Snowdonia (Eryri) by Motorhome: Mountains, Slate, and Sea

Snowdonia - or Eryri, to give it the Welsh name now used officially - packs more drama into its 823 square miles than anywhere else in Wales. Jagged mountain ridges, deep glacial lakes, abandoned slate quarries, and a coastline that shifts from sandy beaches to rocky headlands within a few miles. A snowdonia motorhome holiday puts you at the heart of this landscape, with the freedom to wake up beside a mountain lake one morning and a fishing harbour the next.

From Pontefract, the drive takes about three and a half hours via the M62 and A55 along the North Wales coast. It is a straightforward run until you turn south into the national park, at which point the roads become more interesting.

Driving in Eryri

Let us be honest about the roads. Some of them are narrow. The mountain passes - the Llanberis Pass (A4086), the road over the Crimea Pass to Blaenau Ffestiniog, the approach to Pen-y-Pass - are spectacular but require concentration in a motorhome. They are single carriageway with passing places, steep gradients, and occasional tight bends. None of them are impossible in a standard Snowdonia motorhome trip (ours are all under 7 metres), but they demand respect, patience, and an acceptance that you will occasionally need to reverse to a passing place.

Important: Eryri National Park does not permit overnight motorhome or campervan stays in car parks. This is actively enforced. Always use an official campsite - there are plenty of good options throughout the park.

The main valley roads - the A5 through the Ogwen Valley, the A470 through the heart of the park, the A498 from Beddgelert to Caernarfon - are comfortable and scenic. If you stick to A-roads and the larger B-roads, you will have no difficulties. The only road to actively avoid in a motorhome is the single-track lane from Rhyd-Ddu to Beddgelert via Nantmor - it is barely wide enough for a car in places.

Where to Stay

An Eryri motorhome trip benefits from a good mix of campsites, from basic farm pitches to well-equipped holiday parks. Here are the best Snowdonia motorhome campsites.

Llanberis is the main base for Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and has several options. Llyn Gwynant Campsite, about four miles south on the A498, is set on the shore of a glacial lake beneath Yr Wyddfa - one of the most spectacularly located campsites in Britain. Pitches are on grass and can be soft in wet weather, but the setting is extraordinary. Bryn Gloch Caravan Park near Caernarfon is a more conventional site with hardstanding, hook-ups, and easy access to both the mountain and the Menai Strait.

Betws-y-Coed is the outdoor hub of northern Snowdonia and makes an excellent base. Riverside Touring Park is well-positioned for walks in the Gwydir Forest and the Swallow Falls. The town itself has outdoor shops, cafes, good pubs (the Stables Bar at the Royal Oak does solid pub food), and the kind of atmosphere that comes from being a genuine mountain community rather than a tourist creation.

Beddgelert is the prettiest village in the park - a cluster of stone cottages beside the confluence of two rivers, with a medieval bridge and a legendary dog's grave that gives the village its name. Beddgelert Campsite is walking distance from the village centre and has pitches beside the river. The Glaslyn Ices cafe does proper Welsh ice cream, and the Tanronnen Inn is a good evening option.

For the Lleyn Peninsula (the arm of land that stretches south-west from Snowdonia into the Irish Sea), Abersoch and Pwllheli have several campsites with beach access. This area is less mountainous but beautiful in a different way - sandy beaches, clear water, and a distinctly Welsh character.

Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)

Climbing Wales's highest mountain is on most visitors' agenda, and with good reason - the summit at 1,085 metres offers views across the Irish Sea to Ireland, north to Anglesey, and south deep into mid-Wales. Six routes reach the top, ranging from the relatively gentle Llanberis Path (9 miles return, 5-6 hours) to the scramble-heavy Crib Goch ridge (which is emphatically not suitable for inexperienced walkers).

The challenge for motorhome visitors is parking (our motorhome parking guide covers this in detail). The Pen-y-Pass car park at the top of the Llanberis Pass is the starting point for the Pyg Track and Miners' Track - the two most popular routes - but it fills before 7am on busy days and has height restrictions that exclude most motorhomes. The solution is the Snowdon Sherpa bus service, which runs from Llanberis, Betws-y-Coed, and other towns around the park to Pen-y-Pass throughout the walking season. Park your motorhome at your campsite, catch the Sherpa to the trailhead, and walk without worrying about getting back to a car park before closing time.

The Llanberis Path starts from the town itself, so if you are staying in Llanberis, you can walk from your pitch to the summit - the ultimate door-to-door mountain experience. The Snowdon Mountain Railway also runs from Llanberis to the summit (weather permitting), offering the views without the effort.

Beyond the Mountain

Eryri is far more than Yr Wyddfa. Some of the best experiences are away from the main peak.

The slate landscapes of Blaenau Ffestiniog were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021, and the quarries, mines, and mountain villages tell the story of an industry that roofed half the world. Zip World in the Penrhyn Quarry near Bethesda offers the fastest zip line in Europe - a mile-long ride across the quarry at speeds exceeding 100 mph. It is absurd, exhilarating, and nothing like the quiet mountain walking for which the area is known. The Llechwedd Slate Caverns offer underground tours that are genuinely fascinating.

Portmeirion - the Italianate village built by Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 - is one of the strangest and most delightful places in Wales. Pastel-coloured buildings, domed towers, and Mediterranean gardens, all set on a wooded peninsula overlooking the Dwyryd Estuary. It is the kind of place that should not work but absolutely does. Famous as the setting for the 1960s television series The Prisoner, it now operates as a hotel, village, and gardens attraction. There is a car park suitable for motorhomes.

The Ffestiniog Railway runs narrow-gauge steam trains from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog through 13 miles of mountain scenery - one of the Great Little Trains of Wales and a journey that rivals any heritage railway in Britain. Combine it with the Welsh Highland Railway (same company, connecting Caernarfon to Porthmadog) for a full day of railway travel through the heart of Eryri.

A 4-5 Day Snowdonia Motorhome Itinerary

Day one: drive from Yorkshire, pitch at Betws-y-Coed. Afternoon walk to Swallow Falls and through Gwydir Forest. Evening in the village.

Day two: drive to Llanberis (30 minutes). Climb Yr Wyddfa via the Llanberis Path or take the Sherpa bus to Pen-y-Pass for the Pyg Track. This is a full-day commitment - allow 5-7 hours. Evening meal at Pete's Eats in Llanberis (a legendary climbers' cafe since 1978).

Day three: move to Beddgelert. Walk the Aberglaslyn Gorge - a dramatic riverside path through a narrow gorge that was once tidal. Afternoon visit to Portmeirion (30 minutes' drive). Pitch at Beddgelert Campsite.

Day four: Ffestiniog Railway from Porthmadog (20 minutes from Beddgelert). Explore Blaenau Ffestiniog and the slate quarries. Alternatively, drive to the Lleyn Peninsula for a beach day at Abersoch or Porth Oer (Whistling Sands).

Day five: drive home via Conwy (stop for the castle - Edward I's medieval masterpiece and a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and the A55 coast road. Or extend your trip with a night on Anglesey.

You can browse our full fleet to find the right motorhome for your trip.

Eryri is a landscape that makes you want to come back. The mountains change with the weather and the seasons - brooding and dark under cloud, luminous and sharp in winter sunshine, impossibly green after rain. A Snowdonia motorhome holiday gives you the time and flexibility to see it in all its moods, which is exactly how it deserves to be seen. For more, see our Dales walks guide.

See our Wales destination guide for more.