A Weekend In Wales: North Wales Travel Guide

There’s no better way to explore the UK than with a staycation and now we are in full summer holiday season, the long bank holiday weekends coming up are the ideal way to explore travel hot spots a little closer to home. Recently, I went on a holiday to North Wales with my family – which was lovely as I have no holidays abroad planned this summer. Although it’s only around an hour and a half from Manchester, North Wales feels like a million miles away, and so today I’m sharing my favourite places to visit: a mini North Wales Travel Guide.

Walk the Walls of Conwy Castle

I often forget how lucky we are to have so many castles in Britain and Conwy Castle is probably the grandest so close to home, built in the 1200’s. It’s right on the edge of the village of Conwy, North Wales, and the walls go around the whole of the village. Although you can pay to explore the Castle grounds itself, you can walk the town walls of the castle for free, which is certainly worthwhile doing. You get beautiful views of the village, the beaches and the mountains of the Welsh Countryside. It’s a great activity and feels like an adventure – although not for those scared of heights!

Explore Rocky Beaches at Llandudno

One of the places you must visit if you’re going to North Wales in the UK is Llanduno. It’s about an hour and a half drive from Manchester (so do-able in a day trip if you are from my neck of the woods) and is your typical Welsh seaside town. Apart from one thing; instead of sand, the beach is rocky!

Llandudno is a beautiful, old seaside town and so they have a huge promenade by the sea that you can use to walk the length of the beach. I personally like to walk on the rocks and Sonny loved exploring by the big waves, but if you’re after an easier walk then the promenade is beautiful to walk, run or cycle down. At the end of the promenade there is a huge old fashioned pier which is worth walking down, full of amusement arcades, small fair ground rides and ice cream stands! There are also pic and mix sweet shops, gift shops and all the wonderfully tacky memorabilia that are usually at seaside towns.

Go Boat Spotting at the Harbours

We stayed right on the sea front in Conwy, North Wales, and noticed just how many boats there were! Whilst driving around North Wales, we saw many similar small harbours and boat spotting around the harbours and marinas of North Wales became a great thing to do. Sailing is nice if you have the means and ways, but (if like me) you don’t have your own boat or can’t afford to rent one out, then walking alongside the harbours of North Wales seems just as relaxing. Plus, one of the bonuses of having a staycation is that often your pets can come along too, and so I took great enjoyment in taking Sonny for scenic walks alongside the sea fronts – and he seemed to love it too!

Drive out to the Mountains

If the beaches or seaside aren’t for you, there’s so many stunning mountain villages to explore in North Wales! Whether you’re a proper full-on hiker who likes to go off the beaten track, or like to just take an hour or so drive to a village for a little explore and a team room (like us), there are so many different options! Some of our favourite places to visit were the base village to Snowdonia (obviously we aren’t brave enough to climb it, but if you fancied it there’s a lovely train up to the top), or pictured here, Betws-Y-Coed.

We absolutely love Betws-Y-Coed as it is simply just so pictureseque. It has a tiny village with a steam railway, and then a short walk up a small hill you stumble upon this amazing river that you can climb over and through, and take a walk through the woods. As you can see, the water is the freshest Spring Mountain water direct from the hills and Sonny just absolutely loved it!

So, even if you don’t have a holiday abroad booked this summer, remember there are plenty of places to explore in the UK, especially in North Wales – which is super handy to get to if you’re a Mancunian like me!