Why Visit North Wales?
Furthermore, it's within easy reach of places such as Chester, Liverpool and Manchester with excellent road and rail links, so it has the beauty of the area, without the remoteness.
Llandudno
When tourism began becoming popular from the cities, Llandudno was a popular destianation for individuals from Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield, who loved the sweeping bay scenery. From there, tourism boomed and the rest - as they say - is history.
Llandudno Sites
Llandudno Camp Sites
Visit Llandudno
Llandudno Bed & Breakfasts from My Llandudno
Llandudno Promenade Hotel - Lauriston Court is a Llandudno Promenade Hotel, highly reccommended!
March Hare Music - North Wales based retailer of Freshman Guitars
Queens Head Glanwydden - Llandudno Restaurant, Llandudno Country Pub & Llandudno Self Catering Cottage.
World Care Waste - skip hire in Llandudno
Rhyl
Rhyl is also undergoing a multi-million pound regeneration project to improve the seafront to hopefully attract more tourists and businesses to the area.
Rhyl Pages
Rhyl Camp Sites
Towyn Caravan Site - Marine Park Holiday Park
Snowdonia
The area is hugely popular, thanks to great road links and railway links, with both day visitors and paying visitors alike. Much of the area is owned privately (around 70%), but there's still a lot of areas to roam, including up Snowdon, the biggest mountain in England and Wales.
The area is popular with walkers and those wishing to participate in outdoor persuits. However, there are a number of injuries and even deaths each year in the area due to ill-equipped walkers. For people who prepare well, take care and are relatively fit, the area is an enjoyable experience for all.
The national park's shape is an odd one, as there's a hole in the middle. The reason for the hole is the town at the centre - Blaunau Ffestiniog - relied heavily at the time on slate mining. Since then it has declined, but the remnants of the mines still remains around Blaunau.
Snowdonia Pages
Snowdon Portal - including information on accommodation, log book, weather forecasts and safety advice.
Snowdon Camp Sites
Snowdonia Self Catering Accommodation
Conwy
Conwy is the home of Conwy Castle, a late 13th century Castle, built by King Edward I, during his second invasion of Wales. The castle remained as a defensive outpost for only a small period of time, and since the mid 17th century it has remained in a similar state to it is today.
The castle actually surrounds the town of Conwy, it was rumoured that Edward forcibly removed a lot of Conwy's original settlers, and replaced them with well-to-do businessmen to allow the town's economy to flourish.
There are a number of famous buildings in the town, firstly Aberconwy House - which is the only 14th century merchant's house still standing in Conwy, the second is The Smallest House in Great Britain - which with 3.05 x 1.8 meters dimensions - is the smallest previously inhabited house in the UK, though it has not been lived in since 1900, when the last tenant, a 6ft 3 fisherman, moved out as it was a hygiene risk.
Two other points of note are two bridges that cross the river into Conwy. The first is Conwy Suspsension bridge - which is a footbridge built by Thomas Telford, the second is Conwy Railway Bridge built by Robert Stephenson. What's unusual about both bridges is that they are seen to match the original Britania Bridge and the Menai Bridge in design and also in dimensions (just a smaller scale model of each).
Conwy Sites
Things To Do In Conwy
Conwy Holiday Parks
Network Yacht Brokers Conwy
Taxi Hire Conwy - Castle Mini Coaches
Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay is a large town sandwiched between Llandudno and Rhyl. Originally a rather small farming community (was is now known as Old Colwyn), Colwyn Bay grew in the Victorian era with the building of the railway from Chester to Holyhead. From there people who wanted to visit both Rhyl and Llandudno usually stayed in Colwyn Bay.The town now remains a useful hub on the North Wales coastline, even since the decline of tourism. Nevertheless, the quaint borough of Rhos-on-Sea which is walking distance from the town centre makes this town still a fun day out.
Also in the town is Colwyn Bay FC, one of only six Welsh football clubs to ply their trade in the English league, and have been in formation for over 125 years.
Colwyn Bay Sites
Best of the Bay - Colwyn Bay Town Guide
Skip Hire in Colwyn Bay - World Care Waste
Manshop UK - a UK wide tailor of big mens clothes, based on Station Road, Colwyn Bay.
Bangor
The city of Bangor formed around the cathedral, which was founded by the Celtic Saint Deiniol. Bangor had originally some sort of wall or perimeter, as the word "Bangor" comes from a Welsh word for a type of fenced-in enclosure.
Education plays a huge role in Bangor's development. Friars School in Bangor was founded in 1557, and is one of the oldest schools in Wales, which is over 450 years old. Originally only a boys school, Friars School became a mixed comprehensive in 1971.
The second educational institution in the area is Bangor University. Founded on 18th of October 1884, the university specialises in Biological & Ocean Sciences, as well as Welsh being it's speicalist subjects. The Biological & Ocean Sciences benefit with a link to Coleg Menai, located on the banks of the Menai Straits, making it one of the most popular places in the UK to study those courses.
Bangor Links
TH1 Hairdressing a Bangor Hairdressing & Bangor Beauty Salon
Bangor Taxi Hire from Castle Mini Coaches
Pwllheli
It's More Than Just Butlins!
Nowadays the town's more popular with tourism, with a former Butlins complex in the town, and two blue flag beaches. The town is also home to Plas Bodegroes - one of only two Michelin Starred Restaurants in the United Kingdom.
Pwllheli Links
Network Yacht Brokers Pwllheli
Caernarfon
A visit to Wales really should constitute a visit to Caernarfon, as it's the most Welsh-speaking community in Wales. Over 85% of the town residents speak welsh, and in the 10-14 age group, 97.7% could speak it fluently. Part of the reason for this is the adoption of a regional dialect called "Cofi", which allows the haphazard mixture of English and Welsh grammar and even words. Even so, a large proportion of the signs are in Welsh as a first language, a rarity as in most of Wales English is given as the prominent language on road signage.
The other fascinating thing about Caernarfon is it's place in Welsh history, as the traditional location for the investiture of the Prince of Wales. This has done twice, once in 1911 with Edward VIII, and the second in 1969.
Outgoing Links
Black Boy Inn - a popular Caernarfon Hotel and pub.
Buckley
In the mid 1600s, the town was discovered to be lying on a faulty rock formation, which allowed for coal and clay to be directly mined from the seams to the surface. This grew the town as it became the heart of the pottery industry in North Wales. Miners from Liverpool and Ireland headed to Buckley to live and work, which gave the town it's unique accent.
In 1932, the town was one of the first in Wales to produce it's own Pantomime. The producer, Dennis Griffiths, used the programme to invite any and all complaints to arrive written "on the back of a £10 note (non returnable).
Another little history fact was that a WWII German bomber crashed into "The Trap" (a boating lake in the centre of the town). The pilot and crew survived, and were taken in by the locals as Prisoners of War.
In the 1990's, Buckley found another area of expertise. The Tivoli Nightclub had some of the biggest and brightest bands from music play there (including Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin in the mid 1970s). And in the 90's, it was a venue for the rise of Britpop, with Oasis, Radiohead, Ocean Colour Scene and Super Furry Animals playing there. Now more of a commercial dance venue, The Tiv (as it's locally called), has a rock night every Friday with bands such as Skindred, Hed PE and OPM playing there.
Buckley also has an annual jubilee, which happens every July.
Buckley Links
Buckley Industrial - Buckley based company that produces hoses, flexible hose connectors & hose assemblies.
Bala
Or "Y Bala", to be precise
A small market town in the centre of North Wales, Bala is only a small town, with a population of less than 2,000. However, this figure swells in the summer due to the amount of tourists that visit the town.Bala is famous for one thing in particular, as it's lies on the North bank of the biggest lake in Wales, Bala Lake. 4 miles long and a mile wide, the lake is incredibly deep, a great source of pike, perch and trout, as well as a few rare shellfish. The River Dee (the river that flows all the way to Chester) passes through Bala Lake, and legend has it that the river and the lake's waters never mix. It is also popular with tourists due to the amount of water activities including kayaking, sailing yachts and power boats available to rent on the lake.
Running through Bala and around the lake is the Bala Lake Railway. A preserved railway, the railway runs on 2ft Gague Steam engines, and well worth travelling on if you go to Bala.
The other reason why Bala is popular is it's proximity to the Snowdonia national park. However, because it is outside the park, Bala is generally a lot cheaper. This doesn't necessarily mean it's lacking in beauty, because it's a fabulous little village, in a picturesque part of Wales.
Bala Links
Bryn Melyn Farm - A number of cottages and self catering accommodation in bala
Anglesey
Ynys Mon
Due to the island's size and population, the Island has few notable events in history, nevertheless it is extremely popular for two reasons.
The first is that it's used as a thoroughfare for people wanting to go to Dublin. Ireland is a short 70 mile ferry away from Holyhead which lies itself off the coast of Anglesey, and as such many people take in Anglesey for a couple of days before going through to Ireland.
And that is reason #2. Anglesey is an area of outstanding natural beauty, which is remarkably accessible with few mountains, a long coastline and incredible scenery.
Anglesey has an airport, called Anglesey Airport, which does have some civilian use. Airplanes from Anglesey run twice daily to Cardiff, however there is talk of increasing the number of flights & range of destinations, with flights to Dublin, London & Amsterdam being considered as well.
The Island is also a principle competitor in the Island Games, a competition held every 2 years where Island nations compete for medals. Anglesey have the 16th best record in the competition, with a total of 78 medals (16 gold, 26 silver and 36 bronze).
Anglesey Links
Anglesey Taxi Hire from Castle Mini Coaches
Abergele & Pensarn
The town itself is fairly big with just short of 18,000 residents, and has a large urban area with shops, pubs & other services (a large Tesco dominates the outskirts of the town). It's also home to it's fair share of myths and legends, and has a rich and varied history for over 2000 years (by carrying out DNA tests on local residents, there was a large amount of Romany & North African DNA similarities, which suggest a large settlement of people in the area during the Roman times).
Abergele is known to be a settlement as early as the thirteenth century, when Edward I stayed there in 1294, and there are number of forts from the Iron Age dotted around the town. Apart from that though, very little is known about the town for much of the dark ages, as well as the Tudor & Stuart times.
During the reign of George IV in the UK in the early 19th Century, a castle was built called Gwrych Castle, which is still standing today. Unlike a lot of castles, it passed into private ownership pretty quickly and has been used for a number of things, including housing of 200 refugees in World War II, a tourist attraction, a training venue for the boxer Randy Turpin & motorcycle rallys. Now it lies in a state of disrepair, after it's previous owner failed to renovate it. Instead the Californian Businessman sold the castle to Clayton Hotels in 2006, and currently a £6million project is under way to renovate it.
Abergele Links
Abergele Mobility are stockists of a wide range of mobility equipment such as electric scooters, bathing aids, wheeled walkers and other mobilitiy aids.
Moving To North Wales Permanently
Love it in North Wales? Why not move here permanently? A lot of people from Manchester, Liverpool, Stoke and Birmingham eventually move to North Wales to settle down, raise a family, and generally enjoy a lot less stressful living. The cost of living in areas such as North Wales in a lot smaller than most parts of the UK, and there's plenty of growing opportunities for talented and skilled people such as yourselves!Here are some links that'll help make your move easy!
Property North Wales is a website for helping you find an estate agent, solicitor, mortgage brokers and HIP providers based in North Wales.
Gogledd.com is a community website that features links and active forums for visitors, fans of North Wales sports clubs, and local residents alike.
Accountants North West and Wales is a list of accountants, and financial advisers in both North Wales and further afield in Chester, Cheshire and Merseyside.
Care Wales will help you find a care home for elderly relatives sympathetically during difficult periods.
A great bunch of Family Law Solicitors North Wales are Gamlins. They can help you out with any legal issues you could be facing.
If you need something looking into, then why not speak to Hocart Solutions. They're a number of North Wales Private Investigators who can sort out problems you may have.
Latest BBC News from Wales
The latest news from Wales, both North and South, curteosy of the BBC
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byNorth Wales Links
Links to North Wales Caravan and Camp Sites
North Wales Photos
Photos from North Wales, Thanks to Flickr
North Wales Thoughts
Give your experiences of North Wales tomorrow.
StrangeConversation wrote...
Very informative lens. We generally stay near Aberdaron, not far from Abersoch. In february we travelled to Snowdonia and walked along the Miners Track up Snowdon mountain. I've posted some pics with my experience of the walk here: http://www.squidoo.com/snowdon_wales
Chrismorton wrote...
I have never been to North Wales. I feel like visiting but not much. You have explained well about the place but you miss illustrating. Suggest you to add great picks, to make a colorful look to your lens.
Thanks
EverythingMouse wrote...
I always used to visit North Wales for family holidays as a child. We used to stay in a caravan.
Your North Wales Links!
Why not add your North Wales Links to our directory?
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North Wales Holiday Parks
A list of holiday parks based in North Wales.0 points
2
Visit Llandudno
A travel and tourism listing specifically for Llan more...0 points
3
Towyn Holiday Park
Marine Park Holiday park is a holiday park based i more...0 points
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Go Borderlands
An accommodation listing direcory specifically for more...0 points
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Colwyn Bay - Best of the Bay - North Wales
Colwyn Bay's community including business and tour more...0 points
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North Wales Online Community
More for residents, Gogledd is a website that incl more...0 points
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Caravan Park
We will start with the definition of caravan. A ca more...0 points
9
Welsh Directory
Welsh Directory places Wales at the centre of the more...0 points
10
Kensington Llandudno Hotel
Centrally located sea front Hotel. Close to shops, more...0 points
Favourite Town in Wales
Weather In Wales
BBC Wales Twitter Feed
BBC Wales Twitter

- bbcwales
- aka BBC Wales
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- News and Sport: Roberts awarded top Lion honour http://bit.ly/mADl1
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Photos from North Wales by Highwaylass
Latest North Wales Tweets
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- sylvian1361
- @bloodandmud Is that prestatyn north wales by any chance?
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- GavWhit
- http://twitpic.com/9ep3v - lovely day in North wales
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- stevanegg
- http://twitpic.com/9egn4 furthest pint west in North Wales ? Glaslyn ale, Purple Moose brewery
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- danowen
- @davidhiggerson @debjam make it within sight of the border and they automatically become 'a north wales chimp.......'
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- pinky26
- @lliswerryguy Ok you are a welsh guy so that figures!! Love both south and north wales been on hol there loads.
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- Rhos_on_Sea
- Front page of the North Wales Poineer! (http://cli.gs/u1UrA)
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- peachFUZZ_uk
- Rode the 650 again today up to the Pondarosa in North Wales. Totally fucked up horseshoe pass, thankfully nothing coming the other way.
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- cssbased
- Dave Brookes: Dave Brookes is a freelance web developer based in North Wales, UK with expertise in W3C XHTML.. http://tinyurl.com/l5dxrs
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- RosalieMarsh
- Good M orning from North Wales. A busy day with church then a meeting of the GoldWingers www.northwaleswings.co.uk
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- the_duchess_
- @paulant02 Wrong. We stumbled across the death of karaoke in North Wales last night. So very sad.
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- timothysisters
- @Chicobrenes what's going on in london? tmrw i shall drive to north wales. maybe i'll drop in on snowdon...
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- lissnicole
- North Wales =) missing?
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- fleamour
- Off to North Wales Soon! & maybe Exmoor with uplift, @hutchings you have suitable bike? I'm the only one riding HT.
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- sonjabm
- Art North Wales, Event. http://bit.ly/mccnq
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- lissnicole
- Getting ready 2 go 2 North Wales w/ the bff & fam.
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- SaraStreet
- just booked London, Stratford, and North Wales, and bought her Student Railcard!
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- techniphobe
- Relaxing in North Wales. Loving every second.
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- LansReporter
- Photos of North Wales Independence Day parade, festivies: http://tinyurl.com/nd4cph














