Attractions
Lose yourself in the awesome beauty of Bodnant Garden and spend an amazing day in this feast for the senses. Enjoy sights, sounds and fragrances that you’ll remember forever from the huge variety of plants, ponds and wildlife to the mighty mountains beyond.
Built for Edward I, by Master James of St George, the castle is amongst the finest surviving medieval fortifications in Britain. From the grandeur of its high towers and curtain walls to its excellent state of preservation. An estimated £15,000 was spent building the castle.
Explore the stunning scenery of the Snowdonia National Park and Coast region. The biggest and boldest mountains of England and Wales are to be found in the Snowdonia National Park as well as sandy beaches, spectacular cliffs and glorious estuaries.
Once the seat of a legendary giant, Cadair Ifan Goch is a viewpoint on a rocky hill offering superb views of the Conwy Valley and the eastern Carneddau mountains. Ifan Goch, apparently, used to sit on the rock whilst bathing his feet in the waters of the River Conwy. The viewpoint is about 15 minutes walk along a woodland path and bridleway.
The closest train station to Maenan is Dolgarrog with six trains a day to Llandudno and the coast or to Blaenau Ffestiniog and on to Porthmadog on the Welsh Highland Railway. The Ffestiniog Welsh Highland Railway takes you on a 13½-mile journey from slate-quarrying town of Blaenau Ffestiniog to the harbour in Porthmadog.
Conwy Water Garden is situated in Rowen, it has 3 fully stocked Coarse Fishing Lakes, a Nature Walk with numerous ponds, woods and waterfalls, an Aquatic Centre with over 100 species of fish, a Reptile House. There is also a fully licensed Dutch Pancake House and Restaurant open every day except Mondays.
The world’s largest Garden Maze is in Trefriw. The maze is constructed using English Yew and is unique in the world in that it contains themed gardens. The garden also contains the worlds rarest tree - the Wallemi Pine. Enjoy a walk around the garden maze and woodland walk or just browse around the many garden statues.
Manufacturers of traditional Welsh bedspreads, tapestries and tweeds. Tour the working mill musuem and turbine house and then visit our shop for an opportunity to purchase our wool knitwear and sheepskin items (hand spinning demonstrations Tuesday-Thursday, June-Sept).
It is believed that Trefriw Wells Spa was first discovered by Romans from the XX Roman legion stationed at Canovium, 3 miles north of Trefriw. In 1874 a Victorian bath and pump house was built and for the first time the water was sold to the public. At the rear of the building was a short tunnel where the iron rich spa water drained into pools.
The Snowdon Sherpa is a unique bus service that travels around the foot of Snowdon, creating a valuable link between the six main routes that travel up Snowdon, as well as the main car parks, villages and tourist attractions in the area.
It is an ideal service for walkers or climbers who intend to start their journey from one point and finish at another, or indeed for anyone who wish to travel around Snowdonia and leave the car at home.
Where does it go? The Snowdon Sherpa travels in circuits around Snowdonia’s most popular destinations, which include:
- Llanberis
- Betws-y-Coed
- Llanrwst
- Beddgelert
- Caernarfon
- Bethesda
- Porthmadog
- Capel Curig
- Penygwryd
Buying a ticket You can buy your ticket on the bus. It is possible to buy tickets for individual journeys or a day pass that enables you to jump on and off as you please all day.
Llechwedd Slate Caverns is situated near the historic slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog and is 10 scenic minutes away from Betws-y-coed. Descend nearly 500 feet underground in Europe's steepest mining cable railway and travel back 170 years in a few minutes to meet Sion your ghostly guide through the Deep Mine.
The Forestry Commission's Gwydyr Forest is a fully productive forest, with recreational facilities of all kinds covering an area of over 7,250 hectares, including 4,900 hectares of productive woodland. The forest is very accessible by wide tracks, old miners' paths, and long established forest walks, a number of which follow way-marked routes. The popularity of Mountain Biking has led to the creation of The Marin Trail which is approximately 28km in length and tests the skills of Novice and Experienced bikers with 860 metres of climbing in all. The nearest town is Betws-y-Coed.