Bala Lake

Beautiful Bala Lake is in Snowdonia National Park and is the largest body of water in Wales, being four miles long and a mile wide. The lake is known in welsh as ‘Llyn Tegid’ which means Lake of Serenity, and was formed by the action of glaciers.

The lake is widely used by watersports enthusiasts, because of the winds that sweep through its mountain valley setting. Kayaks and yachts are available for hire to tourists, but be sure to book well in advance at peak holiday periods. The National Whitewater Centre is close by.

As well as watersports and of course fishing, mountain biking is very popular, both around the Lake and on the quiet roads nearby. Being within the National Park, the scenery is breathtakingly  beautiful.

The Bala railway runs for 4.5 miles along the lakes’ shore. This is another popular attraction for tourists. The  line has three steam locomotives, two of which worked in the slate quarries of North Wales. The route gives excellent views of the lake, its surrounding wooded scenery, and the nearby mountains, Arenig Fawr, Aran Benllyn and Aran Fawddwy.