Why a Trip to North Wales is Always My Favourite Way to Escape

It’s no secret to those that know me. I am a passionate Welshman. Many have discovered this the hard way – cornered at a house party, or at the end of a pub table, and bored to death by my ramblings on the language, culture and politics of my country.

But I’m not alone. We Welsh are a passionate people. Humble, self-effacing and perhaps a tad pessimistic, but ultimately enamoured with the fact we are so blessed as to be from Wales. As late-90s alt-rock legends Catatonia put it: “Everyday, when I wake up, I thank the Lord I’m Welsh.”

It’s easy to dismiss this as an odd cultural quirk, or a result of being a plucky little nation in the shadow of a giant neighbour, but last weekend I escaped to North Wales and Eryri National Park, and it reminded me that there’s good reason for Welsh pride. My country is as beautiful as any.

I love to travel, and I tend to be drawn in particular to the exotic. Be it the landscapes, the cultures or the food, I love my holidays to be spent in a land that is totally alternate to the one I grew up in. I have been thrilled by the chaotic bazaars of Marrakech, wooed by the unique language and ancient wine-making techniques of Georgia, and fallen head over heels for the tropical backdrops of St Lucian beaches.

However, in recent years, I’ve noticed that nowhere helps me escape from the daily grind in such a pure, romantic sense as the dramatic landscapes of North Wales.

That’s why I was so pleased to be heading up to Plas Weunydd, a newly reopened hotel on the outskirts of Eryri, on the site of the old Llechwedd quarry, part of the UNESCO-listed Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales.

The hotel itself is a perfect base for exploring all that is great about North Wales, and that’s not just because of its location. Plas Weunydd itself, as part of the Llechwedd site, is the perfect embodiment of everything that gives Eryri its unique flavour. Firstly there’s the natural beauty, which strikes you immediately on approach to the hotel, and will rarely leave your side until Plas Weunydd is in your rearview mirror.

Then there’s the immense industrial heritage synonymous with 19th and 20th century Wales, represented by the slate quarry of Llechwedd itself, and the usage of local slate throughout the hotel.

This region of Wales is among the richest in terms of Welsh-speaking culture, so expect to hear plenty of the local tongue spoken by staff, as well as in the surrounding towns and villages – a “diolch” (thank you) is always appreciated in this part of the world.

And, finally, Plas Weunydd is a perfect example of how North Wales is modernising in the post-industrial era, having carved itself out as one of the premium adventure destinations in Europe. There are plenty of mountain trails to back that up, but the Llechwedd site itself offers several ways to get the adrenaline pumping.

Zip World Llechwedd is the world’s first adventure park to go above and below ground. Zip-wire across the old slate quarry before heading below the surface to bounce on cave trampolines, crawl through caverns and even play a round of underground mini golf. There are some amazing mountain bike trails here, as well as several walks you can undertake right from the hotel’s doorstep.

My adventure on this occasion, fuelled by a delicious and hearty cooked breakfast at Plas Weunydd, took me deeper into the mountains of Eryri, to Cwm Idwal, a remarkable valley formed by volcanic activity some 450 million years ago. Surrounded by some of Wales’ highest peaks, this is without a doubt one of the most beautiful spots in the UK. The towering, craggy mountain slopes are brutal and beautiful in equal measure, their jagged edges contrasted by the perfectly serene, perfectly transparent waters of Llyn Idwal (Idwal Lake) lying at the heart of the valley.

The scientific intrigue here exists on a microscopic scale as well, with lots of rare plantlife – ferns, mosses, lichens and flowering plants – that survived the Ice Age and which, along with the fascinating geological formations of the valley, attracted Charles Darwin to conduct research in Cwm Idwal.

But forget science, this is Wales, so folklore plays a part too. The valley and lake get their name from a tale dating back around 1,000 years to a Welsh prince. Idwal, son of Owain, King of Gwynedd, was an intelligent, scholarly and beautiful young man, but no warrior. His father sent him to stay with an uncle, Nefydd.

Nefydd was a bitter man, jealous of Idwal’s desirable qualities – which his own son supposedly did not possess – and one day pushed the young prince into the lake, watching on as he drowned. Needless to say the king was distraught, Nefydd was banished and the lake was named in honour of Prince Idwal.

The walk we embarked on was, fortunately, not tarnished by our own tale of envy and tragedy. Instead, it was a beautiful, sunny morning and a peaceful day in the Cwm. We hiked the circular loop that traces the lake and veers off on the south side, up some rocky slopes, passing intrepid rock climbers en route towards the so-called Devil’s Kitchen. From there we enjoyed spectacular views of the valley below, with the mountain peak of Pen yr Ole Wen on the other side, and nearby Llyn Ogwen sneaked around the corner.

It was one of the most fantastically beautiful hikes I’ve enjoyed in a long while, and a testament to the awe-inspiring scale of Eryri’s natural beauty, not to mention the endless adventurous possibilities awaiting along its mountains, valleys, lakes, streams, waterfalls and caves.

The beauty of North Wales is that you can find yourself standing at the foot of the UK’s tallest mountain south of the Scottish border (Yr Wyddfa), and within less than an hour you can be kicking back on one of the UK’s most glorious beaches.

Our choice was Llanddwyn, an eye-testingly long stretch of sand on the shores of Ynys Môn, the dreamy island in Wales’ northwestern corner. It took us barely 45 minutes by car to get there.

The beauty of Llanddwyn comes in three segments. First, foremost and most painfully obvious – it’s a stunningly sandy Blue Flag beach. Secondly, there’s the 2,000-acre pine forest standing tall behind it, and housing one of the UK’s only red squirrel populations.

Finally, it’s that Llanddwyn’s position on the southeastern side of Ynys Môn means that it boasts utterly spellbinding views of the mainland, including the mountains of Eryri – and Yr Wyddfa itself – as well as the stretching silhouette of the Llyn Peninsula.

So you could, in theory, start early in the morning with a climb to Wales’ highest point, before spending the afternoon lazing on the beach with a view of the very peak you climbed. It’s a magical thought, and a uniquely spectacular beach.

Oh, and there is a fourth gem in the crown of Llanddwyn beach, which is its namesake island. At high tide, Ynys Llanddwyn is indeed an island, but at low tide you can walk to it along the sand. This is an extremely worthwhile activity for a number of reasons.

There are the Welsh mountain ponies grazing all over, the seals popping their heads out from the ocean, and a rich variety of birdlife swirling above. Then there are the views, both of the mainland to one side and along the Ynys Môn coast on the other and, somewhat surprisingly, an utterly gorgeous selection of coves and beaches on the island itself. In fact, my suggestion is that you head straight to the island and set up camp on one of its beaches for the day.

There’s also a rich maritime history, as represented by the lighthouse and old Pilot’s cottages. The history of Llanddwyn Island even dates all the way back to the 5th century and the legend of Santes Dwynwen, one of the many daughters of King Brychan Brycheiniog.

Dwynwen loved a local lad called Maelon, but her father had already arranged a marriage to another man. Her true love took this news badly and Dwynwen prayed to forget him, at which point an angel appeared with a potion to help her do just that. Unfortunately, the potion turned her love into a block of ice. With Dwynwen now distraught, God granted her three wishes. She chose the following:

That Maelon be thawed
For God to help all true lovers
That she would never marry

As a token of gratitude, Dwynwen would live out the rest of her days on this very island, practicing as a nun at her own convent. Today, the island and the adjoining beach gets its name from Dwynwen, while her legacy is enshrined as the Welsh patron saint of lovers. Many people in Wales celebrate with their partners on 25 January – think of it as an alternative (and much cooler) version of St Valentine’s Day.

Like I said, most of the beautiful places in Wales have some folklore attached to it and, with so many beautiful places, you can imagine how many tales there are to tell – some romantic, some dark, others extremely weird.

If Llanddwyn was the meat in our afternoon sandwich, the slices of bread are both owed to Caffi Wiwer Goch (or Red Squirrel Cafe), just a five minute drive from the beach. This absolutely adorable village establishment is run by two extremely friendly women, whose charmingly chatty personalities are a symbol of the kind of warm hospitality you can expect to find all over Wales.

We first turned up for lamb pasties and a can of locally brewed beer. The lamb was so good, and the conversation so pleasant, that we returned later that evening for dinner, when the menu turns to tapas. The atmosphere remains delightful, and the chorizo stew was so good we ordered second helpings.

The following day, after an extremely restful (and deservedly so) sleep at Plas Weunydd, we set off to return home, stopping first at one of Wales’ strangest tourist attractions, and one which has exploded in popularity over the last decade.

The ‘fake’ village of Portmeirion was the passion project of 20th-century Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, who was inspired to recreate the feeling of a coastal Italian town but on the shores of the River Dwyryd’s estuary.

It is an extremely charming spot, filled with colourful houses, playful architectural quirks and luscious gardens, not to mention a walking trail along the river. It first gained notoriety as the filming location for a cult British TV series from the ‘60s, The Prisoner. In recent years, during the social media era, it has become a viral sensation multiple times, and now draws countless visitors from all over the world. Understandably so, as it is one of the most obviously ‘Instagrammable’ or ‘Tik-Tokable’ places you’ll ever encounter.

Now managed by a charitable trust, you can pay to visit Portmeirion – or even stay here if you really fall in love with Williams-Ellis’ creation – and it’s very easy to kill several hours strolling about town, perusing the art and souvenir shops, stopping for a coffee or a glass of wine, and getting lost among the expansive gardens. It’s a far more touristy activity than most of the things you get up to in North Wales, but it is a strangely unique and alluring attraction nonetheless.

With Portmeirion less than 30 minutes from Plas Weunydd by car, we were able to get there in the morning, take our time soaking in the quirky beauty of the place, and were still left with plenty of time to tackle the long journey back home to Cardiff, the Welsh capital, which is far further than Eryri in hours than it is in miles thanks to the lack of highways in central Wales.

While a journey to North Wales is rarely the friend of time-keepers, it is among the most scenic places that you can explore by car in the UK. From Cardiff, you carve through Bannau Brycheiniog – South Wales’ equivalent mountainous national park – the quaint and quiet communities of Mid Wales and, finally, the Tolkienesque vistas of Eryri.

It’s quite the experience, watching a landscape evolve in front of your very eyes. An entire country, subtly changing shape mile by mile. Perhaps that’s what makes the sense of escape so profound. It’s a slow, gentle transition. The herbal tea before the massage.

The destination, meanwhile, is a place that can thrill you just as easily as it can calm you. A place of serenity, far beyond the grind of modern life. A place of endless adventurous possibility. The perfect place to escape.

That’s what North Wales is to me, and you can be sure as anything that I’ll be back in Eryri quicker than I can say Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch. Or faster than you can say it, at least.

Make Plas Weunydd the base for your adventures in North Wales. Rooms are bookable on their website, starting at £69 per night (room only). The hotel is dog-friendly, runs its own Strava club and even has a dedicated boot room!