Each year, we tick a few places from our UK bucket list. It is a brilliant way to plan your travels and something I would highly recommend. In 2015 we made the long trip down to Stonehenge, 2016 was all about hunting for the Loch Ness Monster and in 2017 we visited the real Wayne Manor, Cardiff Bay and spent Christmas in a Cottage which is something I had always wanted to do.
In 2018 we ticked Cadbury World from our list as well as visiting Edinburgh Christmas Market and Liverpool for the first time. In 2019 we spent 10 days in Cornwall and loved visiting Padstow, the Eden Project, Gardens of Heligan and Newquay. We also visited Chester Zoo for the first time, spent 24 hours in Stratford-Upon-Avon , visited Brighton which had been on my list for ages as well as the Southern Merlin Theme Parks and stayed at Loch Lomond.
This year, our bucket list destinations include Birmingham, Warwick Castle and Snowdonia. I am really trying to maximise Steve's holiday this year so we are attempting Snowdonia in a weekend in August without him needing to take any annual leave! Here are our plans.....
Friday Night
Once Steve has finished work, travel 3-4 hours and book a late overnight stay at a Premier Inn near Chester (or thereabouts).
Saturday Morning
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| Credit - Portmerion |
Have breakfast and travel 1 hour 50 minutes to Portmerion. This is somewhere I have always wanted to visit. Portmerion is a unique and beautiful village in Snowdonia featuring Italian architecture, a land train, guided tours, stunning piazza and more.
You do need to pay to visit (£13 per adult, £9 per child) but I think it will be 100% worth it. We aim to spend from 11am - 3pm here taking it all in and will stop for a bite to eat for lunch. If you book lunch at either Castlell Duedreth Brasserie or lunch or afternoon tea at The Hotel Portmerrian, you are provided with complimentary entry to the village. We may go for this option.
Saturday Afternoon
We will drive 20 minutes to Llechwedd where we are spending the evening. Llechwedd is home to zip world, bounce below, Cavern cheddar, mine tours, quarry adventures and more. There are lots of activities to enjoy and book but as we are quite short on time, I plan on booking a late afternoon mine tour down the steepest railway in Britain.
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| Credit : Llechwedd |
The tour lasts 1 hour 15 minutes and includes light projections, a tour guide and hands-on interaction where you can gain a true understanding of the mining heritage in Wales. Tickets are £15 per person.
Saturday Evening
Llechwedd Slate Mine is home to six luxury glamping lodges which look over the mine. They overlook the quarry, come with their own wood-burning stove, toilets, showers & plug sockets and are furnished to a high standard.
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| Credit : Llechwedd |
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| Credit : Llechwedd |
Prices are from £120 per night (our Saturday night in August was £180 for 5) and they look like such a good place to just chill out and relax in the Welsh countryside. I imagine we will spend the evening having a BBQ and a few beers on the decking. Bliss.
Sunday Morning
Llechwedd has its own cafe on site serving the finest Welsh produce. I plan on enjoying a full Welsh Breakfast here before checking out. We will pick up a few local treats to take home with us too no doubt.
Sunday
To end our trip, we are booking a late morning trip with Snowdon Mountain Railway. It is fairly pricey at £31 - £40 per adult return and £21 - £30 per child return (to the summit and back) but the trip just looks incredible so I hope it is worth splashing out on.
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| Credit - Snowdon Mountain Railway |
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| Credit : Snowdon Mountain Railway |
The trip lasts 2 hours 30 minutes which includes a 30 minute stop at the top where you can visit the summit visitor centre, cafe and gift shop. I love that you can buy a postcard and post it from here too. Mount Snowdon is the highest mountain in England and Wales at 1085m above sea level. Fingers crossed for a clear day.
It is around a 5-hour drive home - we will set off mid-afternoon after our trip up the mountain with a little stop off somewhere halfway for tea.
Quite a packed weekend I am sure you will agree - there is loads more I want to do in the area with bounce below and surf school being high on my list, however I don't want to pack too much in and think we already have a packed itinerary. If we love the area, I am sure we can head back when the kids are teens as the area seems to have loads on offer for teens who love adventure.
Have you visited Snowdonia? Let me know if you have any tips.
For more adventures in Wales, check out the following posts:
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