tidy

We will have 5 or 6 days in Wales this May. I know that we want to spend time in Conway and Snowdonia. I thought while in Conway we would visit Beaumaris, Conway Castle, Bodant Gardens and Plas Mawr. Then when in Snowdonia just do some hiking, exploring , possibly the train,etc. It seems like some have done Snowdonia as a day trip from Conway but that seems a bit far. Others have stayed in Betwys y coed.What are your recommendations about splitting up the 5 days and where would you stay when visiting Snowdonia? I am assuming there is a cost to enter the park,is there a fee for each day that you enter the park. Also, has anyone gone to Portmeiron, south of Snowdonia. I have heard that it is a lovely village.

tidy

I forgot to say that we will arrive via the ferry from Ireland and we will have a car. Any recommendations of places to stay are also appreciated.

flanneruk

" I am assuming there is a cost to enter the park,is there a fee for each day that you enter the park."

What sort of a country charges people to come into a park? Of course we don't charge. Apart from anything else, charging to get into parks would stop us from using them altogether if the turnstile-operators went on strike, or if some idiot politician decided to make a stupid point.

You'll be asking how much we have to pay if we get sick next.

Portmeiron isn't a "lovely village" - and North Wales isn't really big on nice villages. Portmeiron's a quirky self-indulgent holiday complex designed by an eccentric architect.

It's wholly artificial. It's interesting as Las Vegas-style hotel complexes go, and has a bit (but not much) more patina of age than The Venetian, Paris Las Vegas and their peers. But the food's nothing like as good, and the shopping's dismal.

Makes a good film set, though and might be an unusual place to base yourself.

Rubicund

Hi tidy. I take it that the car you have will be hired in Wales after the ferry. Bringing a hire car from Ireland would be very expensive if you could find a company, other than a multi- national that would allow it.

flanner is right about Portmeirion. It's only redeeming feature is that it was used a TV set for the 60's series "The Prisoner" with the late Patrick McGoohan. Don't know if that made it to any recognition in the US (assuming that you are in the US).

Betwys y coed is a better base than Conwy, but it's a small place with not that much to do.

hetismij2

If you are going to Beaumaris from Conwy, you might as well visit Snowdonia from there too.
Alternatively stay somewhere in the park, like Llanberis and visit Conwy from there.

UK national parks are very different to US ones, being full of farms, homes, villages, even some industry. They do not charge entry, and it is not always clear when you are within the park boundaries.

Ackislander

We rented a farmhouse roughy half way between Conwy and Betws y Coed. It was a good place to be for a week. We were just above a small, completely non- picturesque village with a convenient SPAR mini supermarket.

This was a long time ago, and I have lost the rental information, so no help there.

stevelyon

If you like lovely villages then Bedgellert fits the bill. It is associated with a moving fable, and you can visit Bedgellerts Grave - a loyal dog who was mistakenly accused of harming the babies that it fought to protect. Anglesey is a very pretty place to visit.

latedaytraveler

Hi Tiny,

An attraction we enjoyed in Wales was the NATIONAL SLATE MUSEUM in LLANBERIS, a wonderful free museum on the grounds of the DINORWIG SLATE QUARRY which contains the largest working water wheel in the UK. I believe that it’s free and really gives visitors a glimpse of what life was like for the slate miners over the years.

Quarry workers built the circular slate dais on which Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales back in 1969 at Caenarfon Castle not too far distant.

Enjoy Wales…

bilboburgler

Snowden looks like an easy stroll..... but in the wrong weather or on the wrong face it is not, take the right gear, they have to pull loads of tourists off it each year to go to hospital. Note that hill rescue in the UK is not a service from the state but provided by volunteers.

tidy

Thanks for the info on parks. In the US we do charge to enter national parks so this clears this up. We will probably not go to Portmeiron but try and get to Beddgelert. I also have the slate museum on my list to do. Wish we had the time to go south to St michaels but do not think it will work this time.

hetismij2

Bilbo it is Snowdon not Snowden. Snowden is a completely different kettle of fish.

And yes you do need to show Snowdon and the other mountains a great deal of respect. They are far more challenging than their height suggests.

stevelyon

Good advice bilboburgler, but Im not sue that climbing Snowdon has been mentioned rather than visiting the area where Snowdon is (have I got this right?). There are thousands of people climb Snowdon in the right weather but its certainly not a stroll and if there is a chance of it being very cloudy its not worth trying at all. Ive done it once in clear blue skies and although the views are awesome there is little chance I would put myself through it again. Dont forget there is a train that takes people up Snowdon.

http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk/

tidy

We may or may not climb Snowdonia. I appreciate your concern for our safety, We are from Colorado and VERY familiar with hiking, dressing appropriately,and respecting nature. We have climbed many 14ers and also Machu Picchu.

ElendilPickle

We really liked Portmeirion; after all the gray slate we saw, it was quite different to visit a place that looked like it belonged on the Mediterranean. If you are familiar with "The Prisoner," that enhances the experience.

You can read more about what we did in Wales, including Portmeirion, in my trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...b-may-2007.cfm

Beddgelert is a pretty town and worth a stop as well.

Lee Ann

PalenQ

I based in Llandudno and visited from it Beaumarais, Mt Snowdon; Conwy (just across the bay from Llandudno) - the Great Orme - just above Llandudno; Caerneveron (sp?) castle - easy day trips by bus and train - Llandudno is an old seaside resort with tons of cheap accommodations and more upscale ones as well.

If you want to go to south Wales from here take the Ffestiniog narrow-gauge train left over from mining days - that is one of the weirdest train trips I have ever taken!

Frances

Portmeirion is sublime! Its just not Welsh- but then neither are Edward's castles which attract many many visitors.
The location is very beautiful and because day visitors can only enter on foot it is pedestrianised which is quite unusual.
The food in the hotel (Hotel Portmeirion) and in Castell Deudraeth are worth a lengthy detour for.
A visit to Portmeirion shows you another side to the tourist attractions in Wales and one you will not find anywhere else.
With reference to travelling south, where is St Michael's? The Ffestiniog railway mentioned above does not go to South Wales ( and may not go to St Michael's either if only I knew where it is!). Travelling to South Wales by public transport needs a bit of planning- depending essentially on where you want to go.

tidy

Oops, meant st. David's cathedral. Wew I'll have a car.

chartley

The Ffestiniog railway goes nowhere near south Wales; it runs between Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog, and was originally built to serve the slate industry. It is not particularly weird when compared with other Welsh narrow-gauge railways such as the Welsh Highland Railway, whicch runs from Caernarfon to Porthmadog.

You should try one of thee while in North Wales.

Beaumaris is also worth visiting, not because it is big and impressive, but because of its distinctive design.

irishface

In BlaenauFfestiniog there is a disused slate mine where you can go down inside and hear the story of the miners. It is at the end of the BleanauFestiniog railway.

PalenQ

I should have said the Ffestiniog Railway can be used as a way of heading to South Wales - like I did - to the coast and then down and around.