Inspiration
Exploring the rainforests of Eryri (Snowdonia)
How about exploring a lush rainforest on your next holiday? Head to the wilds of North Wales and the rainforests of Eryri (Snowdonia)…
Croeso 'nôl! Welcome back to North Wales. We can’t wait to see you again
It’s been a long, hard, lockdown. So, we’re delighted to confirm that your favourite holiday cottages in North Wales are getting ready to welcome you again
Top 5 Luxury Holiday Cottages
Explore our top 5 luxury holiday cottages, handpicked for their stunning locations, unique character, gorgeous interiors, and top-notch facilities.
Rhiwgoch – a holiday cottage where you can really let off steam
This handsome Snowdonia farmhouse comes with big mountain views and a steam train running through the garden. It could only be in North Wales
EXPLORING THE SLATE INDUSTRY IN NORTH WALES
Stretching back as far as the Roman times, slate mining has been a core part of the region for so many years. Its hey day saw a workforce of 17000 working the quarries and mines and the biggest mine in the world was located here in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Along with great anecdotes of The National Gallery in London re-locating all of its 2000 works of art to the mines during WW11 for protection, the history of these places is fascintaing. If exploring the slate industry in North Wales is something of interest, then you’ll want to visit these places: THE NATIONAL SLATE MUSEUM | LLANBERIS The most notible place to visit when it comes to the slate industry. Set in the original quarry workshops, the museum re-creates the slate industry showing how the community lived and worked; ‘…it is as though the quarrymen and engineers put down their tools and left the courtyard for home just…
WALKING THE WALES COAST PATH
The Wales Coast Path is 870 miles in length, running from Chepstow in South Wales to Queensferry in the North. It is split into 8 geographical sections that run along the entire coastline, passing through areas of national importance and outstanding natural beauty. If you are not up for doing the whole 870 miles, there are some beautiful sections on the Llyn Peninsula and down towards Barmouth and Fairborne, taking you through small fishing villages, along estuaries and miles of sandy beaches… NEFYN TO PORTH DINLLAEN4.5km / 2.75 miles From the rocky promontory of Porth Dinllaen you can admire views to the east and west along the Llŷn Peninsula’s northern coast. You have a good chance of seeing seals close to shore. PORTH OER (WHISTLING SANDS) TO ABERDARON15km / 9.25miles As you walk toward Aberdaron you will see Bardsey Island, once a destination for pilgrims. According to legend three visits to Bardsey was equivalent to one…
Top 5 | Things To Do With Children Of All Ages In Snowdonia
One of the challenges of planning a trip with children that range in age is finding things that keep everyone happy and interested. With this in mind, here are my Top 5 | Things To Do With Children Of All Ages In Snowdonia: WALKING Climbing Snowdon or Cadr Idris are my personal favorites, the sense of achievement is second to none and the views are incredible. If you have much smaller ones in tow, the walks around Swallow Falls and upto Fairy Glen in Betws-Y-Coed are fantastic. ADVENTURE The Fforest Coaster is the most recent attraction under the Zip World umbrella that has recently opened to great response. Zip World has lots on offer, covering all ages; they really do provide something unique. ELECTRIC MOUNTAIN From an educational point of view, Electric Mountain is one of a kind. It is a hydroelectric power plant built inside a mountain; the tours of its history and how it…
The New Adventure At Zip World
The 10th of May sees the opening of the new adventure at Zip World; The Fforest Coaster… It’s another first of its kind in the UK and again, Snowdonia is the launch pad. Just another feather in the Snowdonia cap when it comes to offering unique and new to market adventure experiences…. Based on the traditional toboggan, the Fforest Coaster runs on rails making it a much faster experience. The ride is over 1000m long (over 1/2 a mile), through the stunning Betws-Y-Coed woodland where you can reach speeds of upto 40km per hour. A 500m uplift takes you to the top and then you decend from there, flying through the forest at exhilarting speeds. Unlike traditional rollercoasters, you can control your speed so for those who want the full thrill, they can go brake free whilst those who are not feeling so brave have the choice to slow things down! Open to all ages,…
Top 10 | Things To Do This Half Term In Snowdonia
With the choice of things to do in the area, sometimes is hard to know what to do. To help you make the most of your half term, here are our Top 10 | Things To Do This Half Term In Snowdonia: 1. VISIT A SPOOKY CASTLE As Halloween falls over this half term, you can rest assured that the Castles will be putting on lots of spooky entertainment. For a guide as to what’s happening at those closest; Harlech, Criccieth, Caernarfon, and Conwy, check out the CADW website for more details. 2. COED Y BRENIN If you want to get te kids out in the fresh air, COED Y BRENIN is perfect. Mountain biking trails catering for all ages and abilities makes this, in my opinion, one of the best activities the area has to offer. If you don’t have your bikes with you, you can hire on site. There is a…
Barmouth Walking Festival 2016
From 17th – 26th September, The Barmouth Walking Festival 2016 is back in town. Always very popular with nearly 40 walks to choose from and a good selection of evening entertainment, this year looks set to be as good as ever… Set on the coast of Snowdonia, Barmouth is perfectly placed to experience the Mawddach Estuary, Rhinog Mountains and the Cadr Idris range. The festival was set up to help those wanting to explore the area in the company of experienced and knowledgable guides. Walks are graded depending on their difficulty, varying between A++ for experienced walkers, A-Hard, B-Moderate and C easier, ensuring there is something for everyone. There are varying options available; 1 walk costs £8.50, but if you want to fully immerse yourself into the week, there are various packages available. A number of evening events put on are a great way to meet other walkers and locals who are always keen to tell…
Top 10 Landscape Photography Locations in Eryri (Snowdonia)
If you want to get to grips with landscape photography, there is no better place than Eryri (Snowdonia). Top 10 Landscape Photography Locations In Eryri…
Snowdonia Style Adventure | Sailing
Sailing in the North Wales doesn’t get as much of the lime light as other adventure activities, but with all of our beautiful coastline and the abundance of lakes it’s a pretty good place to learn and a great activity for the whole family to get involved in. Here are our top 5 places you can learn to sail. PLAS MENAI | CAERNARFON Located in-between Bangor and Caernarfon, Plas Menai is the National Outdoor Centre for Wales. They offer both beginner and intermediate sailing courses on the sheltered coastal waters of the Menai Strait. Under the guidance of their highly qualified instructors, all the courses are run to the guidelines of the RYA. BALA SAILING CLUB | BALA Situated at the Bala sailing club on Llyn Tegid and surrounded by the Snowdonia mountains, this is a stunning place to learn to sail. They offer both level 1 and 2 RYA courses which take place…
North Wales Mini Festivals
Though out the summer, North Wales plays host to a number of big music festivals. There are however, some smaller, lesser known ones that are just as much fun and definitely worth a visit. Here are some North Wales Mini Festivals that you might not have heard about taking place over the summer: ROCK ARDUDWY: 10 – 11th June This is the second year that Rock Ardudwy is happening and this time is taking place over 2 days. Starting on the Friday, the entertainment takes place in Harlech Castle itself with a folk inspired evening along with a couple of key local talents. Saturday sees the event move to downtown Harlech by the leisure centre and from 2pm-12pm, there will be local bands, food and drink stalls as well as entertainment for the children. CRICCIETH FESTIVAL: 18 – 25th June This week long festival is set throughout the beautiful seaside town of Criccieth; home…
Top 5 Snowdonia Seafood Dining Experiences
Being so close to the coast, we do seafood very well in Snowdonia and I’m not talking fish and chips. I’m talking about hidden gems of restaurants that offer incredible seafood in fantastic locations… here are our top 5 Snowdonia seafood dining experiences: TWNTI SEAFOOD, PWLLHELI Based in-between Pwllheli and Abersoch, this converted barn, off the beaten track really does have a reputation for excellent seafood. It has been running for over 26 years and is a real favourite with those who know of it. DYLANS, CRICCIETH Following on from its success in Menai Bridge, Dylans opened up their second location in the Maes-Y Mor on the beach fronton Criccieth. A fabulous environment with an extensive fish menu alongside pizza, burgers and pasta. They have a separate bar there too if you just fancy a drink overlooking the sea. MARRAM GRASS, ANGLESEY Having received great reviews in the national press and Julia Bradbury…
Top 5 Unique Snowdonia Shopping Experiences
Mooching around the shops of small towns and villages is very much part of a holiday. For one, you have the time to enjoy a bit of leisurely retail therapy and secondly, it is a rare chance to see a high street of independent shops. In Snowdonia of course, we like to do things a little differently and that goes for our shopping experiences too; some are off the beaten track, some are treasure troves you didn’t know existed and some are, well in the cattle market….. here are our top 5 unique Snowdonia shopping experiences…. CAE DU DESIGNS | HARLECH This is one of the best treasure troves you will ever find and once you’ve been introduced, you will be back time and time again. People come here year on year to stock up on material for home furnishings. There is a lovely cafe next door to deposit your ‘other half’ giving you plenty…
Diwrnod Santes Dwynwen - The Welsh Valentines Day
Diwrnod Santes Dwynwen (pronounced Doo-In-Wen) is the Welsh Valentines day and celebrated on the 25th January. Santes Dwynen is the Welsh saint of love and her story is steeped in Celtic folklore… She was the daughter of the king Brychan Brycheiniog and one of 24 siblings all of whom were blessed with beauty; Dwynen however was the most beautiful. During a banquet at court, Dwynwen and a young prince, Maelon Drafodrill, met and fell in love. The following day Maelon rushed to ask Brychan for his daughters hand in marriage, but alas she was betrothed to another. Maelon left the court distraught without even saying goodbye to Dwynwen. Heartbroken, Dwynwen fled to the forest where she prayed to God, asking him to rid her of her love for Maelon. When she eventually fell asleep, Dwynwen had the strangest dream. Maelon was walking towards her through the trees when an angel, sent by God, came down from…
Festival No 6 Countdown...
“Welcome to a festival like no other, a bespoke banquet of music, arts and culture in the most stunning festival setting in the world.” It’s in the Daily Mail’s top 10 UK Festivals as well as being voted Best Festival and Most Unique Festival Site in 2014 and its 4th year is set to be better than the last. Portmierion is a very magical place in its own right, but with Festival No 6 in town that magic goes to another level. Belle and Sebastian, James Bay and Grace Jones are included in a lineup of over 500 music artists. Festival goers can also enjoy a ‘conversation with Steve Coogan’ or a Q&A session with award winning director Asif Kapadia and producer Mark Ronson following a screening of their award winning film ‘Amy’. Illuminated bands, parades and carnivals fill this most inspiring of venues with life and colour. Secret raves, pop up parties, foraging expeditions, children’s storytelling and stand up paddle boarding means…
Top 10 Things a Kid should do before they are 11
So the National Trust launched a campaign last Autumn to encourage our ‘cotton wool’ kids out into the great outdoors by listing 50 things a child should do before they are 11 – all back to basics, simple fun with not an electronic gadget in sight – we LOVE this! EVERYTHING on the list can be done in Snowdonia, so if your coming to stay with us this year with younger ones in tow, make the most of it and get them ticking things off the list. To get you started, here are our top 10 things a kid should do before they are 11 that we think are unique to Snowdonia and can be done in that extra special way, creating those memories for life: 1 – SKIM A STONE – whether its by the sea or on the lakes, its so satisfying when you finally get the stone to jump (for adults too!). 2…
