitation is definitely a feature of Snowdonia, and although it has nothing to do with the name, if you head to the peaks, so is snow. If the great outdoors is your thing, always check in with the experts before you head off. The Llanberis Mountain Rescue website has an excellent daily weather guide, with scary terms like ‘severe chill effect’, ‘freezing above the summits’ and, reassuringly, ‘no risk of blizzards’. Snowdonia National Park officials also recommend the Met Office, we do too.

Call us for the best time to go to Snowdonia

When to visit Snowdonia, month by month

Snowdonia in the summer is outdoor activity central, but being strong mountain types the locals embrace the outdoors all year round; so don’t think it shuts down during December and January. Snowdonians are made of sturdier stuff. Winter walking, and climbing, is only recommended with a specialist local guide or if you have the right level of experience and expertise as well as top notch safety and all-weather gear. February, March and April might well be wet, wild and windswept however, there’s plenty of charm to be taken beside a lake shrouded in early morning mist or if you’re tucked up warm and cosy with a bowl of cowl in a Conwy cafe. May is magnificent for sampling springtime in Snowdonia; also further cause for celebration can be found on the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways as they host their annual beer festival in May – all aboard! They also run jazz trains during the summer – keep eyes peeled for local bulletin boards. June is even getting a wee bit warmer and can be perfect for fair weather walkers although July and August provide the best time of year to try your hand at canoeing, camping and foraging outdoors. School holidays can turn Snowdonia’s tiny towns into crowded chaos and don’t get us started on charity climbers clambering to the summit of Snowdon during the summer – queues, kerfuffle and cafe catastrophes – they’ve run out of milk, Marjorie! – best describe the summit in summer. One summer event that’s worth waiting for is the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod which turns the riverside town of Llangollen into quite the orchestral epicentre during the second week of July. September in Snowdonia is simply sublime with fewer crowds, comfortable conditions, and the Helfa Gelf (arts trail) inviting you into local artists, jewellers and sculptors’ studios every weekend. Gwledd Conwy (Conwy Feast) is not just a feast of Snowdonia’s produce but of music and arts too. Taking place at the end October every year, Conwy Feast is set in this beautiful medieval town on the outskirts or the national park. There are bands, dancing and much feasting to be done. Aside from the feasting, Snowdonia in October is a must for walkers looking for fiery autumnal foliage, log fires and star gazing in Snowdonia’s Dark Sky Reserve – absolutely amazing. November is darker and December, even darker. No crowds though and only local folk in the pubs and on the hills.

Snowdonia Weather Chart

MIN °C

MAX °C

RAIN (mm)

JAN

146

FEB

110

MAR

103

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

106

OCT

137

NOV

154

DEC

164

What happens when

Claire Copeman works for our Snowdonia multi activity holiday supplier, Adventure Tours UK: “The national park is superb for walking all year round, however winter walking in the mountains does require specific skills and experience as this exposed environment becomes particularly harsh during winter months. Conversely, some of the more popular routes can become very busy during the summer months. So if you’d like to have the mountain to yourself, choose the less trodden paths in summer or make the most of those famous peaks during late spring and early autumn.”

Rail ale

The name alone appeals, and the fact that the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways not only champion their local railway throughout the year, but also host an annual Beer Festival in May, is just cause for celebration. Check out their Jazz Train events throughout the summer too.

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Festivals & events in Snowdonia

Helfa Gelf

If you have a Snowdonia holiday in September, you will catch all the local artists opening their studios. The Helfa Gelf (arts trail) invites you in to view paintings, jewellery, sculpture and much more every weekend throughout September.

Gwledd Conwy (Conwy Feast)

This is not just a feast of Snowdonia produce but of music and arts too. Taking place at the end October every year, Conwy Feast is set in this beautiful medieval town on the outskirts or the National Park. There are bands, dancing and much feasting to be done.

Plas Tan y Bwlch

Plas Tan y Bwlch is the impressively gorgeous Snowdonia National Park Study Centre which, as well as running a plethora of professional courses on everything from habitat management to sustainability issues, also has an impressive array of public courses. These include guided walking weeks, photography workshops and foraging weekends.