Conwy

“Conwy County Borough” is located on the north coast of Wales between Gwynedd to the west and south, and Denbighshire to the east, sharing Snowdonia National Park with Gwynedd. It is an old area with stunning cliffs with small towns clinging to the craggy shoreline (such as Conwy).

The town of Conwy is on the north coast of the county of the same name in Wales. The picturesque town is a walled city protected by Conwy Castle. The castle is one of four built by Edward I in the 13th century to protect his recent conquest of the Welsh, this castle has walls also containing the small village originally occupied by the English. A beautiful castle that has suffered some damage over the years but is still intact enough to give the visitor a good idea of what was there before. A nominal entrance fee is charged though this is waived if you are a member of CADW (welsh historical society). The tours are offered by an independent group within the castle walls and is worth taking. Great views of the rest of the town and famous bridges leading to the town. There is also a good walk along about 1/3 of the city walls and it is FREE.

The seaside resort of Llandudno is only a short distance down the river Conway from Conwy itself, where the river meets the ocean. The town appears to mostly consist of hotels and has quite a magnificent wooden pier, with the normal seaside attractions (fast food, fair ground games, arcades, etc) on the northern edge at the entrance to the “Great Orme” coastal road. What is nice that the town has a number of old features including covered walkways.

The spectacular Bodnant Garden is located just south of Conwy on the A470 and is operated by the National Trust. It consists of a series of very different looking gardens in the grounds of a stately home in the spectacular north Wales countryside just outside of Snowdonia National Park.

The spectacular formal “Terraces” beside the manor house contain multiple ponds and amazing views of the surrounding countryside while the “Old Park” is basically a big field. The main focus of the site are the gardens along a small gorge that runs the length of the estate with meandering walking trails throughout. It is not necessarily a great area for specimen spotting but it does look quite amazing and feels quite relaxing to visit.

Parking is in the hills opposite the entrance of the gardens which are accessed via a tunnel under the road. The visitor centre is attached to a large gardening centre, a small café and a few small shops (there is another, larger, restaurant located at the base of the car parks). An entrance fee is charged (but parking is free).

Some pictures…

The “Great Orme” is a huge outcrop of rock beside Llandudno that is protected land with a tramway as well as a cable car lift taking you to the top (if you don't want to drive). You can catch both the cable car and the tram at stations close to the pier with no need to purchase tickets in advance though check opening hours to ensure it is open.

There is a coastal road (evidently a toll road but when we visited there was no toll being collected) that winds around the base of the cliffs with spectacular views of the surrounding coast. The road is one-way for the first 4.5 miles of the 5.5 distance with other roads leading to other attractions on the site including the peak (where there is a large car park, café and the terminus of the chair lift and tram).

Located near the top of Great Orme (near where the tram starts), the Great Orme Mines are Bronze Age copper mines discovered in 1987. Visiting consists of both underground and outdoor sections in a self-guided walk.

For further information, please see:

• Visit Conwy - Tourism information
• Wikipedia - Conwy County Borough