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North Wales in May

Posted by (Canada) on

Hi.
I am looking to travel to N.Wales in May (from Canada) Primarily to see my grandparents towns. The areas that I am looking to see are:
Llandudno,Betws-Y-Coed, and Ruthin area (3-4 days)
Anglesly and area (2-3 days I have family there )
And Chester, England(2-3 days I have family there)

I would like my total trip to be 14-17 days including time to adjust from the oversea flight.
I will be traveling without a car.

1) can anyone recommend a good tour guide for the Llandudo,Betws-Y-Coed and Ruthin portion
2) what will be the easiest way to get between areas without a car
3) what would be a logical sequence and itinerary to see these areas
4) any tips on great hotels or b&bs would be appreciated
5) do I need to worry about any closures or national holidays or constraints when traveling in May?

Thank you.

Posted by
2399 posts

Check Air Transat for air fares. Also see if it is cheaper to fly into Dublin and take the ferry (Stena or Irish Ferries) as a foot passenger to Holyhead. The nearest airport to north Wales is Manchester - for trans Atlantic flights.

Click this link & you should see a route map of the railways in Wales & nearby England:>
http://www.projectmapping.co.uk/Reviews/Resources/ATW%20Route%20Map%20-%20Dec%202013.pdf
Virgin Trains also operate along the north Wales coast from Holyhead > Llandudno Junction > Chester > London (Euston).

For trains use www.nationalrail.co.uk
To find buses to places off the rail network - such at Ruthin - use www.traveline.info or https://www.traveline.cymru

Starting Sat. 27 May > Sunday 4 June is going to be a school holiday week = expensive for accommodation and more people travelling about - avoid if possible! (Monday 5 June is a Bank Hol in Ireland).

That week also corresponds to when Bodnant Gardens is at its peak - including the famous Laburnum tunnel. Try & include in your trip! http://www.greatorme.org.uk/Bodnant.html (Click the other links on this site as well).

As you have family on Anglesey & at Chester - can’t they drive you about the various places in NW & NE Wales? (Chester to Llandudno is only about 1 hour on the A55 Expressway. Llandudno to Bangor is only about 45 minutes on the same expressway).
http://www.visitwales.com/explore
www.festrail.co.uk
http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk/visit-planner
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/plas-newydd-country-house-and-gardens
http://cadw.gov.wales/daysout/conwycastle/?lang=en
http://www.portmeirion-village.com

Posted by
96 posts

I agree that Air Transat is the way to go.
They fly direct to Manchester, from which it is a easy train ride to Chester.
Spend time in Chester, then bus to Ruthin. It looks like you have to transfer buses but Google shows several trips a day which all take about 2 hours. Spend a night or two in Ruthin then train and bus to Llandudno, again you will need to transfer and it should take about 2 hours. Spend several nights in Llandudno. There are direct trains to Betws-y-Coed and it makes an easy day trip. You could also visit ( or stay in ) Conwy which only a few miles from Llandudno.Then take the train to Anglesey. There is one train line to Holyhead and buses to smaller villages. From Anglesey take the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin. Air Transat flies from Dublin direct to Toronto.
As you are planning 14 - 17 days and only have about 10 picked out, I would suggest 2 days covering Caernarvon ( castle ) and Llanberis ( walk in the mountains ). Dublin can be a fun place for a few days.
Enjoy the trip

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