Snowdonia’s landscape is truly unique. From mountain ranges spanning 52% of the National Park and dramatic river gorges, to beautiful waterfalls, peaceful forests, stunning beaches and rolling green valleys. Every year, Snowdonia attracts millions of visitors, and with scenery like that on offer, it’s easy to see why. We had a little slice of that ourselves recently, spending 4 days in Snowdonia. We have visited Snowdonia twice and there is still so much to see and do. We’re hungry for more! But until then, here’s our trip report from our 4 days in Snowdonia.
Trip Report: 4 Days in Snowdonia
Of course we don’t travel anywhere without Lady! We always understand that going away with a cat can be a bit of a worry for some Airbnb owners. Cats are disobedient. You can’t tell them to not jump on the sofa, or not claw at the rug. But being an older gal, Lady spends her days lounging, sleeping, watching the world from a window and eating (her favourite pastime). Thankfully Lara who owns the Airbnb kindly obliged to let Lady stay.
We arrived to the cutest welcome package for Lady: a jar of treats and a little pet blanket! Lara also left us our own goodies, including fresh eggs, homemade bread, butter and some homemade Bara Brith. We weren’t sure what this was initially, but later found out it’s a traditional Welsh tea bread, flavoured with tea, dried fruits and spices. We had it with a big ole slab of butter on top and it was delicious!
True to form, Lady completed her standard perimeter check around the Airbnb. She sussed the place out, and settled down on the sofa like she had always been there. It was getting late and the sun was beginning to set, so there was only one thing for it. Catch the last of the sun rays, and enjoy a glass of wine with those stunning ocean views from the deckchairs.
Day 1 – local exploration
We woke up to a beautiful first day in Wales! Keen to make the most of our 4 days in Snowdonia, we decided to take a leaf out of Lady’s book and suss out our surroundings. We walked from the Airbnb down to the local town. This was only a 2 minute drive away, but a 1 hour walk by the time we snaked our way down the hill from the Airbnb. The area has a cute small-town vibe, with a few cafes, pubs and eateries to choose from. We continued down through the town to the beachfront for an explore before heading back to the Airbnb.
On the way back we saw what looked like a very large quarry-formed mountain. A bit of local research told us it was in fact natural and not man-made. “I wonder if you can climb it?” as is the common thought for most things in Snowdonia I would imagine. We checked for routes on Komoot and off we went!
The route was a lot of fun, taking us through the local Nant y Coed Local Nature Reserve, past busy farms and eventually out into huge open fields. There were views for miles and miles across the rolling hills surrounding us. It was incredibly peaceful, with only the sound of birds and many, many bleating sheep around us.
After 1 hour’s walking, we were within sight of the summit! Following a very short but steep incline we made it to the top and were greeted by some of the most stunning coastline views I think I’ve ever seen.
After taking in the views, we hiked back and enjoyed some more Bara Brith. We’re a bit late to the party, but we suddenly became obsessed with Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix. Needless to say this became our latest binge watch during this trip.
In the evening we drove into Bangor and grabbed some tapas at Clio Lounge. It was a bit of a punt! Most places were closed for the evening, but we stumbled across Clio looking for somewhere to have a drink first. We eyed up the menus while we were there and decided to stay put for the evening. We definitely recommend!
Day 2 – Aber Falls
After a fairly chilled first day, our batteries felt fully charged and we were ready to get exploring! We only had 4 days in Snowdonia and still a lot to pack in! We decided to walk to the beautiful Aber Falls; 30 minutes from Conwy or Bangor, and an easy 20 minute drive for us from Llanfairfechan along the A55.
Aber Falls is also known as Rhaeadr Fawr (“the big waterfall”) Nestled amidst the foothills of the Carneddau range it is one of the most impressive and picturesque waterfalls in Snowdonia. All around it is surrounded by lush green woods and rolling views of the valley. We did a short write-up of the trail we followed to the waterfall, which you can find here.
Aber Falls Distillery
Whilst driving into Bangor the previous night, we drove past the Aber Falls Distillery. Located on the A55, you can’t miss it thanks to the local farmer’s free advertising on his silos. The Distillery is 5 minutes drive from the waterfall, so it would be rude not to pop in!
There’s a visitor centre, an on-site restaurant, and they offer hourly tours pretty much every day. The exception being apart from during cleaning or maintenance. We arrived just before 12pm and thankfully they had spaces available for us to hop on last minute. The tours are great value at £12.50 per person! They include a tour around the facility and a tasting of some of their fabulous whiskey and gins. We highly recommend trying the Orange Marmalade Gin! After the tour, we had lunch in their restaurant and decided which bottles to bring home!
We were home by mid-afternoon and it was an absolutely gorgeous day. We popped our feet up for the afternoon and enjoyed the Airbnb’s suntrap patio with Lady.
In the evening, we drove down to Conwy Marina and grabbed some dinner at Mulberry which had been highly recommended. We’re both big foodies, and being vegetarian’s get excited when there are some good veggie options on the menu. The food was nice, but it had been positioned as more of a “gastro-pub”. The reality felt more like a Harvester (in our opinion).
Day 3 – Spa day chills
We were sadly coming to the end of our 4 days in Snowdonia. However, best of all we were in Snowdonia for our 5th wedding anniversary! We came across the Wave Garden Spa 30 minutes from the Airbnb, and thought a day of pampering was just what we needed!
Situated next to the Snowdonia Adventure Parc, this place is definitely worth a visit! The spa is within the Hilton Hotel that has recently been built, while the Adventure Parc caters to all your family activity or adrenaline needs. From indoor high ropes and climbing, to ziplines and freefalls! The focal point of Adventure Parc is the inland surf lagoon where you can go paddle boarding or take surf lessons. They also have a cafe and restaurant on-site, where you can sit back and watch the lagoon activities.
The Wave Spa has a small but nice indoor heated pool (like an oversized hot tub), with windows looking out to the Surf Lagoon. We booked a couple of treatments each, including a heated full body massage, which was incredible and a great way to celebrate our anniversary. After our treatments we had a complimentary glass of bubbles each and chilled out in their relaxation room. This is a large glass fronted room on their outdoor terrace, overlooking the Surf Lagoon. In the summer you can sit in their outdoor hot tub and watch the surfers. However on the day that we went no activities seemed to be happening. We would definitely have taken up the opportunity to do some surf lessons otherwise, but gives us a reason to come back!
Day 4 – Tryfan
It was our last full day in Wales, and feeling well and truly refreshed, we fancied something a little more challenging. So we headed off for a short drive through the heart of Snowdonia National Park to Tryfan.
Between us both, we have completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent, plus the UK Three Peaks of Ben Nevis, Scarfell Pike and Snowdon. Considering the latter is only a short drive up the road from Tryfan, we had never encountered scenery like this. The weather was not on our side, but that just made the surroundings look even more dramatic and spectacular, as low clouds draped themselves over the mountaintops, and we were surrounded by wild and rugged scenery.
We started our hike up Tryfan’s South Ridge towards the summit. Most people tackle the North Ridge, but we thought of better of this considering the weather. We soon found though that Tryfan is not a climb for the faint hearted, regardless of which direction you approach it. We were within 100m of the summit, when we made the decision to bail out because the conditions were too rough and unpredictable.
Despite not making it to the summit, we loved every single minute! Tryfan definitely has a very special place in our hearts, purely for the dramatic scenery. It’s completely unlike anything else we have come across during a UK hike. It has certainly given us a taste for more, and we will be back to conquer Tryfan another time!
We have posted a full write-up of our Tryfan attempt, along with photos, which you can find here.
Zipworld Coaster
Feeling that we hadn’t had enough adventure for one day, after Tryfan we drove a little further up the road to Zipworld! Oli has previously been to the quarry Zipworld before and I (Mandy) have always wanted to try it. It was quite expensive though (about £100per person!). We felt that this was a bit pricey for something we were planning to do on a whim. But we will come back to do it another time though!
We knew the Zipworld Forest Coaster was nearby so we headed there instead. We had previously ridden the Hasenhorn Mountain Coaster in Todtnau in the Black Forest before and we loved it! So we were super excited there was a UK version!
For those not sure what this is, it is not like your ordinary rollercoaster. You sit in a toboggan seat (in pairs or by yourself), travel up to the top of a track and let gravity do the rest, as you twist and turn your way down the track! Your toboggan has a handbrake, so you decide how fast you want to go and what you’re comfortable with. It’s a lot of fun, and if you’re not a rollercoaster lover it honestly isn’t as scary as you think! There are also ‘brake’ signs throughout the course to help guide you a little also if needed.
Your ticket gives you three rides which we thought was great value. You can also pay a little extra to have your ride recorded too, which you access via a code from your phone. We definitely recommend this place!
Sadly it was our last evening from our 4 days in Snowdonia, and we had been holding out all week for a trip to Johnny Dough’s, a pizza place about 20 minutes drive away. We had heard nothing but good things about this place but had to wait patiently until Thursday for them to open. But it was worth the wait! The starters / sides were a little light in choice (no cheesy garlic bread), but the pizza’s tasted great! We had a classic margarita, and also a caramalised red onion & goats cheese pizza. So good!! We will definitely be back if (when) we’re in the area again!
We loved our time in Snowdonia. Visiting a second-time round, we have a much greater appreciation for what a stunningly beautiful part of the world it is, and how lucky we are that we have it here in the UK! There is still so much to explore, and our future hiking list is already growing with places to go and explore in Snowdonia, so watch this space for future updates!
Get in touch
Hopefully you found this trip report of our 4 days in Snowdonia helpful! Maybe it inspired you to try something new next time you’re in the area? Or maybe you’ve been before and there are other things you’d recommend instead? If you have any questions, or tips you’d like to share, please pop them in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you! If you found our blog helpful, check out our Insta @welovetravel.in – if you give us a follow feel free to drop us a message to say hello 👋
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