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Best time to visit Snowdonia

Thanks to the undulations and proximity to the Welsh coastline the best time to visit Snowdonia can often depend on what you’re prepared to pack i.e. clothes for all conditions. Read on to discover our cultural picks from the Snowdonia calendar and our handy month by month temperature & rainfall chart.

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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

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

Our Snowdonia Vacations

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 vacations 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 epicenter 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.

What happens when

Claire Copeman works for our Snowdonia multi activity vacation 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.

Travel Team

If you'd like to chat about Snowdonia or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.

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Toll free 1-866-821-6866

Calling us from outside the US?

rosy@responsibletravel.com

Festivals & events in Snowdonia

Helfa Gelf

If you have a Snowdonia vacation 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.

More about Snowdonia

Snowdonia travel guide

Discover the entirety of the national park as you delve into our Snowdonia travel guide and find out what we rate & what we don’t as well as our guide to the best and the worst of Snowdonia and how to travel like a local where food, shopping & people are concerned.

Snowdonia highlights

If you want to know how to make the most of your time in Snowdonia then our map & highlights page is definitely the best place to start as not only does it feature an interactive map of Snowdonia highlights but there’s also a section on bus and train travel times too.

Things to do in Snowdonia

If you like the rugged outdoor life then welcome to paradise as our top activities and things to do in Snowdonia page will have you white water rafting, hiking and cycling until you’re ready to take the train into the clouds as you summit Snowdon in style.

Walking in Snowdonia NP

Walking in Snowdonia National Park is not a walk in any old park, this is the realm of Wales’ highest mountain after all.

Multi activity vacations in Snowdonia

Snowdonia National Park is one of Europe’s top outdoor activity areas with a wonderful array of wet and wild options to keep small groups safe, smiling and satisfied all day long.

Traveling in Snowdonia with kids

If your little ones love a bit of muck and aren’t adverse to wild and woolly coastal walks then traveling in Snowdonia with kids is going to be a real pleasure.

Snowdonia travel advice

The Snowdonia travel advice that we trust always comes via tips from our friends in Snowdonia with artist Vivienne Rickman Poole and Snowdonia NP’s Principal Policy Officer, Ifer Gwyn, both contributing their recommendations alongside recommended Snowdonia tips from our travelers.

Responsible tourism in Snowdonia

Find out how to travel right in Snowdonia by paying attention to safety advice, learning what to do with dogs and finding out how to approach wild camping; all of which are key areas featured within our responsible tourism in Snowdonia page.

More relevant guides

Written by Catherine Mack

ABTA member P7085 so you are fully protected

Photo credits: [Page banner: Hefin Owen] [Intro: Stuart Madden] [Rail ale: Daryl Hutchinson] [Helfa Gelf : Jeff Buck] [Plas Tan y Bwlch: Verity Cridland]

Best time to visit Snowdonia