The mountains of Snowdonia harbour the highest mountains in England and Wales, sweeping glacial valleys, remote lake-dotted cwms, and secreted wooded valleys. The landscape is one of infinite variety and although it is no longer to home to the eagles of old it is home to a wide variety of wildlife from alpine plants and wild goats to peregrine falcons and choughs.

The high mountains are home to a unique range of arctic-alpine plants, remnants from the last ice age. Perhaps the most famous is the Snowdon lily, here at it's only site in the British Isles where it is 1050 km from it's nearest neighbours in the Alps, and an incredible 7500km from a population in North america. Others, more easily seen, include the purple saxifrage, which flowers early in the spring after the last snowfields have melted, mossy and starry saxifrage, moss campion, and roseroot.
Birds to be found on the high mountain plateaus and crags include a range of summer visitors like the wheatear and ring ouzel, both of which are among the first birds to arrive back from their winter quarters in Africa. Peregrine falcons and ravens nest on high crags, and another member of the crow family, the chough, nests on crags and in old mines. A glossy black jackdaw-sized crow with red legs and beak, the chough is the rarest crow in Britain, Wales remains it's stronghold.
The most obvious mammals in the mountains are the wild goats that roam some of the mountain ranges, these stocky, nimble-footed animals are descendents of domestic stock that survive in remote and rugged parts of the UK.

As the floor of the moss-covered oakwoods become carpeted with bluebell, primrose, celandine and wood anemone birds are arriving back from their African winter quarters.
Pied flycatchers, redsarts and wood warblers are typical of western oakwoods such as those found in Snowdonia. Arriving back in April-May the woods are soon filled by their song. Other birds to be found in these woods include woodpeckers, chiffchaff, willow warbler, jay, buzzard and sparrowhawk.

The fast-flowing streams in the valley bottoms are home to goosanders, dippers and grey wagtails, otters are making a comeback throughout the UK, and here in north Wales are now on most of the river systems. Unlike in Scotland, they are very hard to see, as they are mainly nocturnal. The rough pasture and scrubby valley sides are home to wheatear, redstart and another summer visitor the whinchat, a cousin of the resident stonechat. Stoats and weasels hunt rabbits and other prey in this open ground, but a little bit of luck is needed to see them.

Fishing Breaks

Golf Breaks