Regarded by many as the best preserved Elizabethan town house in the UK, this historic gem is well…read moreworth a visit. It contains a wealth of decorative plasterwork and woodwork. History The house was built by Robert Wynn, a younger son of John Wynn of Gwydir Castle. He had served with the British Ambassador in Bruges, and travelled around the Continent. When he retired to Conwy, aged 50, he built himself a town house incorporating the latest features and styles, reflecting his prestige. It was built 1576-1585. After his death, a dispute over his inheritance meant the house was eventually split into a lodging house, and also functioned as a school, and then the headquarters of the local antiquarian society, before being taken over and restored by Cadw (Welsh Historic Monuments). The house This large building occupies a whole block of Conwy's streets. The main frontage consists of an elaborate gatehouse, courtyard and then the main house, which has its own courtyard and garden. The exterior has been plastered and limewashed, as it would have been originally. Inside, the rooms are a mixture of the 'working' rooms of the house kitchen, storage rooms, servants' quarters and so on, and the grander rooms intended for Wynn and his family. These have impressive fireplace mantels and panelling, and particularly large expanses of decorative plasterwork. In many places this is highly coloured, and includes decorative friezes of coats of arms, Tudor roses and other heraldic devices (and above all, Wynn's initials, RW, which appear everywhere). Another recurring motif is that of naked caryatids, carrying bowls of strawberries on their heads. They wear loincloths of leaves, and cover one breast, leaving the other bare. The plasterwork images are often touchingly naive and primitive, as local plasterers tried their best to reproduce unfamiliar images copied from pattern books. The house also has some impressive furnishings, although these have been sourced separately and are not original. In the attic, one room is furnished as it would have been in the early 19th century, as the home of a lodger, a washer-woman. Practicalities There is a guided audio tour available, which is well worth using, although the Tudor jingle which precedes each section may get irritating after a while. There are also static presentations on aspects of Tudor and later life. Access for those with restricted mobility is limited, due to the presence of stairs and uneven floors. There is also a shop at the entrance selling the usual cards, books and gift items.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed touring this Elizabethan house. When you first go in they actually…read morehave clothing you can try on from that period. I would highly recommend visiting.

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.

"Llynnon Mill is the only working windmill in Wales."…read more ---------------------- This mill was built in 1775. It is still a working-mill today. Machines are grinding corn, oats and barley. You can buy flour here - as a souvenir maybe. In 1918 it was damaged during a bad storm, then it remained deserted and unused before its restauration between 1978-1986. The visitor centre is interesting, the history and the grinding process are very well explained here. On the grounds there is also a bakehouse with a board explaining Welsh baking methods by my friend S. Minwel Tibbott. Well-wort a visit. There are tearooms on the property, the cakes are delicious, maybe a little bit overpriced, especially from visitors from the continent and America.

I love it hear very sceninc and we took a school trip there recently. Fab.read more

Llandudno has for some time attempted to cash in on it's slightly dubious Alice In Wonderland…read moreconnections. Alice Liddell, the inspiration for the character of Alice was known to holiday with her family at a house called Penmorfa on the West Shore. The house later became the Gogarth Abbey hotel. Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, is rumoured to have visited Penmorfa although the evidence appears to suggest he didn't. The Alice links are now beginning to fade. The Gogarth Abbey was briefly renamed the Penmorfa but has since been demolished. The Alice museum in Trinity Square closed down when the owner retired and couldn't find anyone willing to take it on as a going concern. So if you're an Alice fan all that's left to see is the statue of the White Rabbit. And how disappointed will you be if you go out of your way to find it. The first thing you'll notice is how small it is. The rabbit is about the size of a real-life rabbit. As the statue has been the target of vandals in the past it's now protected by a steel cage and surrounded by a "moat". The cage obstructs your view and moat prevents you from getting a close up look (unless you've planned ahead and brought wellies). If you really want a look the statue is located just past the boating lake at the West Shore but it really needs to be relocated to a more appropriate location. Preferably one where you can get close enough to actually see it and where it can safely be locked away at night.

New shops/cafes opening up now though, so this may change.read more

This is a charming little site in the beautiful quayside area of Conwy, a must-visit town in…read morenorthern Wales. I'm 5'3" for scale.

I've not been inside, but it's pretty darned cute from the outside. And yes, it's a wee (meaning…read moresmall for my fellow Americans) house! Lol... How could I not award 5 enthusiastic stars to The Smallest House in Wales (Great Britain?)

A great way to spend Easter Sunday. Or any other Sunday…read more This is a splendid victorian gothic castle built on the site of a medieval one. In fact the original chapel was ripped out and used to make a ruin elsewhere in the grounds! It took 18 years to build and I could see why, the detailed craftsmanship that's gone into it is incredible. 10 years on the staircase alone! Once it was finished Queen Victoria graced the place with her presence too. The staff in the house were very helpful and informative about the castle and the Penhryn family. I was shocked to learn the family only came here a couple of times a year for shooting and hunting. Perhaps the photo in the entrance hall with half the Royal family of the time should have clued me in. There's plenty to see and there were fun Easter activities for the kids as it was easter. Naturally there's a very nice gift shop and tea shop as it's a National Trust property. I had a good carrot and coriander soup with a solid wedge of bread. I also had to have a slice of coffee cake after seeing it. This was moist with plenty of walnuts but needed more icing. I didn't get to see much of the grounds as the mist had come down but I really enjoyed what I did see.

The Penrhyn Castle is located a bit outside of Bangor. If you take a bus to Llanduddno it's a 15…read moremin. ride (and it cost about £1,50 one way (August 2014)). As said before: if you go by bus, wear good schoes, because it's a 15-20 minutes walk to the entrance. But it's worth the walk through the old forest. It's a very beautiful forest, with some walls made of slate, later on I will tell you why they are made of Slate. If you arrive at the ticket office, you can only one way: go through the ticket office. There were some nice, friendly, young people, who were so excited about Penrhyn Castle, they were almost glowing. I bought a ticket for the castle (including the railwaymuseum) and the gardens. I walked up the hill, and enjoyed the view over the bay, and to see the 19th century Castle just pop up out of the landscape. For some reason, it looked like it was hidden very carefully, but I couldn't find anything to prove that statement. I walked to the entrance of the castle waiting for the doors to open at noon. It was wonderful to be one of the first to have a look around. I took the map, and followed the numbers. Sometimes people who were behind me, suddenly were in front of me (after a few chambers), and I figured out that they had taken some short cuts. Which is actually a shame, as all the rooms and chambers are unique, with their own style, wallpaper (sometimes from cloth, sometimes carved wood or stonecutted). I loved the Castle, and the hosts were very friendly and eager to tell you about the room I was in. Some noticed that I was really interested (or just asked me) and with one of them I chatted about paintings and the collection for 15 minutes, and learned a lot. It's impossible to describe the chambers and the rooms. But I promise you that you will like the windows which were very colourfoul, and the greatness of the fact that everything was hand made. The chambers are original and the painting collection is unique and suits the character of the building. I spend about 1,5 hour in the castle, as it became a bit more busy, than it was at first. It was a bit of a maze to find the Railway Museum, and I got lost and went into the Ice Tower, and the toilet. Then I figured out that the museum was in the stables, and was pretty small. But the collection was beautiful. One of the engines was used on another estate of the original owner in London. Others were used to mine Slate (were there was plenty examples of), near the castle. And others were used on a local railwayline. Most of the engines were bought in the 1960's, and were cleaned and restorated. I especially loved the railcycle. So it can't get much better then this unique castle. So go there, and enjoy this piece of heritage.