North Wales

North Wales (Welsh: Gogledd Cymru) is the northernmost region[lower-roman 6] of Wales. It is bordered by the principal areas of Ceredigion, Powys, and the rest of Wales to the south, England and its counties of Shropshire, and Cheshire to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. It is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia National Park, known for its mountains, waterfalls and trails, located wholly within the region. North Wales has no official designation; it is mostly used for organising the 6 northern principal areas for the public purposes of health, policing and emergency services, and for statistical,[1] economic[2][3] and cultural[lower-roman 7][4] purposes.

For other uses, see North Wales (disambiguation).
North Wales

Gogledd Cymru

North of Wales, Northern Wales,
historically: Gwynedd [cy], Venedotia [la]
undefined region
Map of the most common definition of North Wales, following principal area boundaries, Montgomeryshire is sometimes considered North Wales.
Satellite Map of North Wales
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country Wales
Historic counties
Principal areasCounties & County Boroughs
Preserved counties
Localities
Area
 • Land6,172 km2 (2,383 sq mi)
Population
 • Estimate (2018)698,400
 • Density113.6/km2 (294/sq mi)
Demonym(s)North Welsh, North Walian, "gogs" (informally)
Time zoneUTC±0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
Post Code
LL, CH, SY

Historically, for most of North Wales, the region can be referred to as simply "Gwynedd",[lower-roman 8][5] named after one of the last independent Welsh kingdoms, the Kingdom of Gwynedd. This has led to a stronger sense of Welsh identity and home to more Welsh-language speakers, especially in North West Wales, than the rest of Wales. Those from North Wales are sometimes referred to as "Gogs" (from "gogledd" – the Welsh word for "north");[6] in comparison, those from South Wales are sometimes called "Hwntws" by those from North Wales. The term "North Wales" is rarely applied to all of Wales during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain and the period of the Heptarchy, to distinguish it from "West Wales", known today as Cornwall,[7] although the term "Wales" or the names of the various petty kingdoms of Wales (Gwynedd, and Powys in North Wales) are more commonly used to depict the region during this time.

The region includes the localities of Wrexham, Deeside, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Flint, Bangor, Llandudno, and Holyhead. The largest localities in North Wales are the town of Wrexham and the conurbations of Deeside and Rhyl/Prestatyn, where the main retail, cultural, educational, tourism and transport infrastructure and services of North Wales are located.

The boundaries and status of North Wales are undefined (compared to regions of England), definitions and the boundary of North Wales with South or Mid Wales differs between organisations. It is strongly used culturally for comparison to the more urban South Wales. The most common definition for statistical and administrative purposes of North Wales contains the 6 principal areas of: Isle of Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, and Wrexham. Of which have a combined estimated population in 2018 of 698,400 people.[1] Other definitions, especially historical, commonly include Montgomeryshire, one of the historic counties of Wales, to be part of North Wales. The definitions of North and Mid Wales constantly overlap, with Meirionnydd (southern part of the modern principal area of Gwynedd) sometimes considered Mid Wales.

History
See also: Kingdom of Gwynedd and Kingdom of Powys
Principalities of North Wales, between 1267-76

The region is steeped in history, being a crucial component in Welsh medieval history, and was from the 5th to the 12th/13th centuries under the control of the influential Welsh kingdoms of Gwynedd, and Powys following the end of Roman rule in Britain. The Kingdom of Gwynedd controlled the majority of what is now the commonly defined 6 counties of North Wales, including all of the North Wales coast, with Powys retaining control over what is modern Powys, and parts of Wrexham and Flintshire, in addition to part of Shropshire. Through their over 800 year existences', their rulers acclaimed themselves to be the "King(s) of the Britons", and Gwynedd would lead the charge in the subsequent formation of the Principality of Wales. The mountainous stronghold of Snowdonia formed the nucleus of that realm and would become the last redoubt of independent Medieval Wales — only overcome in 1283 by English forces under Edward I. To this day it remains a stronghold of the Welsh language and a centre for Welsh national and cultural identity.

World Heritage & Biosphere Sites

The area is home to two of the three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Wales. These are Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and canal[8] and, collectively, the Edwardian castles and town walls of the region[9] which comprise those at Caernarfon, Beaumaris,[10] Conwy and Harlech. It also shares with Powys and Ceredigion the distinction of hosting the only UNESCO Biosphere (from Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme to promote sustainable development) reserve in Wales, namely, Biosffer Dyfi Biosphere.

Political divisions

Principal areas

For local administration, the region is made up of the following 6 principal areas, consisting of counties, and county boroughs, they are: the Isle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn), Conwy County Borough (Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy), Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych), Flintshire (Sir y Fflint), Gwynedd, and Wrexham County Borough (Bwrdeistref Sirol Wrecsam). Montgomeryshire, part of the modern principal area of Powys, is historically considered part of North Wales, however Powys as a whole is commonly considered Mid Wales.

Regional groupings

North Wales can be further split into regional groupings (also called regions or sub-regions), these are simply groups of the principal areas, used for local news (e.g. BBC), and town and country planning. North Wales is split into 2 (or 3) groupings: North East Wales (Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham), and North West Wales (Anglesey, Conwy, Gwynedd). Montgomeryshire is historically considered part of North Wales, however as part of Powys is considered Mid Wales.

Preserved counties

In addition to the six principal areas, North Wales is also divided into the following preserved counties for various ceremonial purposes: Clwyd (comprising Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham), and Gwynedd (comprising Gwynedd and Isle of Anglesey)

Preserved counties are based on the counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 and used for local government and other purposes between 1974 and 1996, during this period, Montgomeryshire was part of Powys, which remains as the same county today. Therefore, commonly counted as Mid Wales.

Historic counties
Main article: Historic counties of Wales

These are the oldest of the counties of North Wales, used over centuries. North Wales contained 6 counties, during these times: Anglesey, Caernarfonshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Merionethshire, and Montgomeryshire.

Historical divisions

The north of Wales was traditionally divided into three regions: Upper Gwynedd (or Gwynedd above the Conwy), defined as the area north of the River Dyfi and west of the River Conwy); Lower Gwynedd (or Gwynedd below the Conwy), also known as the Perfeddwlad ("the middle country") and defined as the region east of the River Conwy and west of the River Dee; and Ynys Môn (or Anglesey), a large island off the north coast.

European Parliament constituencies

Between 1979 and 1994, all of North Wales (including Montgomery) was a single European Parliament constituency (EPC), the North Wales European Parliament Constituency. In 1994, minor border changes put parts of Montgomeryshire in the neighbouring Mid and West Wales constituency. In 1999, both of the constituencies ceased, when it was absorbed into the larger Wales constituency until 2020 when it was subsequently abolished following the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union on 31 January 2020.

  • 1979 - 1994
    • North Wales EPC
  • 1994 - 1999
    • North Wales EPC
    • Mid and West Wales EPC
  • 1999 - 2020
    • Wales EPC

Senedd (Welsh Parliament) constituencies

An electoral region for the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), shares the name North Wales, yet does not cover all of North Wales, only the northeast of Wales (specifically the entire area of the former pre-1996 county of Clwyd) as well as the northernmost coastal areas of north-western Wales; the rest of North Wales is covered by the Mid and West Wales constituency.

Southern boundary

The division with the rest of Wales is arbitrary and depends on the particular use being made. For example, the boundary of North Wales Police differs from the boundary of the North Wales area of the Natural Resources Wales and the North Wales Regional Transport Consortium (Taith).

The historic boundary follows the pre-1996 county boundaries of Merionethshire and Denbighshire which in turn closely follow the geographic features of the River Dyfi to Aran Fawddwy, then crossing the high moorlands following the watershed until reaching Cadair Berwyn and then following the River Rhaeadr and River Tanat to the Shropshire border.

The most common definition is that North Wales ends at the peripheries of the northern 6 principal areas, therefore the border is between Wrexham - Powys, Denbighshire - Powys, Gwynedd - Powys, and Gwynedd - Ceredigion (over the River Dyfi).

Geography
Llanddwyn Island's old lighthouse
Snowdonia in background

The area is mostly rural with many mountains and valleys. This, in combination with its coast (on the Irish Sea), means tourism is the principal industry. Farming, which was once the principal economic force in the area, is now much reduced in importance. The average income per capita of the local population is the lowest in the UK.[11]

The eastern part of North Wales contains the most populous areas, with more than 300,000 people living in the areas around Wrexham and Deeside. Wrexham, with a population of 63,084 in 2001 is the largest town. The total population of North Wales is 696,300 (2017). The majority of other settlements are along the coast, including some popular resort towns, such as Rhyl, Llandudno, Pwllheli, Prestatyn and Tywyn. There are two cathedral cities – Bangor and St. Asaph – and a number of medieval castles (e.g. Criccieth, Dolbadarn, Dolwyddelan, Harlech, Caernarfon Castle, Beaumaris, Conwy) The area of North Wales is about 6,172 square kilometres, making it slightly larger than the country of Brunei, or the island of Bali.

The highest mountain in Wales, England and Ireland, Snowdon, is in northwest Wales.

Transport infrastructure

Roads
Map of the North Wales road network (and major sea routes)

The main roads spanning across North Wales, mostly span east to west, especially along the North Wales coast. This is mainly due to the mountainous terrain in the middle of Wales, leading most north-south connections to be slower, leading to diversions onto north-south roads in England. The emphasis of east-west roadways has led to North Wales having closer connections with North West England (centred on Liverpool & Manchester) rather than with South Wales.

East to west roads

Roads spanning from connections in England towards the Irish Sea in the west:

North Wales Expressway (A55)
Main article: A55 road

Described as "North Wales' most notorious road", the A55 or the "North Wales Expressway", is a dual carriageway primary road in Britain from the M53 near Chester to Holyhead, along the North Wales coast and passing Deeside, Llandudno Junction, Conwy and Bangor. It is an economic lifeline for North Wales, and the second most important road in all of Wales, only to the M4 in South Wales.[12] The road connects to the Port of Holyhead, which provides ferry connections to the Republic of Ireland. The majority of the road is part of the E-road network as E22 (until Ewloe), and is a dual carriageway, grade-separated, for its entire 88-mile length.

London - Holyhead Trunk Road (A5)
Main article: A5 road (Great Britain)

The A5, or the "London-Holyhead Trunk Road", is a major road in North Wales, originating from London and multiplexing with the M54 near Telford, and then Shrewsbury, it enters Wales by crossing the River Ceiriog and reaches Chirk, before continuing through Snowdonia, passing Llangollen, Corwen, Betws-y-Coed and reaching the centre of Bangor. The road then crosses the Menai Suspension Bridge towards Anglesey, then running roughly parallel to the A55, ending near the Port of Holyhead. The route is now more scenic, with its historical importance as a connection between London and the Port of Holyhead, superseded by the A55.

Other East-West A-roads

A458

The A458 is a road from Halesowen, West Midlands, which then bypasses Shrewsbury, enters Wales near Middletown (near Trewern), and continues on to Welshpool, Llanfair Caereinion before ending at Mallwyd, Gwynedd. It is a single carriageway for its entire length in Wales.

A494

The A494 or officially the "Dolgellau to South of Birkenhead Trunk Road", is a trunk road which spans from the terminus of the M56 near Saughall, Cheshire, the dual-carriageway then continues into Wales, crossing through to Queensferry, before reaching the Ewloe interchange with the A55, this section of the road from Saughall is part of the E-road E22. It then becomes a single-carriageway continuing through to Mold, and Ruthin, before multiplexing with the A5 near Corwen. It enters Snowdonia National Park, near Bala, passes Llyn Tegid, then terminates at Dolgellau.

North to south roads

Roads spanning from South Wales towards the North Wales coast or Northern England:

Swansea - Manchester Trunk Road (A483)
Main article: A483 road

The A483, officially the "Swansea to Manchester Trunk Road", is a major road, historically originating in Manchester. It currently starts in Chester, then becomes a dual carriageway when intersecting with the A55, continuing to Rossett, Wrexham and Ruabon. The A483 becomes a single-carriageway again at Ruabon interchange, before multiplexing with the A5 near Chirk and crossing into England. It re-emerges near Oswestry, and crosses back into Wales near Llanymynech, then passing Welshpool, Newtown and through to Swansea in South Wales.

Cardiff - Glan Conwy Trunk Road (A470)

The A470, also known as the "Cardiff to Glan Conwy Trunk Road" is a road which links Cardiff with Llandudno. The entire route in North Wales is single carriageway. From Llandudno, it intersects the A55, before passing down the Conwy valley, passing Glan Conwy, Tal-y-Cafn and Llanrwst. It then enters Snowdonia, through to Betws-y-Coed, where it crosses the A5, onto Blaenau Ffestiniog, Dolgellau, Mallwyd, Caersws (near Newtown) and Llangurig, before continuing to Cardiff.

Fishguard - Bangor Trunk Road (A487)

The A487, officially the "Fishguard to Bangor Trunk Road" is a trunk road, spanning from Bangor to Haverfordwest. It starts near the Menai Suspension Bridge, then intersects with the A55, before passing through Caernarfon, Penygroes, Porthmadog and Penrhyndeudraeth, where it enters Snowdonia, finally it multiplexes with the A470 near Gellilydan. It re-emerges near Dolgellau, towards Machynlleth, before continuing to Aberystwyth, and Haverfordwest in South West Wales. It is a single carriageway for its entire length.

Sea
Main article: Port of Holyhead

The Port of Holyhead, on the isle of Anglesey, is the main commercial and ferry port in North Wales.

The port had the third-largest volume of freight traffic, in Wales, in 2018 (5.2 million tonnes), after Milford Haven and Port Talbot, and it is the main port for freight and sea passenger transport with the Republic of Ireland, handling more than 2 million passengers each year. 81% of freight traffic going through Welsh ports to the Republic of Ireland, and 75.5% of sea passenger traffic between Wales and the Republic of Ireland went through Holyhead in 2018. Historically, there were two routes between Holyhead and the Irish ports of Dublin and Dun Laoghaire. The route to Dun Laoghaire was the most popular in 1998 with over 1.7 million passengers ferried, however following a consistent decline in passenger traffic, it was removed in 2015. The other route to Dublin saw an overall increase in passenger numbers from just over 1 million in 1998 to just over 1.9 million in 2018, an increase of 82%.

A Mostyn-Dublin ferry service once existed, on the now Liverpool-Dublin route, attracting a peak of 48,000 passengers in 2003, before being discontinued in 2004.[13]

Rail

The public rail network of North Wales is largely split into two, a northern branch, and a central branch, leaving Snowdonia in between the two, the public rail network is managed by Network Rail. The rail network of North Wales used to more extensive with both North and Central (British Rail) branches being once connected within Welsh borders. The Beeching Cuts in the 1960s greatly reduced the rail network across all of Great Britain, leaving the current network today. The numerous heritage railways scattered across North Wales, show the areas where railways once ran through.

The majority of lines operated in Wales is part of the Wales & Borders franchise, the current operator is Transport for Wales (Welsh: Trafnidiaeth Cymru), although some services (from Holyhead and Wrexham) are operated by the West Coast Partnership operator, Avanti West Coast.

According to StatsWales, the number of rail journeys across the 6 principal areas of North Wales, made in 2017-18 was 1.4 million, an increase of 20,525 from 2007-8. The largest share of these rail journeys, at 38.4%, was within the boundaries of Gwynedd. Conwy, on the other hand, was the principal area which saw the greatest increase in rail journeys as a percentage of journeys over the ten-year period, at 22.5%. The least amount rail journeys in 2018-19 was in Anglesey.

As of 2020, there as 66 rail stations within the boundaries of the 6 northern principal areas, of which 2 are among the 20 busiest stations in Wales, Rhyl, and Bangor.[14] 41 of the rail stations are stations of the North Wales lines, whereas the remaining 25 are stations of the Mid Wales lines, specifically the Cambrian Line. There is a total of 5 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. All 5 routes together in 2018-19 had approximately 5,295,602 entries and exits through the 66 stations.[15]

Five most used rail stations in North Wales (2018-19)[15]
Station Entries & Exits Welsh top 20 station Line
Bangor (Gwynedd) 658,934 Yes North Wales Coast
Rhyl 517,484 Yes North Wales Coast
Wrexham General 512,198 No Borderlands, Shrewsbury—Chester
Prestatyn 332,674 No North Wales Coast
Llandudno Junction 321,706 No Conwy Valley, North Wales Coast
Five least used rail stations in North Wales (2018-19)[15]
Station Entries & Exits Line
Tal-y-Cafn 1,362 Conwy Valley
Tygwyn 1,330 Cambrian Coast
Roman Bridge 1,094 Conwy Valley
Pont-y-Pant 896 Conwy Valley
Dolgarrog 826 Conwy Valley
Map of the rail network in North Wales

North Wales Lines

The lines which intersect the North Wales Coast line.

North Wales Coast Line

The North Wales Coast Line is the main rail line serving North Wales. It branches off the West Coast Main Line (line from London Euston to Glasgow Central) at Crewe, proceeding west via stations such as: Chester, Shotton (low level), Prestatyn, Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Llandudno Junction, Bangor and Holyhead, connecting with Irish Ferries and Stena Line ferry services to Dublin Port in the Republic of Ireland. The majority of services on this line are operated by Transport for Wales, with services between Holyhead, and London Euston (via the West Coast Main Line) operated by Avanti West Coast.[16] The busiest station in 2017-18 on the line was Bangor, with Rhyl second, and the least busy being Tŷ Croes, with the least busy non-request stop being Abergele & Pensarn.[17]

Conwy Valley Line

The Conwy Valley Line branches off the North Wales Coast line at Llandudno Junction, heading north to Llandudno and south to Blaenau Ffestiniog. All services are operated by Transport for Wales. The busiest station in 2017-18 on the line was Llandudno Junction, with Dolgarrog being the least busy.[17]

Shrewsbury—Chester Line

The Shrewsbury—Chester line, connects Chester with Wrexham General, Ruabon, Chirk, Gobowen (for Oswestry) and Shrewsbury. Most services are operated by Transport for Wales, with the Wrexham General—London Euston service (via the West Coast Main Line) operated by Avanti West Coast. A former open-access operator Wrexham & Shropshire, used to provide a Wrexham General—London Marylebone service until 2011. The busiest station in 2017-18 on the line is Wrexham General, with Chirk being the least busy.[17]

Borderlands Line

The Borderlands Line, intersects the Shrewsbury—Chester line at Wrexham General, branching south to Wrexham Central (where it terminates), and north to Bidston (Birkenhead), and the North Wales Coast Line at Shotton. It passes, from Bidston; Upton, Heswall, Neston, Hawarden Bridge [rs], Shotton (high level), Hawarden, Buckley, Penyffordd, Hope, Caergwrle, Cefn-y-Bedd, Gwersyllt, Wrexham General, and Wrexham Central. Bidston connects to the Wirral line, providing Merseyrail services, west to West Kirby, and east to Liverpool Central. All services on the Borderlands line are operated by Transport for Wales, but there are talks of further integration of the line into the Merseyrail, with new trains, and proposals for the electrification of the line. The busiest station in 2017-18 on the line is Wrexham General, with Hawarden Bridge being the least busy.[17]

Mid Wales Lines

The Cambrian Coast section of the Cambrian Line, goes up into North Wales.

Cambrian Line

The Cambrian Line connects Shrewsbury (where it connects to the Shrewsbury—Chester, Welsh Marches, and Wolverhampton—Shrewsbury lines), westwards with Mid Wales and towns along Cardigan Bay. The line is commonly split into two sections, the section from Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth is sometimes referred to as the Cambrian Main Line, with the Cambrian Coast Line, splitting off from this line at Dovey Junction, heading northwest to Pwllheli. The busiest station in 2017-18 on the main line was Aberystwyth, least being Dovey Junction, and on the coast line the busiest station was Barmouth, with the least being Tygwyn.[17]

Welsh Marches Line (to South Wales)

The Welsh Marches Line connects Crewe to Newport, via Shrewsbury, with services from Holyhead usually continuing to Cardiff Central. It forms part of the North Wales South Wales service, along with the Shrewsbury—Chester, North Wales Coast Line, and South Wales Main Line. These lines form the main rail connection between North Wales and South Wales. The Holyhead—Cardiff Central service is operated by Transport for Wales.

Connections from Chester & Shrewsbury

Chester provides the main travel connections for the North Wales Coast, as a major transport hub. From Chester (and Wrexham General at limited times), via the Halton Curve, direct trains run to Liverpool Lime Street, linking to the Merseyrail. Services to Manchester Piccadilly from Chester, via the Chester—Manchester line for Transport for Wales services, and the Mid—Cheshire line for Northern services, in addition to the Northern service to Leeds, provide North Wales' connections to Northern England.

Shrewsbury provides the main travel connections for passengers from the Cambrian line (and those communting south from other North Wales stations), providing services through England to Crewe, Birmingham International, and Birmingham New Street, and via the Heart of Wales line, services to Llanelli.

Heritage and small railways

At Tywyn station on the Cambrian line, the Talyllyn Railway operates from the nearby Tywyn Wharf to Nant Gwernol, further into Snowdonia.

At Fairbourne, there is the short Fairbourne Railway, connecting Fairbourne with Barmouth Ferry.

At Welshpool, there is the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway, connecting to Llanfair Caereinion.

At Llanberis there is the Snowdon Mountain Railway, which runs from SMR station to the summit on Snowdon, and Llanberis Lake Railway, which runs from LLR to Penllyn, along Llyn Padarn.

The Bala Lake Railway provides a scenic journey alongside Llyn Tegid / Bala Lake, from Bala (Penybont) to Llanuwchllyn.

The Llangollen Railway, which so far links Llangollen to Corwen.

The Ffestiniog Railway connects Blaenau Ffestiniog to Minffordd (for Portmerion) on the Cambrian Coast Line, and Porthmadog Harbour, where it connects to the Welsh Highland Railway to Caernarfon.

The short Corris Railway from Corris to Maespoeth.

The Rhiw Valley Light Railway, near Berriew.

The Vale of Rheidol Railway, from Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge, just outside North Wales, in Ceredigion.

Future

The Gobowen to Oswestry, Cambrian Heritage Railways is working on reopening the lines.

The Anglesey Central Railway is also being slowly restored.

Tramways

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

Geology
See also: Geology of Wales

North Wales has very diverse and complex geology with Precambrian schists along the Menai Strait and the great Cambrian dome behind Harlech and underlying much of western Snowdonia. In the Ordovician period much volcanism deposited a range of minerals and rocks over the northwestern parts of Gwynedd whilst to the east of the River Conwy lies a large area of upland rolling hills underlain by the Silurian mudstones and grits comprising the Denbigh and Migneint Moors. To the east, around Llangollen, to the north on Halkyn Mountain and the Great Orme and in eastern Anglesey are beds of limestone from which metals have been mined since pre-Roman times. Added to all this are the complexities posed by Parys Mountain and the outcrops of unusual minerals such as Jasper and Mona Marble which make the area of special interest to geologists.

Demographics

Population

According to Statistics for Wales (StatsWales),[1] the North Wales region, consists of the 6 northern principal areas, and statistics provided by StatsWales only include these 6 areas. In 2018, the estimated population of the region was 698,400 people. North Wales exhibits the evenest distribution of population across the local authorities of any of the 4 statistical regions of Wales, with 4 of the 6 authorities home to over 100,000 residents, Flintshire, Wrexham, Gwynedd and Conwy. Flintshire is the most populated principal area of North Wales, home to an estimated 155,600 people, with the Isle of Anglesey being the least populated with an estimated 70,000 people.[1]

In 2018, North Wales has an estimated population density of 113.6 persons per square kilometre. Flintshire is the most densely populated of the 6 areas, at 355.6 persons per km2, with Gwynedd being the least dense principal area at 49.0 persons per km2. Between 2008, and 2018, the population density of North Wales grew by 2.3%, the third-highest rate of population density growth of the 4 statistical regions of Wales. Gwynedd, with 3.7% growth, had the highest population density growth rate in North Wales, whereas the Isle of Anglesey had the lowest population density growth rate at 0.1% from 2008 to 2018.[1]

The population growth for the region between 1998 and 2018 was 6.3%, however, the rate was lower between 2008 and 2018, than 1998 and 2008. Conwy was the area with the highest population growth rate for the two decades at 8%, with Isle of Anglesey having the smallest growth rate at just over 3%.

Population settlements

Main article: List of localities in Wales by population

North Wales' largest settlement (locality) is Wrexham, at 65,692 people in the 2011 census. Data from the census details that North Wales has a lower number and proportion of residents living in settlements of 25,000 or more, than South East and South West Wales, but higher than Mid Wales. StatsWales attributes this to North Wales' lack of a settlement of a population higher than 100,000 people.[1]

Age

North Wales has an ageing population, as the proportion of residents over 65 has increased from 18.5% to 23.0%, and the proportion of the population under 15 has decreased from 19.8% to 17.8%.[1]

Language

Dialect

North Wales has a distinct regional identity.[18] Its dialect of the Welsh language differs from that of other regions, such as South Wales, in some ways: for example llefrith is used in most of the North instead of llaeth for "milk"; a simple sentence such as go upstairs now might be Dos i fyny'r grisiau rŵan in North Wales, and Cer lan y stâr nawr in South Wales. Colloquially, a person from North Wales (especially one who speaks with this dialect or accent) is known as a North Walian, or a Gog (from the Welsh gogledd, meaning "north"). There are Welsh medium schools scattered all across North Wales, ranging from primary to secondary schools.

Welsh-speaking population

According to the 2011 census, there were 204,406 Welsh-speakers aged three and over in North Wales. Data from the Annual Population Survey, stated that Gwynedd had the largest proportion of speakers in North Wales and Wales as a whole, with 75.6% of residents aged 3 and over saying they can speak Welsh. Flintshire had the lowest rate of Welsh in North Wales, with only 22.5% saying they can speak it. North Wales is the most Welsh-speaking region of the 4 statistical regions of Wales, at 41.9% of the population speaking Welsh in the year ending September 2019, up approximately 2.4% from September 2009. However, Flintshire is one of 2 principal areas in Wales where the rate of Welsh has decreased over the past decade.[1]

Education

North Wales is home to two universities, Bangor University, and Wrexham Glyndwr University. In 2018-19, in total there were 17,500 enrolments on higher education courses in North Wales, representing 13.2% of student enrolments in all of Wales. Bangor University was home to a majority, 58.3% of these enrolments, with 10,195 enrolments in 2018-19, with Wrexham Glyndwr University following with 5,895 enrolments, and further education college Grŵp Llandrillo Menai providing the remaining 1,410 enrolments.[1]

Further education (FE) in Wales is provided by "colleges" (not to be confused with a university college), these are usually either sixth form colleges, further education colleges, or sixth forms within secondary schools. Further education colleges are the largest further education institutions in North Wales, in which, at present, there are only 2; Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, and Coleg Cambria. Both of these colleges, are amalgamations of smaller further education or sixth form colleges, and are sometimes described as "supercolleges".[19] Grŵp Llandrillo Menai is a merger of Coleg Llandrillo, Coleg Menai, and Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor, providing courses for students of the Isle of Anglesey, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, and Gwynedd. Coleg Cambria is a merger Deeside College and Yale College, Wrexham, providing courses for students of Denbighshire, Flintshire, and Wrexham County Borough. There are no standalone sixth form colleges (sixth form only) in North Wales, as all colleges providing sixth form courses also provide non-sixth form courses.

The other institutions providing sixth form further education in North Wales are secondary schools, which provide sixth form education themselves. Not all secondary schools in North Wales provide sixth form education, with it being common for students of a secondary school which does not provide sixth form education to study at a further education college.

Grŵp Colegau NPTC Group of Colleges, a further education college formed from the merger of Neath Port Talbot College and Coleg Powys, is the main further education college for Powys, hosting a campus in Newtown.

Health

Healthcare service
Main article: Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board

The 6 counties of North Wales are all part of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), it is the largest of the local health boards which divide up NHS Wales services in Wales. Formed from the merger of the North Wales NHS Trust (itself a merger of North East Wales, and Conwy & Denbighshire NHS Trusts), the North West Wales NHS Trust, and the Local Health Boards of the six counties of Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, and Wrexham.

There are 3 main district general hospitals in North Wales; Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan, and Wrexham Maelor Hospital. Each hospital are the main centre of healthcare for west, central, and east parts of North Wales respectively. North Wales additionally has a network of 22 acute and community hospitals, with patients commonly referred to hospitals in England for rare, more specialised treatment, unavaliable under BCUHB, notably to Countess of Chester, Royal Liverpool University, and Royal Shrewsbury hospitals.

Economy

According to the Annual Population Survey and Office for National Statistics,[1] the unemployment rate of the six principal areas of North Wales was collectively 3.9% for the population aged 16 and over; the employment rate was 75.9% of those aged 16-64, and the economic inactivity rate (excluding students) for the population aged 16-64 was 17.9%.

North Wales Growth Deal

In 2016 the UK Government invited North Wales to submit a Growth Deal Bid, to "create thousands of jobs, boost the economy, improve transport and communication links, focus on renewable energy, support tourism and more". A bid was prepared by the North Wales Business Council, which consists of the Leaders and Chief Executives of the 6 councils, the Vice Chancellors of Wrexham Glyndŵr University and Bangor University the Chief Executives of Coleg Cambria and Grwp Llandrillo Menai, and North Wales Mersey Dee Business Council.[20] In the 2018 budget Philip Hammond announced that £120M would be made available by the UK Government to support the Growth Deal.[21] In December 2018, Ken Skates confirmed that the Welsh Government would match the UK Government funding, and also offered to match any additional funding support which the UK Government might make available.[22] In November 2019 the Heads of Terms Agreement for the North Wales Growth Deal was signed by the representatives of the North Wales Economic Ambition Board, Alun Cairns the UK Government Secretary of State for Wales, and Eluned Morgan, Baroness Morgan of Ely on behalf of Welsh Government.[23]

Local media

Local newspapers

Two daily newspapers are published in the region. The region-wide "North Wales edition" of the Daily Post, based at Bryn Eirias on Colwyn Bay's Abergele Road,[24] is distributed from Monday to Saturday, whilst The Leader (formerly the Evening Leader) publishes two editions for Wrexham and Flintshire and is based at the headquarters of Newsquest in Mold after NWN Media Ltd dissolved after existing since 1920.[25]

Additionally, nine weekly newspapers provide local and community news:

The weekly Aberystwyth-based Cambrian News covers southern Gwynedd and publishes separate editions for the Arfon/Dwyfor and Meirionydd districts.

A weekly Welsh-language newspaper, Y Cymro is published each week by the Cambrian News from its Porthmadog office alongside two localised Welsh titles, Y Cyfnod (Bala) and Y Dydd (Dolgellau). Yr Herald Gymraeg is distributed by Trinity Mirror as a pull-out section in the Wednesday edition of the Daily Post. There are also 24 Papurau Bro (area papers) providing community news and generally published each month.

Online

A number of hyper-local websites in the area provide locally sourced news online. In Conwy county, BaeColwyn.com has provided Welsh language coverage of the Colwyn Bay area since 2011 and AbergelePost.com has been serving the Abergele area since 2010. Wrexham.com is a full-time operation covering Wrexham and the surrounding area, and is based at offices in Wrexham town centre. A full-time citizen led online news site Deeside.com started in early 2013 and covers Connah's Quay, Mancot, Pentre, Shotton, Queensferry, Sealand, Broughton, Hawarden, Ewloe, Sandycroft and parts of Saltney.

Radio

Although no BBC local radio stations exist in Wales, the corporation's national services BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru cover the region from their broadcasting centres in Bangor, and Wrexham. The Bangor studios produce a large number of Radio Cymru programmes with some music and feature output for Radio Wales originating from Wrexham.

Three commercial radio stations serve the area — Capital North West and Wales broadcasts local drivetime programming for Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire and Conwy county as well as Cheshire and the Wirral with a Welsh language opt-out service for the former Coast FM area on 96.3 FM. Capital Cymru airs an extended local programming service, predominantly in the Welsh language, for Gwynedd and Anglesey. Across the entire region, Heart North Wales also airs local peak-time programming in English, including an extended news programme on weeknights. All three stations broadcast from studios in Gwersyllt on the outskirts of Wrexham.

Three community radio stations broadcast on FM — Calon FM serving Wrexham County Borough and parts of southern Flintshire, Tudno FM broadcasting to Llandudno & surrounding areas and Môn FM across the Isle of Anglesey and parts of Gwynedd. Radio Glan Clwyd - an extension of hospital service Radio Ysbyty Glan Clwyd - broadcasts on 1287 AM in the Bodelwyddan, St Asaph, Rhuddlan, Towyn and Kinmel Bay areas.

Towards the western side of North Wales, local hills mean national BBC FM coverage can be quite poor, often suffering interference from Irish stations from the west.

Television

News coverage of North Wales is generally provided within the BBC's Wales Today, Newyddion and Ffeil programmes (the latter two broadcast on S4C) and on ITV's ITV News Cymru Wales. BBC Cymru Wales news teams are based at the corporation's Bangor and Wrexham studios, while ITV Cymru Wales runs a newsroom in Colwyn Bay.

S4C has an administrative office in Caernarfon, where a cluster of independent production companies are also based or partly based including Rondo Media, Cwmni Da, Antena, Owain Roberts Animations and Tinopolis.

Sport

Football

Wrexham A.F.C. play in the English football league system; having been a member of the Football League for over 80 years, in 2008 they were relegated into the Conference National for the first time in their existence. They now play in the Vanarama National League. They remain the highest-ranked team in the region, and play at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham and train at Colliers Park, Gresford.

Several teams including Bangor City F.C. have appeared in UEFA competitions, playing within the semi-professional domestic leagues the Welsh Premier League and the Cymru Alliance.

Due to the proximity of North Wales to the North West of England, support for the English clubs of Liverpool F.C., Everton F.C. and Manchester United F.C. has been historically strong.

Rugby League

Wales was represented in the Super League by the Crusaders RL, they re-located to Wrexham for the 2010 season from South Wales. They played at the Racecourse Ground and trained at Stansty Park both in Wrexham before folding in 2011. They have now been replaced by the Championship 1 side, North Wales Crusaders.

North Wales has its own amateur league, the North Wales Championship.

Rugby Union

In September 2008 it was announced by the Welsh Rugby Union that a development team based in North Wales would be created, with a long-term goal of becoming the fifth Welsh team in the Celtic League.[26] It was envisaged that this would both help the growth of the game in the area, and provide a larger pool of players for the Welsh national team to be selected from.[27] The team was named RGC 1404.

See also

Notes
  1. some including Built-up areas
  2. Sometimes considered separate or part of the Abergele, Kinmel Bay, Bodelwyddan, Pensarn, Towyn, Rhyl and Prestatyn Built-up area
  3. Sometimes considered part of the Wrexham Built-up Area
  4. Sometimes considered separate or part of the Abergele, Kinmel Bay, Bodelwyddan, Pensarn, Towyn, Rhyl and Prestatyn Built-up area
  5. Also considered part of Mid Wales
  6. Not officially defined. Alternatively known as a "part", or "grouping/combination" of Welsh principal areas.
  7. including identity and linguistic differences
  8. Especially, North West Wales. Some borderlands of Wrexham and Flintshire were historically part of Powys Fadog or England.

References
  1. Turner, Geraint (20 May 2020). "Summary statistics for North Wales region: 2020" (PDF). gov.wales. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  2. "North Wales Growth Deal". Business Wales. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  3. "Regions of Wales". Business Wales - Wales Screen. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  4. Harries, Robert (2018-09-30). "Why we use different words for the same thing based on where in Wales we live". WalesOnline. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  5. Caradoc of Llancarvan (1812). David Powell (ed.). The History of Wales. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; and Cradock and Joy, Paternoster-Row. pp. 40, 45, 48, 117.
  6. Peter Garrett; Nikolas Coupland; Angie Williams (15 July 2003). Investigating Language Attitudes: Social Meanings of Dialect, Ethnicity and Performance. University of Wales Press. pp. 189–. ISBN 978-1-78316-207-9.
  7. "Anglo-Saxon Britain "The Heptarchy"". etc.usf.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  8. Pontcysyllte Aqueduct World Heritage Site, UNESCO
  9. Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd World Heritage Site, UNESCO
  10. Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey, A World Heritage Site
  11. Structural Funds: Eligible areas in region West Wales & The Valleys for Objective 1 between 2000 and 2006, European Commission Regional Policy, archived from the original on 2007-09-22
  12. "A55". Roads.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  13. Khonje, James (2019). Statistical Bulletin - Sea Transport, 2018. https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/statistics-and-research/2019-11/sea-transport-2018-624.pdf: StatsWales.CS1 maint: location (link)
  14. "Rail station usage: April 2018 to March 2019". GOV.WALES. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  15. "Rail station usage: interactive dashboard". GOV.WALES. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  16. "Avanti West Coast promises more trains in Wales". BBC News. 2019-12-19. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  17. Khonje, James (19 February 2020). "Rail station usage in Wales, 2018-19" (PDF). gov.wales. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  18. "Heritage, Language & Culture". Visit North Wales. Visit North Wales. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
  19. "North Wales super-college Grwp Llandrillo Menai formed from mergers". BBC News. 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
  20. "£1.3bn North Wales Growth Bid – The 10 Things You Need to Know". Business News Wales. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  21. "Budget 2018: Extra £550m for Welsh Government, chancellor says". BBC. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  22. "North Wales Growth Deal: Welsh Government confirms £120m". BBC. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
  23. "Green light for £1bn North Wales Growth Deal". Insider Media. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  24. Morris-NW, Lydia (16 August 2018). "End of an era as landmark demolition nears final stages". northwales.
  25. "Wrexham Leader circulation drops to 3,825 copies – NWN Media Ltd dissolves just short of 100th birthday". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  26. "WRU plan for northern development team". The Independent. 9 September 2008.
  27. Crump, Eryl; Rob Griffiths (9 September 2008). "Strongest hint yet that North Wales will be fifth rugby region". Daily Post.

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