Snowdonia
Snowdonia (Eryri to the Welsh) is the first of Wales’ national parks, and covers a huge 823 square miles of space! Right in the middle sits the mountain Snowdon,which is the highest mountain in Wales. It was also the third national park to be named in Britain; sitting with the company of the Lake District and Peak District isn’t a bad thing at all!
A relatively high percentage of those living within the boundaries of the park speak at least a little Welsh – that’s 62% of 26,000 people
It’s a great place for hiking, and is often known as the Adventure Capital of the UK. Walking on the mountain is great (although you can get the Snowdonia Mountain Railway if you’re lazy) but your best bet is to find somewhere a little less usual. It can get really busy on Snowdon, especially in the spring and along the main roads. No worries though – most of the park falls under the Right to Roam laws.
Bring an umbrella though, as it’s one of the wettest places in the UK, and Crib Goch is officially the wettest spot in the UK!
Nature LOVES Snowdonia. We have so many rare mammals here – otters, feral goats, polecats and sometimes pine martens – as well as birds like red kites, peregrines, osprey and ravens.
We’ve also got a special plant that you won’t see anywhere else – the Snowdon lily. We also have the amazingly rainbow-coloured Snowdon beetle, and Snowdonia hawkweed, although the lily is much nicer.
Huge networks of gorges, rivers and streams flowing off the majestic mountains make for perfect destinations to gorge walks. Not quite the activity for young ones, kids aged twelve and up will love the challenge of scrambling over and up river streams.
If toiling through waist high water doesn’t sound like the relaxing time you were looking for (and I don’t blame you!) then why not mess about out on a boat for a few hours? Kayak and Canoe rental is relatively affordable, safe (rentals come with life jackets included, better safe than sorry!) and, with a decent range of Classes, you can either take it easy on a lazy river or take it up a notch with some rapids!
Not everyone wants to get wet on holiday, and if you don’t get lucky with the weather then there are plenty of indoor activities that can keep all parties pleased!
ake Bounce Below, home to the world’s largest underground trampoline – kids will obviously enjoy these giant indoor play areas, but it would take a pretty tough cookie, of any other age, not to be a little bowled over by the sheer novelty of the cavernous setting.
Once you tire of bouncing around, you will be hungry. You could appease the kids and drive-thru a fast food place, or you could do yourself a favour and discover one of Wale’s gorgeous gastro pubs. You may well end up spending more than you planned, but for the money you’ll get to eat a meal that you and the family won’t forget for a long long time!