Suitcase Sagas

As you drive into Wales, you start seeing signs in a different language and you know you have crossed over to a different country! There are limited things to see in Wales and the key attraction which drives you there is Snowdonia National Park…

Part of British Road Trip : UK – Road Trip

Day 4 – Wales

To ensure we get to spend a full day in Wales, we drove in from Warwick the previous evening and drove onward to Lake District the following day. We accordingly chose to stay in Ruthin which was convenient from driving perspective.

• On our way to Wales, we stopped at a place called Lepone’s which was a church converted to a restaurant  – Good food and cool ambience !

• One the key things I still remember from our visit to Wales is the cute B&B called Plas Efenechtyd Cottage in Welsh countryside! The place was right in the centre of green hills with sheep grazing right across the field…

• We started off the day, by driving over to Snowdonia National Park. The scenic views, majestic mountains and still lakes were stunning. With hardly any tourists, the place seems untouched ! We stopped quite a few times for pictures …

• After around 1.5 hours of driving, we parked at Llanberis near slate museum and set out to explore the area around the lake. While the train ride didn’t appeal to us and Snowdon rail was only running part of the route, we spent the morning walking around the village. We chanced upon an old tower on a hill nearby which had great views, especially of the old slate mining area.

• After lunch, we drove down to walled town of Caernarfon which is a short drive away. The castle walls are right across the ocean and give the place a regal look even today. It was interesting to see people still living within the castle walls!!

• We crossed over on the windy bridge across the castle and went up to the park. The grass was so inviting that we had fun rolling down the hill like kids !!

• We finally drove back through a longer route and were lucky to see some snow-capped mountains en route. We lost network during the drive, but thanks to the loaded maps, we managed to make our way back to Ruthin. We grabbed an Indian dinner (surprising for us too!) and then headed to the cottage for the night.

• SS tip: if you have more time, you can check out walled city of Conwy or tourist village of Portmeirion (entrance fee applies) which are 30-40 mins away from Caernarfon