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Featured Article
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Snowdon Sherpa'r Wyddfa
by John Davies, Huw Percy and Terry Jackson
"Your Mountain Guide to getting around Snowdonia."
Forget about driving, focus on the scenery, keep your eye off the road and have a brilliant family day out in the mountains using the Snowdon Sherpa bus service, together with other local buses and trains. Whether you're staying on the North Wales coast or in the heart of the country, these services are your best passport to a great day out in Snowdonia's National Park.
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1. Introduction
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Everyone benefits when you use the Sherpa. It takes all the hassle out of driving and parking. And the surroundings benefit from an environmentally friendly way of travel that cuts down on the use of cars and congestion.
You won't sacrifice anything in terms of convenience. The Sherpa takes you all over northern Snowdonia, connecting with walks, holiday pursuits, beauty spots and a whole range of mountain destinations.
The Sherpa has been a familiar sight on Snowdonia's roads for many years. For 2004 it's even better and more user-friendly - its improved service, for example, includes a link at Betws-y-Coed with many train and bus connections for added convenience. Some services between Betws-y-Coed and Pen-y-Pass are run with an open-top, double-decker bus with room for cycles inside. You
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can ride up on the bus then cycle all the way back down!
With its frequent daytime services and easy interchange with other buses, the versatile Sherpa is ideal for all sorts of journeys. Use it for visits to mountain resorts and villages with their host of attractions and excellent shopping. Or, if you're the more active type, the bus can drop you off at one of the many starting points for mountain walks and pick you up in the valley at the end of the day. Here are just a handful of the many places and experiences you can enjoy by Sherpa:
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Or you can simply use the Sherpa to tour round the area. You can do a round trip from Llandudno, Bangor or Caernarfon  and back again, all on one ticket. If you want to combine bus and steam power, hop off the Sherpa at Rhyd Ddu and take the narrow-gauge Welsh Highland Railway to Caernarfon - just present your Red Rover ticket (see 'The Way to Go') to get a discounted fare on the train.
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2. The Way to Go
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Timetables
Click on each of the routes to viewdetailed timetable information for Summer 2005. Timetables can be printed out or downloaded to local hard disks in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
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 Snowdon Sherpa Day Tickets are available for travel in the area bounded by Bethesda, Llanberis, Llanrwst, Porthmadog and Waunfawr. Priced at £3, child £1.50, they provide unlimited travel for one day and can be bought on the bus.
Routes S1 to S4 all interchange at Pen-y-Pass. Routes S4 and 97A interchange at Beddgelert. Route S2 interchanges with Conwy Valley trains at Betws-y-Coed.
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RED ROVER DAY TICKETS are available for travel on all bus routes throughout northern Snowdonia, on trains and buses in the Conwy Valley between Llandudno, Llandudno Junction, Betws-y-Coed and Blaenau Ffestiniog and on bus routes 5/5X which link Llandudno, Bangor and Caernarfon. Priced at £4.95, child £2.45, they provide unlimited travel for one day and can be presented at the Ffestiniog Railway and Welsh Highland Railway for a £1 discount on all fares. These tickets can be bought on the bus, from the conductor on the Conwy Valley train, and at Llandudno and Llandudno Junction train stations. Visit http://www.travline.org.uk or phone 0870 608 2 608 for details of day rover tickets.
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3. Cheap Day Return
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TICKETS are available on Conwy Valley Railway trains between any two stations on the line. There are special through fares for onward travel to Porthmadog on the Ffestiniog Railway which make a big saving. Day return tickets to Blaenau Ffestiniog include discounted admission to Llechwedd Slate Caverns and on the shuttle bus to the Caverns from the train station.
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4. Explore the Conwy Valley by Train
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 The Conwy Valley Railway train from Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog travels through some of Wales' wildest and most beautiful scenery.  A majestic tapestry unfolds before your eyes, from the historic castle at Conwy, through an estuary rich in wildlife, to gentle slopes that give way to rocky crags as the train crosses the Lledr River over the dramatic Gethin's Viaduct. You glimpse magnificent landscapes, the imposing 12th-century Dolwyddelan Castle, ancient quarries and tracks, forests and the high peaks of
Snowdonia before entering a tunnel through the heart of the mountain to emerge some minutes later in the dramatic industrial landscape of Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales' former 'slate capital'. Train timetable information is available on http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk or phone 0870 608 2 608.
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5. Thrilling Rides to Snowdon
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The Sherpa S2 open-topper* leaves Llandudno at 09.50 every day for a journey with a difference to Pen-y-Pass (for Snowdon) and then shuttles during the day to and from Betws-y-Coed. Its upper deck is ideal for seeing the peaks and feeling the mountain air; whilst on the lower deck you can park your bicycles ready for a day of action (and it is downhill on the way back!). The S2 returns from Pen-y-Pass to Llandudno at 17.45 every day.
*The S2 with open top and bicycle carrying facilities operates until 30 October 2005.
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6. Further Information
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For information on overnight accommodation, attractions, and events in the area served by Snowdon Sherpa'r Wyddfa, search 'Snowdonia Mountains and Coast' at http://www.StayingInWales.com or phone 0870 516 8 767 (9am-6pm Mon-Fri or 10am-5pm Sat). Detailed information on the Snowdonia National Park itself can be found at http://www.eryri-npa.co.uk.
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7. Timetables
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Click on the routes shown under heading 2. The Way to Go individual timetables for Summer 2005. Sherpa and other local bus and train times can be found in the public transport timetables provided by Conwy and Gwynedd Councils. These can be obtained from selected accommodation providers and Tourist Information Centres
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in the area. You can also visit http://www.gwynedd.gov.uk/bwsgwynedd or phone 0870 516 8 767 if you would like a timetable sent to your home address. For train timetables please go to http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk. All-Wales bus and train timetable information is available at http://www.traveline.org.uk or phone 0870 608 2 608.
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Associated Features
Through the Heart of Wales
Two Fantastic Journeys on Just One Ticket!
My Escape to the Cambrian Coast
Eryri-Rhwng y Graig a'r Tonnau
Snowdon Sherpa'r Wyddfa; Cymraeg
The Flexible Travelling Companion
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Pen-y-Pass starting point for one of the two 