North to South roadtrip in Wales- Advice on what to see and where to stay

I feel like the Great Britain book has very little information on Wales, so I am depending Google Maps, YouTube, and other websites.

Fortunately other guide books exist! Rough Guides do a whole book on Wales, which you would find useful if you do like guidebooks. I do like to plan this way, as I feel you get much more of an overview.

You should spend 2 days in Cardiff so you can go to St. Fagan's Museum of Welsh Life.

Day 1- You will almost certainly have to rent the car at Llandudno Junction (or Chester), rather than in Conwy. There is no reason why you can't do Conwy Castle then sleep in either Conwy or Llandudno (only 4 miles round the corner, frequent transit options), then pick up the car on the morning of Day 2.

Either way I think it would be a shame to just press on to Bodnant/Betws y Coed today.

Day 2- The Snowdon Mountain Railway will always be a subjective manner. If it's a sunny day then it probably is worth it. On an all too frequent cloudy or wet day more debateable. The thing is you have to book it and take a punt on the weather. That has to be your judgement. I might personally go for Bodnant/Beddgelert/Betws y Coed but that is a musing, no more.

If you're into your Castles, especially if you are doing the Beddgelert variant route you may want to also visit Beaumaris (on Anglesey) and/or Caernarfon Castles.

It's not clear whether there is only an amended section of your previous itinerary of 4 days ago, which extended down to Devon and Cornwall.

The two times we were in that area we stayed at Victoria House in Caernarfon. The castles I was going to mention have been mentioned already. We spent a day on Anglesey and could have spent another day easily if we had done some hiking. On it there are a number of Neolithic burial chambers and standing stones, e.g., Bryn Celli Ddu and Bodowyr Burial Chambers. There’s also Southstack lighthouse, Llynon windmill, and the town with the long name; Llanfair…gogogoch. Llandudno was nice to walk around and has plenty of shops. If you’re an Alice in Wonderland fan, there are sculptures of its characters located throughout the town.

There’s also Harlech castle and the ruins of Dolbadarn and Rhuddlan Castle. There is more to see in Wales than you probably have time for in a few trips.

Yes I will be renting a car in Llandudno Junction, not Conwy. I just said Conwy because it they are so close. Yes this is part of the same trip I previously posted. Two days in York, Five days in Wales, Two days in Cotswalls, Two days in Bath, drive day, two days in Portsmouth (day trip to Dartmoor and Devon). I will look at Beaumaris (on Anglesey) and Caernarfon Castles. I am leaning towards skipping Snowdon Mountain Railway due to time.

Llandudno sounds very interesting. I will check that out too. I will get the rough riders guide.

I am least exicted about going to Bath. I know it is suppose to be amazing. I am wondering what people think about swapping time in Bath for time in Cardiff. The only thing I really want to do in Bath is go to the Roman baths. But maybe I just need to research more.

I will get the rough riders guide.

Just the Rough Guide, not the rough riders guide! https://shop.roughguides.com/book/the-rough-guide-to-wales/9781789197327

I am least exicted about going to Bath. I know it is suppose to be amazing. I am wondering what people think about swapping time in Bath for time in Cardiff. The only thing I really want to do in Bath is go to the Roman baths. But maybe I just need to research more.

Bath is a much smaller and more attractive city than Cardiff - a beautifully-preserved Georgian townscape in lovely honey-colour stone. But other than the Roman baths, it’s more about the attractive architecture and ambiance than specific sights. It is a tourist hotspot, mostly because it’s so attractive and well-preserved. One might almost use that dread word “quaint.”

Cardiff on the other hand is a big urban city, full of interest, with a number of good things to see and do, but not particularly attractive overall.

Cardiff and Bath are therefore very different experiences.

There is no need to feel a compulsion to go to Bath, if it doesn't fit into your interests, just to tick a box.

Many of us on this forum would choose to spend more time in Cardiff- there are other posts on the forum about the several castles in the area, as well as St Fagans Museum.
Cardiff Castle, Castell Coch and Caerphilly Castle.

And don't forget Cardiff Bay- the former, now transformed, docks area of the City. And with a car Chepstow Castle and Tinterrn Abbey can easily be on a route towards the Cotswolds.

There is also Monmouth Castle- while there is not much left of it it is where the future Henry V was built and is now the home of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers- a rare case of a Norman castle being still in military use.

Llandudno is worth seeing along with Conwy Castle and don’t miss Bodnant Gardens. I also enjoyed the Snowdon Mountain Railway but only turned up at Llanberis when I knew the weather would be OK and got the last seat available.

The coast route between Conwy and Caernarfon is nothing special - better to go via Betws-Y-Coed and through the mountains for better scenery. I suggest you don't miss PORTMEIRION which is near Portmadog - where Premier Inn or Travelodge would be OK accommodation ot a reasonable price & with parking outside.

Suggest you take the coastal route south and visit HARLECH CASTLE and then go via BARMOUTH to Dolgellau before heading further south. You then need to choose as to whether to use the A470 through the middle of Wales to reach the Brecon area or go SW to reach PEMBROKESHIRE. If going this way, ABERAERON is a lovely place to stop.

PEMBROKESHIRE = the south westernmost county in Wales? It has stunning coastlines and the only industrial bit to avoid is around Milford Haven which is a port for oil/gas tankers. Pembroke Dock is also to be avoided but the town of Pembroke has a castle:>
https://www.visitpembrokeshire.com/attraction-listing/pembroke-castle
The main town for tourists is TENBY - is this the most beautiful seaside town in Britain? In north Pembrokeshire, you might like St.David’s - which has a cathedral.

My top pick on the south coast west of Tenby is Barafundle Bay and the walk by the nearby Bosherston Lakes.
By the way, in north Pembrokeshire is the Preseli Mountains/Hills and it from here than Neolithic people quarried the stones for the inner circle at Stonehenge. Ever since people have been wondering how and why they dragged/floated these stones all the way to Wiltshire? You can see one of the ancient tombs left by these people - but you will need to go down some back roads:>
https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/pentre-ifan-burial-chamber
https://www.visitwales.com/destinations/west-wales/pembrokeshire
https://www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/about-the-national-park/
https://www.visitpembrokeshire.com/articles/48-hours-in-tenby
Someone on You Tube has posted a walking tour of TENBY:> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJCCKnLLfOA

In Llandudno there is also the Great Orme Tramway-operationally it is like the three street funiculars in Lisbon, but in terms of it's street running closely resembles the San Francisco Cable Cars.

There’s only one wall remaining of Monmouth Castle so by itself isn’t worth stopping to see. When we were there you couldn’t enter the military facility. The town however it nice to visit for a couple hours. Its Monnow bridge is nice as is Parish Church of Saint Thomas the Martyr, Over Monnow. Across the street from it is the “Old tree” with the elf house in the trunk. If you go there you can park in the Waitrose parking lot free for an hour. Just remember to put the ticket in your car window.

In addition to those already mentioned, there are Raglan, Grosmont, Skenfrith, and White Castle in the Monmouth/Tintern area. Raglan is very nice while Skenfrith is more a ruin. For Neolithic sites, Harold’s stones are in nearby Trelleck.

We enjoyed Bath, but unless using it as a base to visit other places it can be seen in a day.

Once you have a firm itinerary for Wales, look into getting the CADW pass. It could save you some money.

Well Monmouth Regimental Museum is open now, between April and October- it is free and is docent run- http://www.monmouthcastlemuseum.org.uk/

Bodnant Garden in May - with luck the famous laburnum arch will be in flower. Head for this first, especially if you want to take a picture, as it does get very busy later in the day .

I too have very mixed views about the Snowdon Mountain Railway. Trains run full and I do mean FULL. (The word sardines and tin come to mind...) Tickets have to be booked in advance and there is no guarantee what the weather will be like. It can start of fine and sunny but the cloud can roll in and it can begin to rain. Also you have to return on the same train, so only get about 30 minutes at the summit - unless you are walking back down. The summit also gets very busy, crowded and noisy... Only you can decided whether it is worth it.

Even if you decide against the Snowden Mountain Railway, there is a very good Slate Museum in Llanberis (free) and also the ruined Dolbadarn Castle, again free.

The day I ran up Snowdon the train was cancelled due to high winds.
If you are fit and healthy it is a very pleasant run/hike up and down. It is only about 15 kms round trip with around 900 metres elevation gain. Trail is straightforward not technical at all and nil navigation issues even in thick cloud.
I had minimal viz from halfway, good views prior though. The wind was pretty rough, I would've guessed so.e gusts at around 100kph.
My wife hiked up to the halfway hut before deciding the weather was too rough and turning back. I caught up with her about 1.5 km from Llanberis. It was a 2 hour round trip for both of us. I would guess at a comfortable hiking pace it is a 4 hourish hike.

If you should decide to go to Pembrokeshire (SW Wales), on the journey back east - whether using the fast M4 route to Cardiff or the scenic A40 route to Brecon, there are a number of interesting places just E of Carmarthen. (These could also be reached on a day trip from the Brecon area should you decide not to go to Pembrokeshire).

https://www.visitwales.com/attraction/garden/national-botanic-garden-wales-647925
It is only about 5 minutes off the A48 and well worth visiting in summer. It has the largest single span glasshouse in the world.
If you were to turn R on leaving the NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDEN OF WALES (route B4310), you would soon find yourselves in THE TOWY VALLEY - B4300 runs east - west along the south side of this valley with the A40 on the north side. This valley of lush farmland with dairy cattle contains two ruined castles. DRYSLWYN CASTLE (not much remains) is free - just park up and climb to the top for wonderful views. https://www.visitwales.com/attraction/castle/dryslwyn-castle-cadw-1843262

A bit further east - just west of the town of Llandeilo is DINEFWR CASTLE. Here you just pay to park and wander through meadows and up to the castle ruins. Again, fantastic views over the Towy (Tywi in Welsh) Valley. Near the parking area is NEWTON HOUSE (NT) for which the National Trust charge an additional fee for entry - which I think is worth it.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/dinefwr/visiting-newton-house-at-dinefwr

CADW is the name of the Welsh Government department responsible for most historic monuments in Wales. However, somebody has written an excellent site about Welsh Castles and I will provide the link as it explains fully about DINEFWR CASTLE:>
https://www.castlewales.com/dinefwr.html

Between Dryslwyn and Dinefwr Castles is ABERGLASNEY GARDENS (though I was not that impressed) >https://aberglasney.org
Not in the Towy Valley but about 4 miles east of Llandeilo is the most amazing of all these castles = CARREG CENNEN. It sits a top a crag with sheer drops on the south side. It is surrounded by amazing countryside. Inside, you can pass through a door way and down a passage on the cliff and into a cave under the castle (torch needed).

https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/carreg-cennen-castle
Carreg Cennen is on land owned by a farmer who has created tourist facilities near the parking area. He has a large barn where you can buy food. http://www.carregcennencastle.com/