Cycle Route Valley (North Wales coast) - Reading

Bangor is a small city in Gwynedd.

Bangor is a small coastal city in North Wales, and is a picturesque city offering views over the Menai Straits (especially attractive at sunset), and also serves as a convenient base for visiting the nearby Snowdonia National Park.

With a population of only around 14,000, Bangor is one of the UK's smallest cities. Bangor is a university city and has a large student population, and is home to Bangor University, established in 1884.

Around half of the people in the city can speak Welsh, but if you took away all of the students in the university, this figure would be much higher.

See

• ⊙Bangor Pier, ☎ +44 1248 352421. Also known as Garth Pier, this Victorian pier opened in 1896 and reaches halfway across the Menai Straits to the Isle of Anglesey . At the end of the pier is the Whistlestop Cafe, which is popular and well-known locally for its scones.  
• ⊙Penrhyn Castle, LL57 4HN, ☎ +44 1248 353084. Varies by season. The castle is closed over the winter months. A neo-Norman Victorian fantasy castle from the 19th century, Penrhyn Castle is now a National Trust property. It contains a collection of "Norman" style furniture and old masters' paintings. It has a shop, tea room, a doll museum, two galleries and an industrial railway museum. Can be considered well over the top in the desire to impress but the kitchen quarters and the walled garden are particularly to be recommended. £11.50, £5.75 for children.
• ⊙Bangor Cathedral, ☎ +44 1248 354999. A 6th-century cathedral with attractive architecture. The focal point of the city.  
• ⊙Storiel (formerly Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery), Ffordd Gwynedd, LL57 1DT, ☎ +44 1248 353368. Tells the story of the people of Bangor and Gwynedd over previous centuries. Free.