I enjoy to be educated, and I loved to read that at the place where the harbour of Bangor is…read moresituated, it used to be Port Penrhyn. It's just a small sign, a bridge and a small dock remembering that there was once a bigger (and more important) harbour here. Instead of a harbour that's partly a marina, and partly a fishermandock. But actually there is not much else to say about this. Just enjoy and wonder around to find more signs like these.

Caernarfon is known for its medieval castle, but its history stretches another millennium back. The…read moreRomans set up camp here under this name, and from this elevation they had views of Snowdonia to one side and the waters to the other. You now have these same views plus the fortifications of the buildings that once stood here. The grounds are fenced, so you are advised to adhere to the visiting hours. The museum may or may not be open when you arrive - it wasn't during my visit. As such, I can't totally vouch for what this site offers completely. Know that in my case my enjoyment of the site was based on my attempts to imagine the times of the past more than what is actually seen here. There are more evocative Roman sites in Britain, and while the scenery is nice it can admittedly be observed throughout Caernarfon (certainly from a tower of the castle). But I am an American, and cannot easily call a site with visible Roman heritage "average". I'm giving it a 4-star rating in this case, assuming that the museum provides good info. I would not call this an essential site to see in Caernarfon, but it's certainly worth the half-hour trek there and back to see it if you have the time. Standing on the site, framing the structural roots of the building in the forefront, the castle in the distance, and the estuary beyond, you feel like you are gazing through multiple eras of history simultaneously.

Good place to take the younger members of the family if they like their local history of all thing…read mores roman.Museum it self is small and parking can be difficult on the main road to Beddgelert out of Caernarfon but there is a little side road almost opposite the museum people can use to park.The place itself is full of acient artefacts found around the Caernarfon area.It gives you a feeling of how the old roman fort used to look like and the way they lived their lives back in the era.The old footings of their barracks are still there for you to take a look round and see what biught them to the area in the first place.

The cafe and the tour was excellent! It was splendid, stunning and awesome! And we went for free!read more

Harlech Castle is a lovely landmark built by King Edward 1st…read more Cost around £12 for a family of four but I believe you may get half price if you have an English Heritage membership card. Castle is stunning but avoid the toilets like the plague that it possibly has. They were disgusting and we were the first there in the morning, should have been cleaned.

So many castles in Wales, hard to choose a favorite, as if that's even applicable. Of the six I…read morevisited along the Northern Welsh coast the one thing that stands out for me at Criccieth Castle is the fact that is hasn't undergone full restoration yet (as of this date); yet seems just as intriguing as other structures that have undergone resto. The view of the ocean is magnificent as are the walks along the beach, small shops and *eateries that quietly survive well just adjacent (*see review for the chip shop just down the lane). In brief, Cricceith Castle has some interesting historic installments, but it isn't going to be that dramatic reenactment experience with banners, drums and pomp; rather it's worth the visit in light of their natural absence and parking isn't a hassle either.

Unlike many of the castles of North Wales the one in Criccieth wasn't built, initially at least, by…read moreEdward I but it's instead believed to have been built by Llewelyn The Great in the early 13th century. Edward captured the castle in the late 13th century and added to it and these days it's not really known for certain which of bits that remain are Welsh and which are English. To be honest there isn't a great deal to see here, unlike the castles at Caernarfon and Conwy there's not all that much left to explore. You can't for example climb any towers. However this is reflected to some extent in the reasonable admission prices and in any case we should all make time to celebrate our heritage so it's a must visit if you're in Criccieth. What you also get is some of the most spectacular views you could imagine. The castle is perched on a headland from which you can see pretty all the coastline of West Wales right the way down to Pembrokeshire. Make sure you visit on a sunny day to make the most of the views. As an added bonus the building at the entrance also has a display about the life and times of Gerald of Wales (look him up on Wikipedia!).

Beautiful gardens! Lots to see. Many paths to follow, lovely water features and flower beds. Wish…read moreI'd brought my hiking poles.

80 acres of various gardens, forests, meadows, babbling woodland streams augmented with a lovely…read moremanor house, an old saw mill and a chapel. House is private, roped off, no visitors allowed. Many trails criss-cross the property. My wife & I spent 4.5 hours walking and did not see it all. There are elevation changes of 400 feet on both sides of the central stream, so you will get some aerobic exercise if you tour the entire property. When you finish up and are tired, thirsty and hungry there is a cafe. Also for shop-o-holics there are several boutiques. Souvenirs and gifts galore available. Also for locals there is a considerable nursery of great garden plants. Quality and vigor of the plants look outstanding. For reasonably physically fit nature lovers a visit here is highly recommended.

Thanks to the Ordnance Survey maps, walking your way all over the United Kingdom is pretty easy…read more These maps are so intricately detailed that they manage to capture every last church with a steeple as well as every pub in even the most far flung reaches of Great Britain. After walking around Wales (shout out to Sugar Loaf Mountain!), we were in our cottage one night and turned on the telly to find a program on about the Centre For Alternative Technology. The next day we hopped in our Ford Festiva and made our way there, not realizing how tiny many of the roads we'd need to take were and how much that would add to the total trip. Three hours into a trip we thought would take half that, we arrived at the Centre For Alternative Technology (CAT) which is built on a former slate quarry. True to their mission, "CAT aims to 'inspire, inform, and enable' people to live more sustainably" through education on and demonstration of solar, wind and hydro power as well as organic agriculture and even alternative sewage systems through compost toilets! There's lots to see and do here for kids and adults alike, from swinging on the eco adventure playground to guided tours with knowledgeable environmentalists. Don't miss the gift shop which has an impressive selection of green books (purported to be the largest of its kind in the UK) and even unique accessories like the Celtic knot ring I picked up here.

I recently visited the centre on a weekday. I can imagine it can get quite busy during a weekend. I…read morearrived by car. You can get a discount if you travel by train and then bus. I little difficult if you want to spend some time there. When you arrive you can take the water lift / railway to the top where everything is. Everwhere is well signposted. I got the impression that it had been designed for visitors but now it has been taken over by Academics. All the visitors appeared to be students, teachers or on a course. The different areas dont appear to have been updated for some time. Some have not really had time spent on them since being put together. The food was good in the cafe, however tables were occupied by students using the area as desks. Yes worth a visit but didnt feel I want to become a member. Think I would see the same next time I went.

Great place have been going here since I was a little boy, very informative and amazing to see the…read moreold locomotives

Under the Dinorwig slate quarry is this fantastic museum. Housing the largest waterwheel on…read moremainland Britain. Slate splitting exhibitions and various film shows. Quarrymens housing showing the differences in living standards throughout the ages. Very interesting AND free entrance.

If you are in the area of Blaenau Ffestiniog then this attraction is worth a visit. The guided tour…read moretakes you, by almost vertical train, 500 feet deep into the Llechwedd Slate Caverns where the best slate was mined for centuries. From there on the guide describes the terrible working conditions that those miners had to endure. We were lucky in that ours was a small party and the guide a rather comical character. I think that may be down to the group we were with, who were also comical. Interesting, informative tour. Take a coat, it is cold down there. Walking through numerous caverns with a son et lumiere description at each stop. Passing the Cheddar cheese storing area. We were told jokingly, that everyone was searched on the way out (we bought some in Sainsburys to try. The best Cheddar ever, flavour stays in the mouth for at least 30 minutes) Finally a slate splitting demonstration. The guy pulled out of our group a 9 year old young lady. He said that you had to be 12 to do this. Asked her age, coyly she said 12 LOL. After she had split the slate, he gave her the piece and told her to go back to her parents and become 9 again. As I said, a great character. Highly recommended tour.

Quick glance: + good activity when raining…read more+ interactive and educational, learning about slate mining and lives of miners from 100 years ago + great for children and families - restricted time in the mines - a bit pricey Llechwedd Slate Caverns of Blaenau Ffestiniog is part of a living, working slate mine that has been active since 1836. The mine offers two underground tours - one via a tram and the other a "self-guided" tour. The tramway takes you underground where you get off at designated spots while a guide talks to you about the history and stories of slate mining. In this tour, you have the opportunity to ask any tricky questions you may have. The tour ends at their "factory" where you can see workers splitting slates. You also have a chance to purchase slate products, including coasters and personalised house plates. The self-guided tour is done in a group. Once you have descended to the passageway, you walk through the entire "exhibit" as guided by the lights and the pre-recorded messages. Although you are walking freely as a group, you are also forced to keep in time with the tour as one area of the cave will dim and force you to carry on walking. To do both tours, the price is £13.50 for adults and £10.50 for children (as at Sep 2010). Each tour takes about 1 hour. There are also some other areas to explore, such as an old "bank" and some dining facilities. Overall, it is an educational and entertaining activity especially in rainy weather. It is slightly pricey to do both tours but worth the learning experience. There is also a chance to buy personalised slates as souvenirs to add to the novelty factor.