The textbook crap : Snowdonia National Park, Welsh PARC CENEDLAETHOL ERYRI, national park in Clwyd and (principally) Gwynedd counties, northern Wales, designated in 1951, with an area of 2,171 sq km. It is best known for its mountains, composed largely of volcanic rock and cut by valleys that show the influence of Ice Age glaciers. Snowdon (Welsh: Y Wyddfa; 1,085 m), in the northwestern part of the park, is the highest peak in England and Wales; a rack-and-pinion railway (opened 1896) runs from Llanberis to the summit. Farther south, Cader Idris (Chair of Idris), a long mountain ridge, reaches a height of (892 m) at Pen-y-Gader. Tourism thrives, stimulated by the possibilities for climbing, hill walking, fishing, and sight-seeing. Tourist centres in and near the park include Bala, with recreational facilities on Bala Lake; Betws-y-Coed, noted for its waterfalls, wooded gorges, and picturesque bridges; Blaenau Ffestiniog, where the defunct Llechwedd Slate Caverns are open to visitors; Dinas Mawddwy, with a textile mill and craft shop oriented toward touring shoppers; Dolgellau, overlooked by Cader Idris; the old village of Ffestiniog, on a bluff above the wooded Vale of Ffestiniog; Llanberis at the foot of Snowdon, facing the massive Dinorwic slate quarries; and the Cardigan Bay resorts of Harlech, Barmouth, and Aberdovey.