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Capel Curig

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Overview

Capel Curig is a village in the county borough of Conwy, popular with climbers and hillwalkers due to its location in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park.

Facts

Rank

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage

Media

From Wikipedia1,004 words

WBP editorial3

A base for the crag hiker’s rhythm

Capel Curig’s charm lies not in monuments but in the cadence it offers to those who trade city noise for mountain breath. Early mornings see locals loading bicycles and lightweight rucksacks onto the village’s modest car park, then slipping onto the narrow lanes that wind toward the foothills. The village’s proximity to the A5 makes it a convenient jump‑off for summits such as Moel Siabod, yet the real advantage is the sense of continuity: after a day of scrambling, the stone‑cobbled streets lead you back to the same low‑key chippy where the same family has served tea for generations. That continuity creates a rhythm for hikers, a gentle reminder that the route home is as much a part of the adventure as the ascent itself.

Seasonal subtleties for the discerning traveller

While the summer months draw the usual crowd of walkers, the shoulder seasons reveal a quieter, more nuanced experience. In late autumn, daylight wanes early, casting long shadows over the river Llugwy and turning the surrounding peaks into brooding silhouettes. This is the time when the scent of damp peat replaces the summer’s wildflowers, and the village’s modest inn offers a hearth‑lit refuge for those willing to trade crowds for contemplation. Early spring, meanwhile, brings a brief flourish of bloom on the riverbanks, and the nearby waterfalls swell with meltwater, creating a soundtrack that is louder than any guidebook can convey. Planning around these subtle shifts lets you taste the village’s character beyond the usual tourist calendar.

What guidebooks miss: the local craft of storytelling

Beyond the obvious outdoor pursuits, Capel Curig nurtures a subtle art of oral history that most guidebooks overlook. In the village hall, elderly residents gather after tea to recount legends of the area’s early saints and the whispered tales of the mountain spirits that once guided shepherds through mist‑clad passes. These sessions are informal, often unadvertised, and rely on a willingness to linger over a pint of locally brewed ale. For the traveller with an ear for narrative, joining a few of these evenings offers insight into how the landscape shapes community identity, turning a simple walk into an immersion of myth and memory that no brochure can capture.

Introduction

Village in Conwy County Borough, Wales Human settlement in WalesCapel CurigSt Julitta's ChurchCapel CurigLocation within ConwyPopulation206 (2018)OS grid referenceSH720582CommunityCapel CurigPrincipal areaConwyPreserved countyClwydCountryWalesSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townBETWS-Y-COEDPostcode districtLL24Dialling code01690PoliceNorth WalesFireNorth WalesAmbulanceWelsh UK ParliamentBangor AberconwySenedd Cymru – Welsh ParliamentAberconwy List of places UK Wales Conwy 53°06′18″N 3°54′47″W / 53.105°N 3.913°W / 53.105; -3.913 Map of the community Capel Curig, c.1870 Unspoilt Capel Curig 1846 by John Harwood Capel Curig (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈkɑːpɛl ˈkɨːrɪɡ]; meaning "Curig's Chapel") is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Historically in Caernarfonshire, it lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy, and has a population of 226, reducing slightly to 206 at the 2011 census. It lies at the junction of the A5 road from Bangor and Bethesda to Betws-y-Coed with the A4086 road from Caernarfon, Llanberis, Pen-y-Pass and Pen-y-Gwryd. It is surrounded by hills and mountains, including Moel Siabod and Pen Llithrig y Wrach.

Name

[edit] Capel Curig takes its name from the little St Julitta's Church in the ancient graveyard by the river bridge on the Llanberis road. This, confusingly, has been known for over 100 years as St Julitta's Church, and is currently being restored by the "Friends of Saint Julitta". Tradition claims this chapel to be the 6th-century foundation of St Curig, a Celtic bishop. Centuries later, probably when the present ancient church was built, the name appears to have been Latinised as Cyricus, which is the name of a 4th-century child martyr whose mother was Julitta. They are usually named together as Saints Quiricus and Julietta. The names Capel Kiryg and Capel Kerig were recorded in 1536 and 1578 respectively.

Roman fort

[edit] Approximately one kilometre from Pont Cyfyng, on the farm of Bryn Gefeiliau, there are the remains of a Roman fort (c.90–100 AD) and named Caer Llugwy by its excavators. (53°05′50″N 3°52′27″W / 53.0972°N 3.8743°W / 53.0972; -3.8743 (Bryn-y-Gefeiliau Roman Site), OS Grid Reference SH746572). In 1920 excavations undertaken by J.P. Hall and Captain G.H. Hodgson revealed a roughly square Roman fort of approximately 4 acres (1.6 ha). Stone buildings were uncovered and traced. The rectangular walled area is on flat land close to the River Llugwy. From the pottery and finds in 1923 and subsequently, it appears to have only been garrisoned for 20–30 years.

Activity centre

[edit] Surrounding area The village is a popular centre for walking, climbing, mountaineering, mountain biking and other outdoor pursuits and is served by the Sherpa bus network. It is also home to an Army training camp, a camp site, several cafes and hotels and outdoor activity gear shops, and, formerly, a youth hostel. Wolverhampton City Council have since 1961 operated 'The Towers' outdoors activity centre just outside Capel Curig. The centre facilitates walking, climbing, a variety of watersports and field studies on a schedule that is adapted day to day according to the prevailing weather conditions and to the abilities and needs of individuals and groups. Also located in Capel Curig is the UK National Mountain Centre at Plas y Brenin, which offers the highest quality mountaineering, climbing, canoeing facilities and training. One mile east of the village on the A5 is Tŷ Hyll, home of the Snowdonia Society

Climate

[edit] As with much of the rest of the British Isles, Capel Curig experiences a temperate maritime climate (Cfb), with warm summers and cold winters, little extremes of temperature and high humidity year round. The driest month is May, with 142 mm (5.6 in) of rain, while the wettest is December, with 346 mm (13.6 in) of rain. The warmest recorded temperature was 32.1 °C (89.8 °F) on 19 July 2022 and the coldest −17.5 °C (0.5 °F) on 20 December 2010. Capel Curig is one of the wettest places in the UK and the wettest in Wales. Record high temperatures during February 2019 were higher than in the average summer: on 25 February 2019, Capel Curig recorded its warmest February day on record, with a temperature of 17.5 °C (63.5 °F). This was beaten again the next day, with 18.8 °C (65.8 °F). Climate data for Capel Curig (averages 1991−2020, extremes 1994−present) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 15.4(59.7) 19.3(66.7) 20.4(68.7) 24.2(75.6) 26.5(79.7) 28.8(83.8) 32.1(89.8) 29.2(84.6) 28.2(82.8) 23.8(74.8) 18.9(66.0) 15.2(59.4) 32.1(89.8) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 7.0(44.6) 7.1(44.8) 8.8(47.8) 11.4(52.5) 14.4(57.9) 16.6(61.9) 18.2(64.8) 17.8(64.0) 16.0(60.8) 12.8(55.0) 9.8(49.6) 7.6(45.7) 12.3(54.1) Daily mean °C (°F) 4.5(40.1) 4.4(39.9) 5.8(42.4) 7.8(46.0) 10.5(50.9) 13.0(55.4) 14.8(58.6) 14.5(58.1) 12.7(54.9) 9.9(49.8) 7.1(44.8) 5.0(41.0) 9.2(48.6) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 1.9(35.4) 1.7(35.1) 2.7(36.9) 4.2(39.6) 6.7(44.1) 9.4(48.9) 11.3(52.3) 11.3(52.3) 9.4(48.9) 7.1(44.8) 4.5(40.1) 2.4(36.3) 6.1(43.0) Record low °C (°F) −11.4(11.5) −8.5(16.7) −12.4(9.7) −5.1(22.8) −3.5(25.7) −0.1(31.8) 2.8(37.0) 1.6(34.9) −1.2(29.8) −5.4(22.3) −11.6(11.1) −17.5(0.5) −17.5(0.5) Average precipitation mm (inches) 309.6(12.19) 258.2(10.17) 213.4(8.40) 155.8(6.13) 142.0(5.59) 144.1(5.67) 157.6(6.20) 189.7(7.47) 206.3(8.12) 274.0(10.79) 300.4(11.83) 346.0(13.62) 2,697.1(106.19) Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 19.5 17.6 16.8 15.5 14.3 14.0 15.6 16.9 16.0 19.0 20.9 20.4 206.5 Source 1: Met Office Source 2: Starlings Roost Weather

Evan Roberts

[edit] Capel Curig was home to the botanist Evan Roberts (1909–1991). Roberts lived at Gelli, from where he explored all of Snowdonia, and compiled an unparalleled knowledge of the plant life of North Wales. Although he spent the first 40 years of his life as a quarry worker, he went on to become the colleague of academics. He was awarded the honorary degree of M.Sc. of the University of Wales, in 1956, at the same ceremony as the architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and his portrait was painted by Kyffin Williams.