10 Beautiful Places in North Wales UK for Photography

North Wales UK is such an epic location for photographers and nature lovers! 

We have spent many weeks exploring the beautiful places in North Wales with our cameras in hand, and we have gathered the very best things to do in North Wales including location information, and photography tips.

This guide will give you information on our ten favourite beauty spots and best places to visit in North Wales including mountains, waterfalls, and majestic lighthouses.

And whilst they are all unique to one another, they are easily accessible by car.

We explored all of these places in two weeks plus more than ten other epic locations within Snowdonia National Park (Eryri).

1. Snowdonia National Park – Eryri National Park

Snowdonia National Park is one of the most scenic places in Wales and is Wales’s largest national park containing over fifteen mountains to visit and photograph! 

Full of mountains, castles and coasts, Snowdonia National Park is a nature lover and photographer’s dream. 

The only other place we have been in the UK that can compete with Snowdonia National Park for landscapes is Glencoe in Scotland, both have rugged mountainscapes and views that go on for miles!

You can find a dedicated guide to our favourite Snowdonia Photography spots here.

Location Information

• Snowdonia covers over 827 square miles and is packed full of gorgeous mountain views, epic hikes and breathtaking vistas. With a ton of varied accommodation options, there are so many areas you can choose to base yourself and they would all have their charm!

2.  Pistyll Rhaeadr

Pistyll Rhaeadr is an enchanting waterfall in the Berwyn Mountains just outside of Snowdonia National Park.

It is one of the tallest in Wales and is often referred to as one of the seven wonders of Wales and it’s an epic spot for North Wales photography.

Despite being a very popular spot, we arrived at 6.30 am and had the waterfall almost entirely to ourselves aside from a few others who came and left in quick succession. 

One of our favourite waterfall photography locations and up there in our top five beautiful places in North Wales we have visited.

Location Information

• There is an official car park at the foot of the waterfall, which is pay and display and can cost between £5-10 depending on if you visit during the week or the weekend. 

• If you plan on arriving early you may find the dedicated car park closed but there are a few parking spots just a five-minute walk down the road which are free of charge.

• The walk to the waterfall’s base is fairly easy and just 5 minutes from the car park and 10 minutes from the free parking spots down the road.

• The hike up to the top of the waterfall takes around an hour and is quite steep but manageable.

• When the car park opens at around 8-9 am, so do the tea rooms and toilet facilities so you can grab yourself a tea or coffee after shooting at sunrise. 

• As well as tea rooms, there’s a campsite, bed and breakfast and even a holiday cottage on-site if you feel like staying there a few nights and seeing what the area has to offer!

3. Trefor Sea Stacks

Trefor Sea Stacks in North Wales is somewhat of a hidden gem and only a little information about them can be found online. 

It was pretty quiet and seemed more frequented by locals on their afternoon walks than tourists having picnics. 

We have been lucky enough to visit some beautiful Coastal destinations in the UK including Elegug Stacks in Pembrokeshire and Kynance Cove in Cornwall.

And Trefor Sea Stacks is certainly one of our favourite seascape spots!

A stunning short walk from Trefor Beach along the Wales Coast Path and only 2km out and back to the stacks so an easy one to fit in if you are short on time. 

Location Information

• The hike up to the stacks is pretty straightforward and not too strenuous, but check wind speeds and stay away from the edges if you suffer from vertigo. It’s mighty high!

• If you keep walking around the coast, you will reach huge mountains with a beautiful beach which is perfect for views (and shelter from the wind) and another gorgeous photography spot

• Park at Trefor Beach car park and walk down along the coast.

4. Penmon Lighthouse

Trwyn Du Lighthouse, also known as Penmon Lighthouse, is a lighthouse between Black Point near Penmon and Puffin Island.

As photographers, we adore lighthouses and the dramatic scenes that often surround them.

And having visited some spectacular lighthouses in both Scotland and Dorset, we have to say that Penmon is one of our favourites!

We arrived just before sunrise, and it was utterly magical. Purple hues in the sky, no sounds but bird calls from the nearby Puffin Island and the gently lapping waves.  

We felt as though we were the only people in the world that were awake. 

It is worth noting that the lighthouse is only fully accessible at low tide, and whilst the rocks are very slippy and covered in seaweed, being up so close and personal to this beautiful lighthouse is worth the slipping and sliding.

 It is one of the most beautiful places in North Wales visited for sunrise.

Location Information

• Penmon Point is a great place to spot puffins, dolphins and harbour porpoises in summer, and seals are often resident to Puffin Island and often seen close to the shore around Penmon.

• There is plenty of parking and we even saw a few campers there in the early morning.

• There is a Toll charge to access Penmon of around £3, so make sure you carry some cash. However, arriving for sunrise meant that we were not required to pay the toll fee as no one was there.

5. South Stack Lighthouse

Built in 1809 to warn ships of the dangerous rocks below, South Stack stands on a small island off the north Wales coast of Holy Island in Anglesey. 

Reached via a descent of 400 steps down the cliffs, this is a location where we would advise you to check the wind speeds before visiting as our trip was a little challenging. 

This spot can experience extremely high winds which can feel quite dangerous at times and make it near impossible to walk around normally let alone hold a camera steady to take a photograph!

Location Information

• The first tip – check the wind speeds. Anglesey is a windy place anyway, and honestly, high winds are not fun; no one else stayed longer than 5 minutes, and if getting photographs is your main reason for visiting you will not want high wind speeds. 

• There is parking, and the walk down is easy if there is no wind, although there are 400 steps in total, so not totally without effort. That said there are a few decent vantage points from the top. Parking charges vary between £2 for a few hours and £5 for the day and be sure to bring cash with you.

• Before visiting, we had also read that we would likely see lots of seabirds, including guillemots, razorbills, and puffins. Since the wind was so tremendously vicious, we sadly didn’t see anything. 

• If viewing it from the outside is not enough for you, then you can also pay £10 per adult for a tour where you can visit the former lighthouse engine room before climbing to the top of the lighthouse.

6. Pontcysyllte Aquaduct

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct or Traphont Ddŵr Pontcysyllte in Welsh, is an aquaduct that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in North East Wales for 18km.

Completed in 1805, the 18-arched stone and iron bridge is used by narrowboats and is impressively the longest aqueduct in Britain as well as the highest in the world. 

It was listed as a World Heritage site in 2009. 

Impressive to look at and easy to photograph the aqueduct is well worth a visit as you pass by and even has a walkway if you fancy getting a closer look.

Location Information

• There is plenty of free parking by the roadside adjacent to the aqueduct but it is recommended to not spend too long here given it’s shared with residents. 

• If you are planning on spending a few hours here then you can access a large car park in the Trevor Basin Visitor Centre. The car parks are pay and display at a cost of around £3.

7. Porthdinllaen

Porthdinllaen is a small coastal village on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd and is another truly beautiful place in North Wales.

An area of outstanding natural beauty and is home to some epic north Wales landscapes and scenic views. 

Owned by the national trust since 1994 it offers fantastic coastal views across to Yr Eifl and Snowdonia in the distance. 

This old fishing village has some of the most gorgeous views of the Irish Sea with ocean and mountains combined.

Location Information

• As it is National Trust-owned, the location has excellent facilities, including a well-serviced car park, toilets and a few small eateries. The car park is National Trust so free for members of £5 for the day.

• The view we decided to capture was just within a couple of minutes’ walk from the car park and so very accessible but you can make your way down onto the beach for some alternate viewpoints or to spend the day.

8. Portmeirion

There are fewer places more unique than this Italian-styled village on the North Coast of Wales.

Initially seeming more akin to Disney land, this village comes with a rich history and lots of colourful corners to explore. 

Dotted with tropical gardens, elegant architecture stunning ocean views and some of the best ice cream we had on our two-week trip, Portmeirion makes for a wonderful day out and some unique snaps! 

It is a little more touristy than some of the other spots we have visited but it is an equally as beautiful location worthy of making our North Wales list!

Location Information

• Portmeirion is a very popular tourist attraction and so if you want to beat the crowds try and avoid afternoons, weekends and any popular holidays.

• A day ticket costs £10 and can be pre-booked online here or you can pay on arrival at the booth.

• There is a dedicated car park and the village has all of the facilities you could need including restaurants, a spa, cafes, hotels and self-catering accommodations.

9. Ynys Llanddwyn

Llanddwyn Island (Ynys Llanddwyn) is one of our favourite lighthouses in North Wales since the location is both unique and perfectly picturesque.  

Anglesey itself is one of the most beautiful places in North Wales and is home to so many hidden gems including this gorgeous little island. 

The island has paths made of sea shells, and pink wildflowers among rolling dunes and small historic buildings as well as the gorgeous lighthouse at the far end. 

A short drive from Snowdonia National Park it is the ideal place to spend an afternoon or morning but be sure to check the tide times. 

A truly perfect North Wales landscape photography spot where you could spend hours exploring the whole place.

Location Information

• The island can be cut off for up to two hours at high tide so be sure to check the tide times for the island – many a visitor has been stranded on the island due to not being aware of the tides. 

• The island is only accessible by a 30-minute walk from the car park either along the beach or through the forest. Whilst it’s not a short walk there are gorgeous views the whole way. 

• There are toilet facilities and a large car park that charges £2 for the first two hours and £7 for the day.

10. Dinas Dinlle

Dinas Dinlle is a stunning large sand and pebble beach that has easy access and epic views on a clear day across the Llyn Peninsula and across to the beautiful Llanddwyn island on Anglesey. 

Combining two of the most beautiful places in North Wales in one epic location!

With huge areas of flat sand for miles when the tide is out this location is popular with tourists and photographers alike and the perfect spot to watch the sun go down.

Location Information

• Three rather large car parks with easy access to the beach. Parking charges apply 9am-5pm and cost between £2 for two hours up to £6 for 8 hours. It is free for one hour.

• The beach and car parks have good facilities including a cafe and toilets.