Suggested places to visit or
things to do in
North Wales
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Link to: What's on around Bala |
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Ten recommended places to visit in North Wales:
The above is just a sample of the many tourist attractions available in North
Wales and has been chosen to illustrate the quality and variety of tourist
attractions, for more read on. The popularity refers to the WTB survey of
attractions that charge admission.
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The “Castles and
Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd” is a
World Heritage Site - this includes
Caernarfon, Conwy, Beaumaris and Harlech Castles. Other
World Heritage Sites within travelling distance of Bala are
Liverpool - Maritime
Mercantile City (1½ hours) and
Ironbridge Gorge
(1¾ hours). |
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Ten suggested things to do around Bala:
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For the more adventurous, things to do around Bala
include:
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Whitewater rafting in an
Orca (2-man raft)
- High rope courses
Get Wet
- Scrambling (between mountain walking and
rock climbing)
- Canyoning/gorge walking
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Bird Watching
See
Ospreys in Snowdonia
RSPB Bird sanctuaries at
Lake Vyrnwy
and
Mawddach
Valley |
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Beaches:
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Barmouth & Mawddach Estuary (35-45 minutes by car);
trips around Barmouth Bay
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Fairborne & Mawddach Estuary (45
minutes by car)
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Shell
Island Llanbedr (near Harlech) (1 hour by car)
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North Wales Coastal Resorts, e.g. Conwy to Prestatyn (around 1 hour by car)
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Llandudno & Great Ormes Head (1 hour 5 minutes by car)
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Isle of Anglesey (1-1½ hours by car)
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Lleyn Peninsula, e.g. Criccieth, Pwllheli, Abersoch, Aberdaron, Porth Dinllaen (1-1¼ hours by car)
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Castles:
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Beaumaris
Castle,
Anglesey, regarded as the finest of the great
Edwardian castles in Wales (1 hour 15 minutes by car)
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Bodelwyddan
Castle,
magnificent, restored Victorian mansion,
home of the National Portrait Gallery (1 hour by
car)
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Caernarfon
Castle
one of the most famous of Wales's many castles (1 hour 15 minutes by car)
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Chirk
Castle,
near Wrexham, Magnificent 14th-century fortress of the Welsh Marches (45 minutes by car)
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Conwy
Castle
considered to be one of the great fortresses of medieval
Europe (1 hour by car)
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Criccieth
Castle
a landmark historic site (55
minutes by car)
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Dolwyddelan
Castle
a 13th C mountain stronghold (40 minutes by car)
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Harlech
Castle one of the great castles built by Edward I
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Penrhyn
Castle,
Bangor, 19th-century fantasy castle with spectacular
contents and grounds
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Powis
Castle & Garden Medieval castle rising dramatically above the
celebrated garden (1 hr 20 minutes
by car).
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GT Classic
Car Touring
hire a classic sports car at Crogen Estate near Llandderfel
(15
minutes by car) |
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Go-karting:
off-road (also Quads) at Ewe-phoria Sheepdog Centre (15 minutes by car)Glan-y-Gors
Park,
fast track, Cerrigydrudion (20 minutes by car)Park Glasfryn Activity
Centre,
Pwllheli (1 hour 5 minutes by car)
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Historical Sites:
- Valle Crucis Abbey, Llangollen (30 minutes by car)
- Trefriw Woollen Mill, Trefriw, near Llanrwst (45 minutes by car)
- Barmouth Bridge, Barmouth (45 minutes by car)
- Conwy Tubular Bridge, Conwy (1 hour by car)
- Conwy Suspension Bridge, Conwy (1 hour by car)
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Erddig
Country
House (45 minutes by car)
- King Arthur's Labyrinth, Machynlleth, (50 minutes by car)
- Plas
Mawr: Elizabethan Town House, Conwy (1 hour by car)
- Ruthin Gaol, experience a 19th
C. prison (30 minutes by car)
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Mines/Museums:
- Gloddfa Ganol Slate Mine,
Blaenau
Ffestiniog (35 minutes by car)Inigo Jones
Slateworks,
Groeslon, 6 miles south of Caernarfon (1 hour 15 minutes by car)
Llechwedd
Slate Caverns,
Blaenau Ffestiniog (35 minutes by car)
Segontium
Roman Fort and Museum
Caernarfon
(1
hour 15 minutes by car)
Sygun Copper Mine, Beddgelert (50 minutes by car)
Welsh Slate Museum
Padarn Country Park, Llanberis, (1 hour by car)
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Nature reserves and gardens:
(55 minutes by car) a garden for all seasons.
Chirk
Castle Gardens, Chirk,
(45 minutes by car)
medieval castle set in formal gardens and parkland, and has magnificent views.
Dyfi National Nature Reserve, Dyfed, (65 minutes by car) information
centre, wildlife-rich sand dunes, estuary and peat-bogs.
Erddig
Country
House
(45 minutes by car)
early
18th formal garden, parkland, woodland walks
Lake Vyrnwy (40 minutes by car) lake and moorland, nature trails, RSPB nature reserve and
visitor centre.Mawddach Valley (45 minutes by car) woodland, includes
RSPB
information centre.Powis
Castle & Garden Medieval castle rising dramatically above the
celebrated garden (1 hr 20 minutes
by car).
Rowen Indoor Nature Centre: Fairbourne
(40 minutes by car)
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Off-roading (4x4):
- Landcraft Off Road Tuition & Driving
Centres (office in Bala)
- Land Rover Experience
(10 minutes by car)
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Paintball:
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Get Wet
(also two high rope courses)
Coed
Craig-Crogen near Llandderfel (15
minutes by car)
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Pony Trekking:
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Gwydyr Stables Riding & Trekking Stables,
Penmachno (30 minutes by car)
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Pony Treks
Ceiriog Valley near Chirk
(1 hour by car)
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Power Stations:
(1 hour by car).
Trawsfynydd Power Station
(25 minutes by car)
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Ten Pin Bowling:
Glan-llyn (5 minutes
by car) |
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Quads:
at Ewe-phoria Sheepdog Centre (15 minutes by car)
Beiciau Madian Quads, (Machynlleth, 50 minutes by car)
Park Glasfryn Activity Centre, Pwllheli (1 hour 5 minutes by car)
Quad Treks,
Ceiriog Valley near Chirk (1 hour by car)
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Railways:
- Bala Lake Railway, Penybont to Llanuwchllyn
- Conwy Valley Railway
Museum (Betws-y-Coed, 35 minutes by car)
- Corris Railway (Machynlleth, 50 minutes by car)
- Fairbourne & Barmouth Railway (Fairbourne, 40 minutes by car)
- Ffestiniog Railway (30 minutes by car)
- Llanberis Lake Railway (1 hour by car)
- Llangollen Railway (30 minutes by car)
- Snowdon Mountain Railway (Llanberis, 1 hour by car)
- Talyllyn Railway, Tywyn (on the Cardigan Bay coast) to Nant Gwernol (1
hour by car)
- Vale of Rheidol Railway (Aberystwyth, 1 hour 20 minutes by car)
- Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog, 45 minutes by car)
- Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon, 1 hour 15 minutes by car)
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| High Ropes:
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Science: Centre for Alternative Technology Machynlleth (50 minutes by
car) |
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| Sheepdog Centre:
Ewe-Phoria (15 minutes by
car) |
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Shopping:
Chester: a walled city with history going back to Roman times as well
as a major shopping centre (1 hour by car)
Dolgellau: historic market town with small shops (30 minutes by car)
Llangollen: a popular tourist centre with small specialist shops on the
River Dee (30 minutes by car)
Betws-y-Coed & Capel Curig (35 & 40 minutes by car): numerous outdoor equipment shops and more.
Ruthin: a historical market town with small shops and a castle (30 minutes
by car)
Glass
Blobbery (near Bala) workshop
and gallery
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Waterfalls:
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Pistyll
Rhaeadr, Wales highest waterfall (240-ft): one of the seven wonders of Wales
- Rhiwargor
- Conwy Falls
- Swallow falls
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Places worth a visit |
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Portmeirion, Italianate village
(near Porthmadog, 45 minutes by car) |
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Dolgellau (25 minutes by car) an
interesting, small, historical market town with several shops:
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Dolgellau Town Trail - A Story in Stone - Dolgellau's
History as told by its buildings.
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Guinevere:
gallery of gifts, local crafts and art, Celtic and amber silver
jewellery and Clogau Gold of Wales.
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Mawddach Trail:
A scenic walk or cycle along the estuary from Dolgellau to Barmouth (9.6
miles 15 km)
Betws-y-Coed (35 minutes by car):
- Betws-y-Coed Motor Museum
- Conwy Valley Railway Museum
- Swallow Falls
- Conwy Falls
- Walks and viewing wildlife in the Gwydyr Forest Park
- Penmachno Woollen Mill
Ruthin: (35 minutes
by car) a historic market town with interesting small shops:
Llangollen (30 minutes by car):
- DAPOL Ltd - Doctor Who Experience & International Model Railway World
- Llangollen Motor Museum
- Llangollen Post Office and Postal Museum
- Llangollen Railway
- Llangollen Wharf - Horse Drawn Canal Boat Centre
- Plas Newydd - the home of the "Ladies of Llangollen"
- Victorian School & School Museum
Llanberis (1 hour by car):
- Bryu Bras Castle
- Cwm Derwen Nature Centre
- Dolbadarn Castle
- Electric Mountain Visitors Centre at Dinorwig Power Station
- Llanberis Lake Railway
- Padarn Country park
- Snowdon Mountain Railway
- Welsh Slate Museum
- Cwm Derwen Nature Centre
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| At Abercelyn there are information folders with
more details of things to do, suggested tours etc. |
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