Everyone loves a good castle, right? Right. And every self respecting castle enthusiast should agree that Conwy’s is right up there at the top end of the good castle scale. If you haven’t seen it, give it a Google, it’s a monster. Anyway, the thing about Conwy is that there’s actually way, way more to it than just a good castle, especially when it comes to stuff for outdoor adventure enthusiasts to sink their teeth into in the surrounding area. This is the gateway town to the rocky mountains, gaping valleys and wild rivers of Snowdonia after all, not to mention the glorious north Wales coastline.
How To Get There
While much of north Wales can be slightly tricky to access if you don’t have a car, Conwy is one of the exceptions. In fact, thanks to the train line that links London to the ferry to Ireland from Holyhead, it’s actually incredibly easy to reach. At 8am you could be sipping a mocha in a Pret a Manger and then enjoying something stronger in the Bank of Conwy Craft Beer Bar less than 3 and a half hours later.
If you’re coming from further afield, as well as the option of flying to London and getting the train, you’ve also got the airports at Manchester and Liverpool which are both within two and a half hours travel by train from Conwy.
Things To Do In Conwy
So we’ve mentioned the Snowdonia thing already but that deserves expanding on. Conwy is right at the foot of one of the national park’s finest mountain ranges, the Carneddau, where seven of the national park’s highest mountains reside. You can in fact stride right out of the town and head straight up to the mountain tops via the Cambrian Way, a wild trail that continues beyond the Carneddau and all the way south to Cardiff, Wales’s capital city.
If you’re looking to climb Wales’s highest mountain, Snowdon, in order to witness what’s been rated as the best view in Britain, the main trailhead at Pen y Pass is within 45 minutes drive from Conwy (via the legendary Pete’s Eats cafe) or you can get there within an hour and a half via public transport.
