Bangor City is the capital of Gwynedd in North Wales and is home to the University of Wales Bangor and its 8000 students. It has a population of 11,187 predominantly Welsh speakers and lies between Snowdonia and the Menai Straits.

History Bangor has an ancient cathedral, which was built by St Deiniol almost 15 centuries ago. A Welsh prince called Owain Gwynedd was buried here. The cathedral went on to become the starting point of a pilgrimage to Bardsey Island. There are also ancient Roman settlements around Bangor.

Bangor port used to be a very important port when it was used for shipping slate for roofs to countries worldwide. The money made by the miners was used to build the main university building in upper Bangor. The imposing building was meant to symbolise hope and learning. Nowadays many of the quarries have been shut down however some still exist near Bethesda.

Bangor has two bridges crossing the Menai Straits to Anglesey. The Menai Bridge is a suspension bridge that joins Bangor to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. The tubular bridge was designed by Thomas Telford and built between 1819-26. The Britannia Bridge was designed by Robert Stephenson and was rebuilt in 1970 after a fire. There’s a nice short walk along Bangor Pier built in 1896, the 1500-foot Victorian pier has fantastic views of the straits and Anglesey. There is also an authentic italian restaurant called Pullcinella at the foot of the pier(yum).

Other places to visit The Norman castle of Penrhyn lies in the outskirts of Bangor. Another picturesque castle can be found in the near by village of Beaumaris in Anglesey.

Bangor is considered one of the best shopping areas in North Wales however there aren’t that many shops. If it is a shopping spree you are after then you are better off going to somewhere like Llandudno or even Chester.

There are a few nightclubs in Bangor. Time or Amser is the Students Union nightclub, it is a converted church and has been recently refurbished but it is a bit of a dump but if you go with the right people it can be fun. There is also Octagon aka the Ocky which tries to be posher, yet its carpeted so when you walk around your shoes kinda stick to the carpet.

However Bangor is a fantastic place to visit if you are an outdoor person, as it’s situated between mountains and the sea so if you don’t mind the rain you can practice most sports there. Eventhough the city itself is quite ugly it is a safe place.

sources: http://www.gwynedd.gov.uk/adrannau/economaidd/busnesmarchnata/bangor/treftadaeth/index.english.html

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