Places to Visit
A Trip on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway is a must for children and adults a like. The oldest narrow gauge railway in world, the Ffestiniog Railway runs almost 13.5 miles from Blaenau Ffestiniog, through the Vale of Ffestiniog to Porthmadog. Here the Welsh Highland Railway continues the 25 mile journey to Caernarfon offering spectacular views of the Snowdonian countryside. For more information click here at www.festrail.co.uk
You'll find the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway just across the road from Porthmadog station on the Cambrian Coast line. It is a short reconstructed heritage line and it is hoped to connect it permanently to the Welsh Highland Railway for trips to Beddgerlet. For the price of your ticket you get to explore the interactive railway heritage centre, around a half hour stop on the way back from Pen-Y-Mount. For more information click here at www.whr.co.uk.
Portmeirion is a tourist village in Gwynedd, North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975 in the style of an Italian village, and is now owned by a charitable trust. No dogs are allowed at Portmeirion except assistance dogs. You can have a luxury stay at either the Portmeirion Hotel or Castell Deudraeth. There are also Self-Catering cottages and village rooms. For more information click here at www.portmeirion.wales
Plas Brondanw was given to Sir Clough Williams-Ellis by his father in 1902. The gardens at Plas Brondanw are the finest example of Sir Clough’s talent for creative landscape design. The main features date from the early part of the 20th Century before he began Portmeirion, but work continued on and off until the 1960’s. Sir Clough created a unique and characteristic garden landscape which provides a series of dramatic and romantic prospects set within the Snowdonia National Park, between Snowdon and the sea. Inspired by the gardens of Renaissance Italy, strong architectural influences are evident within the Plas gardens, stone walls, topiary and avenues of trees leading the eye to the dramatic back drop of the mountains beyond. For more information click here at www.plasbrondanw.com
Zip World Slate Caverns at Blaenau Ffestiniog has the thrill of Titan 2 zip line. The Bouncy fun of Bounce below contain under ground in one of the slate caverns. Caverns - A challenging underground course, Caverns is a one-of-a-kind experience that takes up to 3 hours and will leave you exhilarated and drained in equal measure. The Deep mine tour that provides an historical look at how slate was produced. For more information click here at www.zipworld.co.uk/adventures.
Further afield
Further afield we have Zip world Fforest at Betws-Y-Coed and Zip World Penrhyn Quarry at Bethesda, home of the fastest Zip wire with spectacular views over the Quarry and the Ogwen Valley. For more information click here at www.zipworld.co.uk/adventures
If castles are you thing, then North Wales has some of most complete and beautiful Edwardian castles around, built by Edward I. Beaumaris Castle is one of only 2 castles that are complete in the shape of the Tudor Rose. The other is at Deal in Kent. Caernarfon Castle famous for the investiture of Prince Charles, whilst Conwy Castle is one if the few where the town is still within it's walls. Each has a tale to tell and full of history. More more information click on each picture to go to the website or go to the Welsh Government’s historic environment service - Cadw at www.cadw.gov.wales/
