North Wales

North Wales is a beautiful area in the north of Wales. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west.

The land is hilly and quiet, with lots of open space. It has Snowdonia National Park and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley. These places are well-known for their tall mountains, falling water, and paths for walking.

People who live in North Wales sometimes call themselves "Gogs." People from South Wales are called "Hwntws." Big towns in the area include Wrexham, Deeside, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Flint, Bangor, Llandudno, and Holyhead. Wrexham is the biggest city, and Bangor is the oldest city in Wales. Many people in North Wales speak the Welsh language, especially in the west and countryside.

History

See also: Kingdom of Gwynedd and Kingdom of Powys

North Wales has a rich history. For much of the past, the area was called "Gwynedd", named after one of the last independent Welsh kingdoms, the Kingdom of Gwynedd. This helped create a strong sense of Welsh identity and more Welsh-language speakers, especially in North West Wales.

The region was important in Welsh medieval history. From the 5th to the 13th centuries, it was ruled by the Welsh kingdoms of Gwynedd and Powys. These kingdoms called their rulers the "King(s) of the Britons". The mountains of Snowdonia were important and were the last place where Wales stayed independent — until English forces under Edward I took control in 1283. Today, this area remains a strong center for the Welsh language and culture.

World Heritage & Biosphere Sites

North Wales has three of the four UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Wales. These include the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal, the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales, and the Edwardian castles and town walls of the region at Caernarfon, Beaumaris, Conwy, and Harlech. The area also shares the only UNESCO Biosphere reserve in Wales, called Biosffer Dyfi Biosphere, with nearby areas.

Definition

North Wales is a region in the northern part of Wales. Its borders are not always agreed upon, but it usually includes six main areas: Isle of Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, and Wrexham.

North Wales shares borders with Ceredigion, Powys, and other parts of Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. Sometimes, the area called Montgomeryshire, which is now part of Powys, is also included in North Wales.

Geography

North Wales is a quiet, rural place with many mountains and valleys. Its beautiful coastline along the Irish Sea makes it a popular holiday spot, so tourism is very important. Farming was once the main job here, but it is less important today. The people here have the lowest average income in the UK.

The eastern part of North Wales has the most people, with over 300,000 living around Wrexham and Deeside. Wrexham is the largest city in North Wales. Many towns are along the coast, such as popular holiday spots like Rhyl, Llandudno, Pwllheli, Prestatyn, and Tywyn. There are two cities with cathedrals: Bangor and St Asaph, along with several old castles like Criccieth, Dolbadarn, Dolwyddelan, Harlech, Caernarfon Castle, Beaumaris, and Conwy. North Wales covers about 6,172 square kilometres.

The highest mountain in Wales is Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), located in northwest Wales.

Transport

Roads

See also: Trunk roads in Wales

North Wales does not have any motorways. The motorways in Wales are in South Wales, and the nearest ones (M53 and M56) are across the Wales-England border. There have been ideas to improve the A55 road to be more like a motorway. Trunk roads in the area are looked after by the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent (NMWTRA).

The main roads in North Wales mostly go from east to west, especially along the coast. This is because of the mountains in the middle of Wales, making north-south roads slower. Because of this, North Wales has closer links with North West England (around Liverpool and Manchester) than with South Wales.

The busiest road in North Wales is the A55, called the "North Wales Expressway". It is a major road connecting Chester to Holyhead, along the coast and through places like Deeside, Llandudno Junction, Conwy, and Bangor. It is very important for North Wales and is the second most important road in all of Wales, after the M4 in South Wales. The road now reaches the Port of Holyhead, which has ferry services to the Republic of Ireland. Most of the road is part of the E-road network as E22 (until Ewloe, where it uses the A494 into England), and it is a dual carriageway for its whole 88-mile length.

An older important road is the A5, which was the main route between North Wales and London (known as the "London-Holyhead Trunk Road"). The road crosses the Menai Suspension Bridge and is a scenic route. Its role has mostly been taken over by the A55. Other roads from east to west include the A458 from Halesowen to Mallwyd, and the A494 from Dolgellau to Saughall (originally to Birkenhead).

The busiest road going north to south is the A483 from Chester through Wrexham and into England near Oswestry, before going back into Wales and passing Welshpool and Newtown, and then to Swansea. Other major north-south roads include the A470 from Llandudno to Cardiff through the Conwy valley, and the A487 from Bangor to Haverfordwest through Caernarfon and Snowdonia.

Sea

Main article: Port of Holyhead

The Port of Holyhead, on the isle of Anglesey, is the main port in North Wales. In 2018, it was the third busiest port in Wales for freight traffic, after Milford Haven and Port Talbot. It is the main port for freight and passengers travelling by sea to the Republic of Ireland, with more than 2 million passengers each year. In 2018, 81% of freight to the Republic of Ireland and 75.5% of sea passengers between Wales and the Republic of Ireland went through Holyhead.

There used to be two routes from Holyhead to Ireland: one to Dublin and one to Dun Laoghaire. The route to Dun Laoghaire was popular in 1998 but was stopped in 2015 because fewer people were using it. The route to Dublin became more popular, with the number of passengers growing from just over 1 million in 1998 to just over 1.9 million in 2018.

There was once a ferry service from Mostyn to Dublin, which was part of the Liverpool-Dublin route. It was popular in 2003 but stopped in 2004.

Rail

The rail network in the region has two main parts. These parts are centred around two main railway lines going west to east. There are no railway lines that go north to south because of the mountains in Snowdonia and because not many people wanted to use them, so they were closed. The rail network is looked after by Network Rail. In the past, there were more railways, but because fewer people were using them and cars became popular, many were closed during the Beeching cuts. Some old railway paths are now roads. Many heritage railways remind us of the old railways.

Most railway lines in Wales are run by the Wales & Borders franchise. The current operator is Transport for Wales Rail, a Welsh-Government owned company. Some services from Holyhead and Wrexham are run by Avanti West Coast, part of the West Coast Partnership, on the West Coast Main Line to London Euston.

In 2017-18, there were 1.4 million rail journeys in North Wales, which is 20,525 more than in 2007-8. Most of these journeys, 38.4%, were in Gwynedd. Conwy had the biggest increase in rail journeys over ten years, at 22.5%. The fewest rail journeys in 2018-19 were in Anglesey.

As of 2025, there are 66 rail stations in North Wales. Two of these are among the 20 busiest stations in Wales: Rhyl, and Bangor. 41 of the stations are on the North Wales lines, and the other 25 are on the Mid Wales lines, specifically the Cambrian Line. There are five rail routes in North Wales: the North Wales Coast Line, the Shrewsbury—Chester Line, the Conwy Valley Line, the Borderlands Line (all part of the North Wales lines) and the Cambrian Line. In 2023-24, these five routes had about 5,657,746 entries and exits at the 66 stations.

The North Wales Coast Line is the main rail line along the north Wales coast, and it connects with Irish Ferries and Stena Line ferries to Dublin Port in the Republic of Ireland. The Conwy Valley Line starts at Llandudno Junction, going north to Llandudno and south to Blaenau Ffestiniog. The Shrewsbury—Chester line connects Chester and Shrewsbury through Wrexham, linking North Wales and South Wales. A company called Wrexham & Shropshire used to run a service from Wrexham General to London Marylebone until 2011. The Borderlands Line connects to the Shrewsbury—Chester line at Wrexham General, going south to Wrexham Central and north to Bidston (Birkenhead), and the North Wales Coast Line at Shotton. Bidston connects to the Wirral line, which has Merseyrail services to West Kirby and Liverpool Central. The Cambrian Line is the other west-east line in the region (as the Mid-Wales line), connecting Shrewsbury to Mid Wales and towns along Cardigan Bay. It is split into two parts: the Cambrian Main Line from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth, and the Cambrian Coast Line from Dovey Junction to Pwllheli. The Welsh Marches Line connects Crewe to Newport, through Shrewsbury, with services from Holyhead often going to Cardiff Central. It is part of the North Wales South Wales service, along with the Shrewsbury—Chester, North Wales Coast Line, and South Wales Main Line. These lines are the main way to travel between North Wales and South Wales.

Chester is a major travel hub for the North Wales Coast. As part of the North Wales Metro, trains run from Chester (and sometimes Wrexham General) to Liverpool Lime Street through the Halton Curve, connecting to the Merseyrail. Services to Manchester Piccadilly from Chester use the Chester—Manchester line for Transport for Wales and the Mid—Cheshire line for Northern services, and Northern also runs a service to Leeds. Shrewsbury is the main hub for passengers on the Cambrian Line and those travelling south from other North Wales stations, with services to South Wales, Crewe, Birmingham International, and Birmingham New Street, and through the Heart of Wales line to Llanelli.

Heritage and narrow gauge railway lines

There are many heritage railways in the region. Most of them are narrow-gauge. Several of these railways use parts of older, longer lines. These heritage railways provide jobs for more than 300 people and bring over £50 million each year to the North Wales economy.

The heritage railways in the region are:

Several of these connect to the Cambrian Line. Some heritage railways share stations with the main rail network. At Fairbourne, the Fairbourne Railway connects to the Barmouth Ferry and the Ffestiniog Railway connects at Minffordd. The Talyllyn Railway's Tywyn Wharf station is near Tywyn station on the Cambrian Line, and Welshpool on the Cambrian Line is close to Raven Square on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway.

Future developments

Many rail and bus lines in the region are part of a project called the North Wales Metro or North East Wales Metro. This project plans to improve existing lines, make it easier to switch between different types of transport, and add more connections to North West England.

The Gobowen to Oswestry line might be reopened by Cambrian Heritage Railways, and there are plans to restore the Anglesey Central Railway.

Tramways

In Llandudno, the Great Orme Tramway goes to the Great Orme. It is the only remaining cable-operated street tramway in Great Britain, and one of the few left in the world.

Geology

See also: Geology of Wales and Geology of Snowdonia National Park

North Wales has many different kinds of rocks and minerals. Near the Menai Strait, there are very old rocks called schists. In the area behind Harlech, there is a big dome of rocks from the Cambrian time. During the Ordovician period, volcanoes helped make many minerals. To the east of the River Conwy, there are rolling hills made from Silurian mudstones and grits. Around Llangollen, Halkyn Mountain, the Great Orme, and eastern Anglesey, there are layers of limestone. People have mined metals from these areas for a very long time. Places like Parys Mountain and unusual minerals such as Jasper and Mona Marble make this area interesting for geologists.

Demographics

People from North Wales may be called North Welsh, North Walian, or informally "Gogs" from the Welsh word for North, "Gogledd". Many people see themselves simply as Welsh, and some also identify as British. Communities near the border with England and along the northern coast might also call themselves English because many people there have English ancestry.

In 2018, North Wales had about 698,400 people. The area has an even spread of people across its six main local areas. Flintshire was the most crowded place, with around 155,600 people, while the Isle of Anglesey had the fewest, with about 70,000 people. The whole region has become a bit more crowded over time, growing by 2.3% between 2008 and 2018. There are also fewer young people and more older people compared to before.

The largest town in North Wales is Wrexham, with over 65,000 people living there. North Wales does not have any very big cities with more than 100,000 people, which makes it different from other parts of Wales.

North Wales has its own special way of speaking Welsh, different from other areas. Schools where students learn in Welsh exist all over North Wales, from primary to secondary levels. Overall, North Wales has the most Welsh speakers among the four main areas of Wales.

Education

North Wales has two universities: Bangor University and Wrexham Glyndwr University.

Further education in Wales is offered by colleges. In North Wales, the main further education colleges are Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and Coleg Cambria. Grŵp Llandrillo Menai serves students from the Isle of Anglesey, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, and Gwynedd. Coleg Cambria serves students from Denbighshire, Flintshire, and Wrexham County Borough.

Grŵp Colegau NPTC Group of Colleges is the main further education college for Powys and has a campus in Newtown.

Health

Healthcare service

Main article: Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

All six counties in North Wales get their health care from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. It is the largest health service group in Wales and takes care of everyone’s health needs. It was formed by joining several smaller health groups together.

North Wales has three big hospitals: Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan, and Wrexham Maelor Hospital in Wrexham. These hospitals are the main places for health care in the west, middle, and east parts of North Wales. There are also many smaller hospitals and health centres. Sometimes, people need special treatments that are only available in big hospitals in England, like Countess of Chester, Royal Liverpool University, and Royal Shrewsbury.

Politics

Main article: United Kingdom general election results in North Wales

North Wales has six main areas called principal council areas. These are Isle of Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd and Wrexham. Each area has its own local council. These councils help with local government tasks. In February 2021, the six councils began working together as the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee to help with planning and transportation.

Economy

North Wales has a low jobless rate. Most people aged 16 to 64 have jobs.

North Wales Growth Deal

Main article: Ambition North Wales

See also: Regional economy in Wales § North Wales Growth Deal

In 2016, the UK Government asked North Wales to make a plan to grow its economy. This plan, called the Growth Deal, wanted to create new jobs, improve roads, focus on clean energy, and help tourism. Leaders from schools and businesses worked together. In 2018, the UK Government agreed to give £120 million to help this plan. The Welsh Government also promised to add more money if needed. In 2019, leaders signed an agreement to start the North Wales Growth Deal.

Local media

Local newspapers

North Wales has two daily newspapers. The "North Wales edition" of the Daily Post is delivered from Monday to Saturday. The Leader has two editions for Wrexham and Flintshire and is based in Mold.

There are also nine weekly newspapers that share local and community news.

Online

Several websites share local news online. BaeColwyn.com covers Colwyn Bay, and AbergelePost.com serves Abergele. Wrexham.com shares news for Wrexham, and Deeside.com began in 2013 to cover areas like Connah's Quay and Shotton. North.Wales started in March 2020.

Radio

BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru cover the area from Bangor and Wrexham. Commercial stations include Capital North West and Wales, Capital Cymru, and Heart North Wales. Community stations like Tudno FM and Môn FM also broadcast.

Television

BBC and ITV provide news for North Wales through programmes like Wales Today and ITV News Cymru Wales. BBC Cymru Wales has studios in Bangor, and S4C has an office in Caernarfon.

Sport

Football

Wrexham A.F.C. plays in the English football league system. They moved to the Conference National in 2008 and now compete in the EFL Championship. Their home games are at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. In 2020, actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds bought the club.

Other teams like Connah's Quay Nomads F.C. and Bangor City F.C. have played in UEFA competitions in the Cymru Premier and Cymru North leagues.

Because North Wales is near the North West of England, many people support English clubs such as Liverpool F.C., Everton F.C., and Manchester United F.C.

Rugby League

Wales had a team in the Super League called the Crusaders RL. They moved to Wrexham in 2010 and played at the Racecourse Ground. The team stopped in 2011 and was replaced by North Wales Crusaders in League 1.

North Wales has its own amateur league called the North Wales Championship, part of the British rugby league system.

Rugby Union

In 2008, the Welsh Rugby Union planned to create a team in North Wales. The goal was to grow the sport and give more players a chance to join the Welsh national team. The team was named RGC 1404.