Driving Tour in Northern Wales, October 2023

Our tour began in Llandudno. This is a scenic seaside city that during peak season will be packed with visitors of all ages. Our hotel, Swn Y Mor, was modest but very nice and with a great price, breakfast, and a direct view of the bay. There are also several large old hotels if you want something more upscale. Even though it was early October, most of the restaurants were serving dinner and we had some great seafood at The Mediterranean Restaurant.
The tour then began and was centered around the famous castles of N. Wales as well as some other sites. We visited Conwy and Caernarfon Castles the first day as well as the National Slate Museum in Llanberis. The slate museum features old workshops, workers quarters, and exhibitions of just how the slate was cut and much history of Welsch slate mining. All these sites are well worth a visit.
We spent the night at Aberdundant Hall, a hotel near Porthmadog. This hotel costs a bit more, but it was one of the nicer hotels I have ever stayed in. Also, the dining room had excellent food for both dinner and breakfast.
The next morning, we explored the village of Porthmadog which is right on the bay. An interesting narrow gauge steam railway leaves from the village for tours of the hills.

We next visited nearby Portmeirion Village; a site that is a bit hard to describe. From the 1920’s to the 1970’s an architect constructed an Italian looking village on the bay here in Wales. You pay a fee to visit the village and it was certainly interesting, but I believe that there are more authentic sites to see in Wales more worth your time.
Then it was on to Harlech Castle, reckoned to be one of the most beautifully located of King Edward I’s North Wales Castles. It looks as if most of the castle’s original stone construction is there for visitors to see. The castle is a must see.
From Harlech Castle we continued south for a view of the coastline and a stop in Barmouth for lunch. Our route took us past Llangollen to our goal of Chirk Castle. Arriving at the castle ticket office we were informed that we were 4 minutes late and we could not get in. We were able to get a look at the outside of the castle only.

From Chirk we drove south to Welshpool and our hotel for the night, the Royal Oak. We had time to explore Welshpool. Except for a canal and old locks there wasn’t much to see. The Royal Oak is a very nice old hotel, with, as far as I saw, the only decent restaurant in Welshpool.

In the morning we drove to Shrewsbury, a 30-minute drive east just over the English border, for a visit. Shrewsbury has several museums, including an excellent history museum, and many Tudor style buildings. Also, there are plenty of places to shop, eat, and grab a coffee or beer. This city would be an excellent home base for a visit to this area of Wales and England.
After our morning visit, we drove back to Powis Castle, a castle that is more than just the original stone walls. Built in the 1200’s by a Welsh prince, this castle also has beautiful interior rooms to view. In the 16th century a local lord outfitted the castle to be his residence. Also worth visiting are the castle’s wonderful Baroque era gardens judged to some of the finest in Britian.
That concluded our Wales Castle tour and we returned to our home base in Stamford, England. The next day we visited Burghley House in Stamford. This estate was built in the 1500’s. Since this time the family has kept the beautiful building and gardens in excellent shape. The interior of the is one of the finest I have seen. It is packed with beautiful furnishings collected during the hundreds of years since the house was constructed.