Britain’s Breathing Spaces

The Oakeley Arms Hotel is situated in the heart of the wild Snowdonia National Park – one of Britain’s 15 National Parks (and the most stunning, if we may say so – although of course, we are a little biased!) And this week, that is something to celebrate because it’s National Parks Week 2014 (28th July – 3rd August).

National Parks Week 2014 really is the time to celebrate, appreciate, enjoy, explore and discover the beautiful landscape that surrounds us. We think we’re incredibly lucky to live and work in such a beautiful area, and over the years, hundreds of our customers and guests have fallen in love with the dramatic landscape too.

And being in Snowdonia doesn’t necessarily mean having to climb a mountain. If that’s not your thing, then there are loads of events and activities going on to help you and your family make the most of the National Park. From exploring the area by vintage steam train to kayaking along the beautiful coastline or speeding through the air on a zip wire to getting lost in the depths of the forest. And there are also special events being organised by Snowdonia National Park to celebrate this special week. You can find all details here.

In the meantime, we thought we’d share with you our favourite Snowdonia National Park facts. We bet you didn’t know…….

• Snowdonia National Park is spread across 823 square miles of beautiful countryside (an area twice the size of Anglesey).
• There are almost 1,500 miles of footpaths across Snowdonia, so walking is a pretty popular activity.
• Nearly 59% of Snowdonia’s residents speak Welsh.
• Almost half a million people reach the top of Snowdon each year – although not necessarily on foot!
• Snowdonia is Wales’ oldest National Park – it was designated in 1951.
• And it is also the largest National Park in Wales.
• And, it is also the wettest of all three of Wales’ National Park, with an average rainfall of over 4,000mm a year (Pembrokeshire Coast National Park has just 1,000 mm a year….)
• Snowdonia National Park is made of up of public and private land (in fact, 70% of the land is privately owned, 16% is owned by the Forestry Commission, 9% is owned by the National Trust and 1.7% is owned by the Countryside Council for Wales).
• The mountains of Snowdonia can be split into four main regions – the Snowdon Range, the mountains of Blaenau Ffestiniog, the Rhinogydd and the hills around Cadair Idris.

So whatever you get up to to celebrate National Parks Week 2014, we hope you can freely explore, discover and fall in love with our beautiful National Park.