Our Snowdonian Road Trip

10/12/2017


Welsh road trip


You may have seen on my Instagram and YouTube channel that we recently packed up the car for the weekend and headed from South Wales through Mid-Wales to the beautiful Snowdonia where we spent two nights in Barmouth. We were really lucky with the weather being dry during the day and still fairly mild for this time of the year. As it's just over a four hour drive up we decided to spilt the journeys both ways with our first break along the way at the Elan Valley.

This area has some fantastic walks, we spotted loads of Red Kites in the sky above us and the large reservoirs are breathtaking. There is also a an indoor exhibition at the visitors centre with a small children play area, a cafe with a great selection for those looking for a substantial break. Outside there is a fun play park with a nature theme as well as sculpture stones as you walk towards the reservoir. If your heading up North on the A470 this is a great place to break up your journey especially if you have children with you as offers so much space to run around.


Welsh road trip

Welsh Road trip


After a few hours we jumped back into the car and drove through all the quaint and cute villages and towns along the way, then as you get closer to Snowdonia the landscape changes again, with parts of it looking like middle earth, very dramatic with mountains running down to the sea. We stayed at Away Resorts just outside of Barmouth right on the coast and only a few meters away from the beach, as it was off peak the resort was very quiet which was great for us. It was the first time we had ever done a static caravan holiday so we really didn't know what to expect but check in was a breeze, the caravan was warm and toasty despite temperatures dropping drastically at night and the kitchen was well equipped. The interior could do with a slight update but had everything we needed to be comfortable and was a great base with Portmeirion and Harlech Castle being under half an hour away.

Barmouth Bay

Caravan holiday


Away Resorts Barmouth also had a great indoor pool which was a huge hit with the boys and we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves and was the perfect was to relax after a busy day of exploring the local area. There is also a small outdoor play park on site which we visited one evening, it was a little big for my youngest but perfect for my eldest. I really liked the fact that this was a quieter location with a focus on being so close to the beach and outdoor activities rather than novelty attractions meaning you could enjoy some quality family time. There was meant to be wifi but it didn't work due to bad weather earlier in the week although we didn't actually mind that as it meant we could have a bit of a work and social media down time.


Barmouth Bay

Barmouth Bay


As I mentioned Barmouth is only around half an hour away from the quirky Italian Style Village of Portmeirion so we decided to spend one full day there. I will do a much larger post about this place which is simply breathtaking, magical and slightly bizarre all in one and if you haven't been yet you really need to go, you won't regret it. On the way to Portmeirion you pass through the historical town of Harlech and the impressive castle on the cliff side, we wanted to try and fit in a visit to there as well but run out of time. The one thing about this mini road break is it's shown us just how much of Wales we still want to see and explore and has inspired us to plan a much larger road trip next year lasting around a week so we can take in all the castles and historical places with the kids.


Italian Village

Italian Village

Visit Wales


As I said I will do a much larger post just on our time at Portmeirion as that was certainly one of the highlights of the trip and both of the boys where mesmerised by the magic of it all. On our last morning after breakfast and packing up we headed back on the road, this time we decided to stop of at Machinations just over an hour down the road, this unique visitor centre in mid-Wales was just full of wonder and quirky parflinalia. It is home to the largest permanent exhibition of contemporary Automata (mechanical moving models) which were really well made and creative and the kids loved watching which many being hands-on and interactive. Machinations also had a fantastic cafe and made a great spot for an early lunch while just outside the window was a miniature rabbit kingdom where children and visit and feed the resident rabbits.


Automata

Automata

Bunny rabbit


 As you probably already know we love to travel but it doesn't always have to be overseas, we are just as passionate about exploring locally and enjoying staycations as there are just so many places still to see and explore in Wales and the UK and we had a fantastic time taking in more of what was on our doorstep, so you really don't have to go far for as spot of adventure. Do check our my vlog about our stay below





Thanks to Portmeirion for providing us with day tickets to explore this fantastic Italian inspired village.

20 comments:

  1. I really want to visit Snowdonia, we were supposed to do it this year but ran out of time. It looks like you had an amazing stay

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    1. It a fantastic part of the country, really magical

      Laura x

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  2. What a beautiful part of the world. It's a few years since we visited but I'd love to go again. I remember many of these towns from my childhood.

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    1. Yes you should re-visit! You won't regret it

      Laura x

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  3. What a beautiful area and I am loving that pool and even better you had it to yourselves

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    1. I know, we were pretty lucky as I think it would be very busy in the lead up to summer

      Laura x

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  4. Sounds like a fab road trip and so good that it's super close to Portmerion too! Looks like you had a fab time all round!

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    1. Portmeirion was fantastic and so glad it was so close by

      Laura x

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  5. I'm so glad you enjoyed your time near Barmouth. The hubby and I used to spend every May Bank Holiday weekend in Snowdonia on the motorbike and we stayed between Barmouth and Harlech. It's such an amazing part of Wales. And great that you're planning a longer road trip. I'll be looking forward to following that trip on your IG!

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    1. Ooh a roadtrip on motorbikes sounds amazing Cath - yes cannot wait to go back for a longer time

      Laura x

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  6. It looks like you had an amazing road trip. Loving the photos.

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  7. What gorgeous photos as always, Laura! Love that you went to Portmerion - I'm absolutely dying to visit so I'll look forward to your post on that. x

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  8. Such a beautiful part of the world and a great reminder that there are plenty of places to enjoy travelling to closer to home! Some lovely photos too.

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  9. Looks like you had a great time. You took some good pics too

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  10. Sounds like a great family trip - I so want to visit Portmeirion, almost did last spring but couldn't fit it in. Next time!

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  11. This sounds amazing and so lovely! I really want to do more trips with the family next year. We haven't had a holiday in years so could totally do with a break and some much needed fresh air and change of scenary! x

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  12. What an incredible place to stay! Sounds like you had an amazing time x

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  13. Beautiful. Glad you had a good time!

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  14. This looks absolutely amazing!! I really want to visit Snowdonia at some point in the new year

    Abi | abistreetx

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  15. This looks great. I really need to visit North Wales this year x

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Lovely comments

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