Northern Wales or Lake District?

EK - we were in North Wales with our kids when they were 11 & 13. We are not hikers so didn't go to Snowdonia but we LOVED the castles of North Wales. They were a real highlight - you can google to get great pics of Edward's castles: Conway, Caernarfon, Harlech, Beaumaris and some others. We saw 3 and the kids were just disappointed we couldn't see them all!

I've been to the Lake district with my husband and agree that it is beautiful but the castles really will give them a feeling of history (and literature too). We also liked being in Wales as there were VERY few Americans. Everyone was so nice to us, kept asking us what brought us to Wales, we even had drinks bought for us at a pub in Conwy where we had gone for dinner. I highly recommend North Wales.

Thank you for the comments. The mileage issue doesn't bother us as much and we are staying at least 2 nights everywhere. Wales sounds nice. I do know that we usually crave open country and a little less settled areas to relax in after being in towns.--- Which is what appeals about the Lake District( we need a vacation from our vacation sometimes) Is the area around Conwy like that? What things should we focus on? Are there places to hike and just enjoy being outdoors? We have 3 girls.

I think the lake district would be a little more "open" in terms of pure countryside, but we definitely were out of doors all during our short (2 nights) stay in Conwy. The castles themselves are the kind that you are walking around the walls, climbing up and down - as opposed to something like the "palace" of Versailles. My kids like the "ruined" castles better than the completely preserved ones anyway. We drove from Conwy to the other castles but I can't remember exactly what the countryside was like. Conwy itself is a very small town so again, we were out walking the whole time. But not hiking - and I don't know what the area would actually be like for real hiking. I'm sure you can find out what the nature/outdoor activities are like in that part of the country.

EK,

I'd definitely go for N. Wales. My wife and I stayed in Conwy and loved it. We had a car while there which was perfect. You can day trip anywhere in N. Wales easily and I'd a loop trip through Snowdonia would be a great idea. The train ride up to the top of Snowdonia is very scenic and you can hike back down, or elsewhere around the mountain there. Plus, of course, there are great castles throughout Wales, though some Welsh might use a term other than "great" when referring to them. ;-)

I like to combine my travel with fiction, so if you do head to Wales, check out a series by Rhys Bowen, about small town constable Evan Evans. It mentions a number of locations throughout N. Wales:
http://www.rhysbowen.com/evans.html

I enjoy both areas, but my preference is Northern Wales. We did some lovely walks around Betwys-y-Coed.

Hello EK. I like the mountains and Lake scenery in the Lakes district, more than driving around Mount Snowdon in Wales.

I also thought the scenery in the Lakes district was prettier than the scenery in Snowden.

The Lakes District is much more touristy and crowded with cars and buses than N. Wales, however, so you have a better chance avoiding crowds in N. Wales.