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General => The Shed => Topic started by: ellkebe on May 27, 2007, 19:16:18
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We're thinking about Wales for a holiday this year but have never been - nor have family and friends - and so we're relying on the internet to get an idea of whether it would suit or not. Then I remembered you lot ;D
Does anyone know Wales - have any favourite spots etc - that we could put in the pot for consideration? We're not really a beach family, but will have our 11 year old son in tow so need distractions - frequently!
(OH is quite interested in the village they used in The Prisoner.)
Cheers
Ellkebe
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Went to Rhyl many moons ago with my mates , thats about it, aw don't forget your passport. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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We love Anglesey, but mainly for the beaches. Also Pembrokeshire- lovely walks and more to do if the weather's not so good.
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North Wales?
CAT - Centre for Alternative Technology http://www.cat.org.uk/visitus/vc_content.tmpl?subdir=Visitus
Llangollen - Nothing beats a sunny day there it's fantastic, Steam railway journey up the valley, narrow boat ride across a huge aquaduct, it's just a very picturesque place. DON'T miss the views from the horseshoe pass.
Conwy Castle - Walk the walls and vist the working quay. Also I know you said your not a beach family but visit Conwy Morfa Beach. Never busy as the waters not suitable for bathing (riptides) but the dunes and beach are a fantastic walk.
Llandudno - Great Orme is a spectacular walk, a cafe at the top, cable cars and a tram available for the energy challenged. Also a Dry ski run on the other side with excellent tobbogan run. West Shore Beach is also nice and quiet for a walk.
Rhyl - aka little blackpool, less said the better.
Colwyn Bay - Nice beach and Victorian pier, lovely walk along the promenade, cycle track runs right to Rhyl and it's flat as a pancake all the way bar a 50 metre slope halfway along. It's a lovely ride in the summer. Also The Welsh Mountain Zoo, simply breathtaking views and the animals are well cared for here.
Rhuddlan - Nice old castle on the riverbank, lots of history in rhuddlan. English rule over Wales was declared there. I think it was one of the few castles the welsh managed to take from the English in battle.
Betws-Y-Coed - The Swallow Falls, one of the wonders of Wales. Betws is very popular and gets busy in the summer though.
So much to do...Electric mountain, Llechwedd Slate Caverns (FANTASTIC!!), Portmeirion (I AM NOT A NUMBER)
Also Bodnant Gardens is a fantastic day out for gardeners.
If you have any specific areas in mind please let me know and I will have a think about places to go:)
Pic of a moonlit Rhuddlan Castle I took last year.
(http://i13.tinypic.com/6goc5sz.jpg)
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South Wales is quite pretty. We have ...
Caerphilly, with the leaning tower.
Cardiff, capital of Wales with good shopping, Cardiff Bay, museum and the castle.
St Fagans museum of welsh life...loads of old buildings including a church, a school and lots of cottages, that have been rebuilt on the site, a museum, a manor house, pottery, where you can make a pot, an old fashioned bakers who bake fresh bread, horse and cart rides.
Portcawl, with funfair, sandy and rocky beaches.
Mc Arthur Glenn designer outlet.
Castell Coch, otherwise known as the fairy castle, as it looks just like one.
Thats just the ones I can remember off the top of my head.
Hay on Wye book village.
The Brecon Beacons national park.
Big Pit in Blaenavon, where you can go underground in a disused coal mine, and its free!
West Wales has lovely villages, Folly Farm and Oakwood theme park.
BUT.... The Prisoner village is in North Wales.
cj :)
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We have spent a lifetime exploring Wales and still not seen it all. Just pick a spot and visit!
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Oh no - now both north and south are sounding good ;) Thanks for all the suggestions - if Portmeirion is north, then it might be north for us initially, just to give us a start point. There also seemed to be steam trains up that way. I forgot to mention that OH is a very keen photographer - enters competitions etc - so any photos ops would be appreciated.
DadnDom - looks like you found one yourself with Rhuddlan Castle - great shot :) The caverns sound good - and I'm gonna go google Electric Mountain as it sounds intriguing. Are there any actvity parks/ theme parks etc that you know of in the vicinity as the promise of a day on the rides is normally how we bribe our son into visiting - oh you know, nature, culture, history ... ;D ;D
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CAT is like a theme park for eco types. Kids enjoyed it. Also Greenwood forest park http://www.tentop.co.uk/attractions/greenwood.html
The slate caverns may not sound much for kids but trust me they love it. It's really well done and keeps your interest up all the way to the end.
Also if your visiting Rhuddlan castle about 3 mins up the road is Dyserth Waterfall as featured on the film Holiday On The Buses :)
The Labernum arch at Bodnant is something everyone should see, it's one of those pictures that will stay with you forever.(http://www.attractions-north-wales.co.uk/i/attract/bodnant4.jpg)
Photo opportunies everywhere I'm a snapper myself. Even the concrete in Wales is worth a snap;)
(http://i15.tinypic.com/4y6wlll.jpg)
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We go for a holiday in Wales every year, north, south, mid, whatever fits in. One frequent haunt is the Black Mountains, nearest large town Abergavenny (with Waitrose!). The most fascinating tourist attraction we have found with our sons was the Big Pit http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/bigpit/
Our guide through the mines was a former miner who was simply fascinating to listen to.
There's also great canoe-ing down the Wye. http://www.wyevalleycanoes.co.uk/ and we have first hand experience of several pony trekking/hacking outfits in the region. PM if interested!
Further north, Aberdovey is delightful. Cader Idris is a great climb - the Foxes Path is the quickest but most deadly route ;). And then there's Snowdon with a train up and cafe at the top - luxury.
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Only 2 themeparks spring to mind there is Oakwood (west Wales)http://www.oakwoodthemepark.co.uk/home/default.asp
or Knightly's Amusement Park (north Wales) http://www.funfair-hire.com/
A trip to Dan Yr Ogof caves (south Wales) would also make a nice day out as well. http://www.dyo.org.uk/
If you can't make your mind up where to stay you could stay in mid Wales I live about 10 miles inland from Machynlleth in mid Wales & from here it is about 1 hours drive to Portmeirion or 2 hours to Cardiff so most of Wales is easily accessible. Aberdovey which Jill mentiones is about 20 miles away or another 2 miles up the road is Tywyn which has a much nicer beach the Centre for Alternative Technology is just outside Machynlleth. Dolgoch Falls is a great place to stay in this area http://www.dolgochfallsapartments.co.uk/ there is a working steam engine that runs from there & plenty of other things to do. If you would rather rent a holiday cottage then there are plenty listed here http://www.walesdirectory.co.uk/holiday-cottages.html.
I came to the area from Northampton for a weeks holiday in 1999 & ended up staying so there must be something going for it.
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Thanks guys - I think maybe we could set up a service on here to rival Tripadvisor ;D All your input is going to make a decision a whole lot easier. Many thanks.
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I'd agree with Dadndom, everything he says is worth a visit. On Anglesey there's Beaumaris castle, and some nice beaches.
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I usually say..
North Wales = Rugged
South/Mid Wales = Rolling.
Usually go two of three times a year, and am trying to escape london to live there.
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Rugged sounds right for OH - he's an Ulsterman :) Hope you make the escape someday budgester.
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if you go further into Dan-Yr-Ogof, beyond the show cave, there's a very tight bend you'd never get a stretcher round; getting a casualty out would be a major problem. I was down there once, standing at the bottom of a 20-foot drop, when an idiot at the top, walking along not looking where he was going, walked straight over the top. The first I knew of it was when he landed on top of me. I was more shocked than he was, but it was a narrow escape.
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I also agree with everything Dadndom says, but being from N Wales myself I'm a little biased I guess ::)
Bodnant garden is lovely, and there is also Plas Newydd on Anglesey (at least I think it's on Anglesey). Llanddwyn island on Anglesey is also worth a visit, and there is the sealife centre too. You could also visit Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyllllantysiliogogogoch (or Llanfair PG as the locals call it). We used to go to Anglesey for a holiday every year as children so I'm pretty fond of it. Anglesey often has completely different weather to the mainland,can be raining in Bangor, but lovely and sunny on the island.
Driving through Snowdonia is fantastic, very dramatic scenery, Betws-y-coed is indead pretty but does get very busy in summer. Personally I wouldn't go to Rhyl, but there is a fun swimming place there with slides, or at least there used to be many years ago. Oh and another nice place is Aber Falls, which is one of the 7 wonders of Wales.
Can't think of any theme park type things I'm afraid but I'm sure there must be something outside of the 'Butlins' type places along the N coast.
Hope you enjoy it whereever you decide to go, I miss it so much, and will definitely be returning one day.
SP x
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I lived in Waunarlywdd for years which is near Swansea. We always found loads of things to do with our three boys especially if you head towards Carmarthan and Tenby. If you do decide on a trip to South Wales the Mumbles is a lovely seaside resort to visit and if you want to visit the theme park at Oakwood they do a family evening ticket from 5PM. This is cheaper and takes in the firework display at 10pm which is always great to watch.
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as isaid on another thread we went to 3 cliff bay on the gower coast and our 3 girls (15,11 and 7) had a fantastic time as did we all
marg
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Hi Cornykev - I lived in Rhyl until 1973 it was a brill place back then just hope you were not there on your holidays in the late 1960 - 70,s ;D ;D
Hi theoethermarg -Wales has lots to offer families what sort of accomodation are you looking for and what month are you thinking of going??
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Hi Bluebird - probably self catering so time is getting short to book for August ;D Think we've narrowed it down to roughly north east of Portmeirion as that seems fairly central to areas we were thinking about.
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I am up in the north. My 5 year old broccoli munching creature likes The Prisoner, and has only once been to The Village when he was even smaller! His favourite episode, I think, he calls "switching the minds"
CAT is great! 5 year old monster likes going there...
Greenwood is also enjoyable.