A weekend road trip through Wales

If you have never been to Snowdonia, here's a lil summary of what to expect if you were to visit…

Surrounded by a rich variety of semi-natural environments, Snowdonia National Park came into existence in 1951. It was the first national park in Wales and 3rd in Britain (there are now 15 in Britain). Snowdonia National Park, now an independent authority, main purpose is to:

• Conserve/enhance its natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area.

• Promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the park by the public.

• Seek and foster the economic and social well being of the local communities within the park.

There is so much to be explored and appreciated in this national park so unfortunately a weekend road trip isn’t remotely near enough the solid amount of time you need to see and explore everything that this incredibly beautl place has to offer. Having said that, here was our experience and an epic one it was.

Climbing mount Snowdon

There are nine mountain ranges in Snowdonia that include many peaks. Of course we had to climb the highest mountain whilst we were there.

Mount Snowdon's name is derived from the Saxon “Snow Dun” which means snow hill. There are 6 official walking routes to the summit which vary in difficulty. If walking is not for you (ya lazy frogs. I joke, I nearly died walking up this mountain and I thought it was going to be a piece of cake and was convinced i would be the next person to smash the 3 peak challenge), there is also a train service from Llanberis. But be aware, if the weather turns and the wind picks up too much that people need to hold onto their dogs in order to prevent them from being flown off the mountain (like it did with us), the train service will be shut down and those that got it up will have to walk down anyways.

We took the Minffordd Path, Cader Idris, which at about 3 miles in distance it is the shortest footpath but involves the greatest ascent. It took us a couple of hours to reach the top from where we had a cracking summit view (see insta stories for footage of fun times in fog). There is also a cafe at the summit which we sat inside to scoff down some sandwiches and snacks before making our way back down.

(Views from the Minffordd path up Snowdon )

Betws-y-coed

Apart from the incredible high mountains, Snowdonia has also a wide variation of landscape of steep river gorges, waterfalls and green valleys. I’m yet to explore the coastline so do share if you have any recommendations!

On one of our drives, we stumbled across the beautiful quaint village of Betws-y-Coed. This beautiful valley is ideal for anyone searching for some outdoor activities. After wandering around the numerous craft and outdoor activity shops in the village, we wandered down the stream towards Swallow Falls. It was easy to see why Swallow Falls are considered to be one of the loveliest spots of North Wales.

(Stream to Swallow Falls)

Zip World Caverns

The big kids we are, of course we had to check out one of the most unique attractions in the UK, the Zip World Slate Caverns. This adventure course beneath the surface and through the caves of the 200 year old slate mine was literally one of the funnest things I have done to date in the UK. Although i will say, the safety talks were hideously tedious, once you were let loose in the caves it was so much fun zip lining across pitch black holes and climbing monkey bars to complete the 11 zip lines. I think I am quite a claustrophobic person however, for me this just added to the adrenaline and excitement.

I was then persuaded to tackle Titan, Europe's largest dedicated zip line across a bright blue quarry. The scenes at the top were unreal (see insta stories). It was good, but personally I preferred the Zip lining and climbing course inside the caverns.

(Before taking flight across the quarry)

Chester

Now i know this isn’t Wales but i can’t not include this beauty of a stop we took on the way home. On our last night we stayed at the Mill Hotel and Spa, with our room overlooking the Shropshire Union Canal. Unfortunately we didn’t use the spa but the bar was put to good use before our last dinner out at Miller and Carter (both non steak eaters now), i mean the food was BANGING but yeah, all for the non cow eating life now.

So that wraps that trip up! As i previously mentioned, i am super keen to check out more of the welsh coastline this year, so if you have any recommendations for surf and camping spots, ping them my way (: