On the 30 April I posted our itinerary for our impending trip to England.<BR>One of the posters, I think her name was 'Ani' enquired whether we were visiting the northern part of Wales. I had not considered touring Wales as we had been there previously. My wife read the post by Ani, and immediately wanted to return, as she always had a 'soft spot' for Wales, after our previous visit. I must admit I did not need much persuasion, so another 6 days has been tacked onto our holiday. <BR>We rather like the look of the village Beddgelert, to base ourselves in. How are the feelings of the forum on that?<BR>I have fairly well sorted out the attractions that we will be visiting, but what we would like to know, are the names of villages or towns that are well worth visiting? Also the locations of some scenic drives would also be appreciated?<BR>Thanks.

I've never stayed in Beddgelert, but it's ideally located for lots of places that are well worth visiting, such as Blaenau Ffestiniog (slate mines and railway), Porthmadog (market town), Portmeirion (Italianate village), Criccieth (seaside village and castle - don't miss the famous ice cream shop, whose name I can't recall, near the castle), Llangollen (very pretty little town, but gets rather packed with tourists in summer) as well as numerous other castles and the beautiful Snowdonia National Park in general. With 6 days, you've got plenty of time to just buy a road map and drive around wherever the fancy takes you. I wouldn't bother with the northern coast road (Colwyn bay, Rhyll, etc), since there's not an awful lot to see except lots of caravan parks, but that area aside, you can't really go wrong.

James - your itinerary is wonderful. I love that you have added 6 days instead of trying to squeeze N Wales in to you earlier plans.<BR><BR>I have only stayed in Beddgelert once and that was back in the mid-70's so I wouldn't have any valid recommendations for B&Bs, etc. But the area is great and very convenient to anywhere you'd want to visit from Snowden to Angelsey to Aberystwyth to the north coast. You could even manage a long day trip down to St Davids.

Elaine's suggestions are great. If you haven't been there before make sure you visit Bodnant Gardens, one of the most beautiful gardens in the U.K.

Its me! And so glad to hear that I had something to do with your change in plans!--We had only 2 days in N. Wales-and I am a big Welsh history fan. WE based ourselves in Betws-Y-Coed which was wonderful and visited Edwards castles in Conwy, Beaumaris and Caenarfon as well as Llewwllyn's ruins at Dolwyddelan and Dolbadarn. Wish we had more time-and please give a trip report when you return! I'm jealous have a wonderful time!

If you enjoy castles, add Cricceth and Harlech to your schedule.<BR><BR>Ani--loved the pictures on the website. You did almost the same trip we did.

We also have an upcoming trip to the UK. Can someone tell me about Wales? Is it that different from the Cotswolds or the Lake District? Which would be the most preferable to visit if you only had a week?

Gayle - Wales is TOTALLY different than the Cotswolds and the Lakes. (But most parts of the UK are totally different from each other). A short post here won't give you the flavor of Wales - or anywhere else. I'd suggest you read up some - A good guide book about Wales or a visit to the Welsh Tourist Board website will answer a lot of your questions. Most parts of Wales will be a lot less crowded than either the Cotswolds or the Lakes. <BR><BR>As for "Which would be the most preferable to visit if you only had a week?" - that is sort of asking which is better Yosemite, Yellowstone or Acadia Nat'l Park. All three are great and you can't go wrong whichever you choose.

Gayle-I haven't been to the Lake District but we did visit the Cotswolds directly after being in Wales-and without a doubt Wales would be my pick. I however, am really into the history and castles of Wales so that may have had something to do with it-but the landscape alone was absolutely amazing. When we had spent some time in the Cotswolds (which we also enjoyed)-we wished we had spent those days in Wales...just my 2cents!-I do have pictures on my aforementioned website of our trip-with both Wales and Cotswolds pics...www.panteravb.com-either way...have a GREAT time-I miss it so much!

I second Ani's opinion of North Wales over the Cotswolds. However, remember these are opinions. We also loved the castles and rural feeling of North Wales and wished we had spent more time there. For me, a few hours in a Cotswolds village was enough. After visiting castles and churches (that is what interests us) nearby in any given village, we found we were ready to move on. We are not into browsing endless shops. But given the areas popularity, many other people are.

Pembrokeshire in southwest Wales is another great area to visit.

Gayle<BR>I'll also through in my two cents worth. As the others have said, this is strictly my personal opinion. Last summer we spent several days staying in both the Cotswolds and Wales. We didn't go (and haven't been) to the Lake District. Basically, the Cotswolds is a farm area dotted with small villages. Using information we found here, we had a great place to stay and ate at several very good places. We toured the area and went hiking for a day. The villages are all quaint, but have really become geared to catering to tourists (lots of souvenir shops), of which there are way, way too many during the day. Driving narrow roads behind tour buses is not much fun. After the bulk of the tourists left each day, the villages were much nicer. While we enjoyed our stay in the Cotswolds, it was also kind of disappointing. Perhaps it was all the hype we read before we went that raised our expectations too high. I'm not saying that you shouldn't go there. I'm just saying that for us it didn't turn out to be what we thought it would be. Wales was a totally different story. If you like greenery, Wales is one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. While there were tourists there too, they weren't anyone near as bad as the Cotswolds. There is plenty to see and do. We toured several castles, went to one of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen (Bodnant), rode a train to the top of Snowdonia mountain, visited the unusual village at Pointmerion, went on two long hikes, and even went to a slate mine. There were things we didn't get to do because we ran out of time. If we had it all to do over again, as much as we did enjoy the Cotswolds, we would have spent our entire time in Wales.

One of my favourite places to spend a sunny afternoon is Newborough Forest and the Llanddwyn beach in the South East corner of Anglesey.<BR><BR>It is also home to the ruined Church of St.Dwynwen, (the Welsh saint of love)