Snowdonia V Angelsey

A question about : Snowdonia V Angelsey

Hello.

We are a family of four- two adults and two kids under 5. We live in Manchester and we are planning to visit North Wales for the first time this summer.

We have never been to Wales before and we will be staying for a week. There are two possible areas that we are looking to stay in- Angelsey or Snowdonia - which would be a better base?

We want a nice quiet holiday and want to stay somewhere that's scenic. We also want to have the options of a few different beaches nearby. My husband also likes a bit of history too.

Any advice on which is a better base would be welcome. I would also appreciate any ideas on what activities we could do- especially with the kids.

Thankss

Best answers:

• Best base is, in my opinion, Porthmadog (technically it's just outside Snowdonia). Great beach (Black Rock Sands), nice town with good facilities, two tourist trains. Criccieth is just along to the west, that's a nice little town with a castle and smaller beach. Good fish and chips from the shop opposite the castle!
  We stay in Porthmadog and travel to the likes of ...
  Morfa Nefyn - nice pub on the beach https://www.tycoch.co.uk/, Aberdaron - large beach,
  Llanbedrog - another lovely beach with a walk to the top of the cliff to 'the tin man',
  Harlech - another big beach and a castle,
  And of course there's Snowdon and Llanberis with lots to do, loads of places for kids. Check out Tripadvisor for places to visit.
  Personally, apart from Beaumaris, I find Anglesey a bit boring ...
• You could base yourself somewhere like Caernarfon or Bangor and divide the time between the two.
  With small kids under 5 you aren't going to be doing much in the way of mountain climbing although the Miners Track up Snowdon might be possible up as far as the lake. However you can spend some time around Llanberis, look at the Snowdon Mountain Railway (ride on it too if you are feeling rich!).
  From Caernarfon itself you can ride the Welsh Highland Railway down to Porthmadog.
  Then on Anglesey there is a lovely natural beach at Newborough to the south of the island, with more rugged beaches to the north like Benllech.
  Of the two Caernarfon is more touristy - you have the castle etc there. Bangor is a university city without a lot necessarily to look at but with more facilities like supermarkets etc. Bear in mind that neither is massive so don't expect a Tesco Extra or anything like that! (Nearest cinema from Bangor is Llandudno which will give you an idea of what you are likely to find compared to Manchester)
• I would definitely choose Snowdonia. Me and my husband love it there and have been several times. I also agree with the poster who talked about Porthmadog.
• Greenwood Forest Park
  https://www.greenwoodforestpark.co.uk/
  Ffestiniog railway from Porthmadog.
  https://www.festrail.co.uk/
  Walk at Beddgelert to Gelert's grave.
  https://www.beddgelerttourism.com/gelert/
• TBH there isn't much in it. Are you looking for a hotel/B&B/Caravan park/Haven?
  Plenty of beaches to be had. Black Rocks, Dinas Dinlle, loads in Anglesey.
  Dinas Dinlle has a few caravan parks. Nice place to stay and a great beach. The airport is based there with pleasure flights available and the Wales Air Ambulance too.
  Llanberis is great. Kids could go on the Lake Railway and there is also a great little play centre called Y Den for the rainy day. Lots of history too with the old Dinorwig Quarry based there with all the history liked to it. Nice walks through the quarry too.
  Caernarfon has the castle of course. Quite a few nice restaurants. A brand new Premier Inn & Travelodge with a Table Table next to them for meals. Nice park for the kids over the Aber bridge in Coed Helen. A lovely walk along the Foryd coastline. Has a KFC &Mc Donalds if you wish and Tesco/Asda/Morrisons.
  Llandudno is about 40 mins from Caernarfon. Lovely Victorian town with plenty of shops. Nice promenade & Pier and of course the Orme. Llandudno Junction has a Cineworld with Pizza Hut/KFC/McDonalds.
  The list is endless. Loads of places to visit and easily reached with a car.
• I would choose Snowdonia but visit a day or two on the island . stay around Caernarfon and its 15 minutes to the bridge . and less than a half hour drive to most of the lleyn peninsular . some great drives /bus train journeys . have you picked a place to stay yet ?
• I agree - stick to the 'mainland' - more places to visit - Bettws-y-Coed, Llanberis, Portmeiron, Caernarfon etc.
  And Criccieth - have many happy childhood memories of the places - went there again about twelve years ago, and since been to Llandudno twice.
  Anglesey - IMHO not so much to see - Beaumaris and Red Wharf Bay, then you'll be travelling back to the mainland more often!
  Either way it's a great place to go - enjoy.
• Thanks for all the replies.
  We have actually now booked our accomodation in Bethel which is near Caenaforn. We will be staying for a week and want to be out exploring everyday.
  We won't be able to go on long walks etc, but we would like to visit a couple of beaches, which ones would be the nearest and the best? We would also like to see a bit of history and some nice scenery, so which places would people recommend. My kids love trains too, so we are hoping to do that one day.
  We will have the car and are willing to drive to places, which are under a 30 minutes drive.
  Thanks.