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Finally its all coming together for a 2+week holiday to the UK...
BUT, am totally undecided on which area to take up a cottage in while in Snowdonia. There are several websites, from UTT, cottages4u...with a variety of places. I zeroed in on the Gwynedd/FFestiniog areas but am wondering if Betswy or Lake Bala or Conwy or Llandber will do just as well? Idea is to have a back-to-nature with plenty of walks, fishing, cycling, pony-riding, steam engines and lots of lamb kind of holiday! Plus, do I need to book any of these activities in advance? And, do I really need a 4-wheel drive?
Thanks in advance!
Spoilt for choice - where to stay in Snowdonia, Wales ?
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Bala is a bit out of the way, but great if you want water sports. Betwys is more central, but touristy, Conwy is great if you like sea and castles, Llanbedr is south of the main Snowdonia attractions, so a bit quieter perhaps, a bit of a slog into the main bits though. Good for your trains maybe.
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What about Llanberis, or Nant Peris, slap bang in the middle of it all. Plenty of other lovely places to choose too.
No you don't need a 4x4. You won't be allowed to go green laning with a hire vehicle so just get a normal car like 99.99% of people use when the visit Snowdonia.
Make sure you have the right permits for fishing in the rivers - fishing rights are woned and the owners will regard you as a poacher if you don't have permission.
Don't forget to go over to Anglesey for some lovely walks, bike rides and beaches - and maybe a Royal in his helicopter too
A number of years ago we rented a farmhouse on a hillside overlooking Tal Y Cafn. It was a great location for touring, but we actually could have used a 4X4 to get into the property, which was "up a finally level track", a phrase that had new meaning for us.
We rented an ordinary small car, and everyone but the driver had to bail out at a certain point in the drive so the bottom would not strike an exposed stone ledge. A hundred feet beyond, and everyone could get back into the car. This did change our behavior in that we only went out and back once a day, but it isn't something you are likely to run into.
Thank you...so Gywnedd/Ffestiniog, then? Transwydd? Or Doglellau? Gosh, If am ever lost and need to ask for directions to any of so-hard-to-pronounce names, I will only get more lost!
We stayed at Rhydlanfair Cottage, just outside Betwys last September for a week. I think we found it through the English Country Cottage website.
We liked the town; good restaurants and shops to pick up warm/rain gear that we don't have at home in So. Cal. I wouldn't necessarily call it touristy, but everyone has a different perspective of what they consider touristy. There are tourists there, so if you want a locals only type of place, it may not be for you. Even with the tourists, its not that big.
But we found that staying outside the town gave us the best of both worlds: the convenience of restaurants and shops, but also solitude.
Betwys was central to most of the spots we visited: Conwy, Anglesey, Caernafon, Harlech - I'm having trouble remembering all the places and spellings. We climbed Mount Snowden. There's also a train that goes up there.
No matter where you decide to stay, Wales is lovely. Have a wonderful trip.