Dogging in North Wales: area guide

The lie of the land in North Wales

North Wales splits into three. The north coast, from Prestatyn and Rhyl through Colwyn Bay and Llandudno to Bangor, is a long strip of towns. The east, around Wrexham, Mold and Flint, is flatter and tied to Chester and Merseyside. The west, Gwynedd, is mountains, slate valleys and the Llŷn Peninsula.

Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park covers much of Gwynedd and Conwy, with the highest ground in Wales. The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley and the coast of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) are protected landscapes too. Anglesey is joined to the mainland by the Menai Suspension Bridge and the Britannia Bridge, and Holyhead is the main ferry port to Dublin.

Many people drive in from Cheshire, Merseyside and the North West, so the east and the coast feel busy at weekends. Quiet mountain lanes can still fill without any clear reason.

Getting about safely

The A55 North Wales Expressway runs along the coast from Chester to Holyhead, through the Conwy tunnel and across the Menai Strait. It is the main route and can close in high wind, which pushes traffic onto slow back roads. The A5 crosses Snowdonia through the Ogwen valley and Betws-y-Coed. The A470, A487 and A494 serve the middle and the south. Road signs are in Welsh and English.

The North Wales Coast line runs from Chester through Rhyl, Llandudno Junction and Bangor to Holyhead. The Conwy Valley line goes to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and Wrexham has trains to Chester and Shrewsbury. Services are sparse in the evening and on the Llŷn side, so check the last train home.

Mountain weather is the biggest hazard. Cloud, rain, ice and snow can arrive in an hour, and Snowdonia roads have sharp bends and steep drops. Sheep sit on unfenced roads after dark. Phone signal drops across the mountains and many valleys. The Dee Estuary and the beaches of the Menai Strait and Llŷn have fast tides and soft sand, and sea cliffs are unstable. Wind can close the Menai bridges to high-sided vehicles. Share your route and carry warm clothes.