Traveling trip for nature lovers: from Trefriw Woolen Mills to the architectural beauty of Portmerion.
Il North Wales is the protagonist of this article and will amaze you with the fairytale and enchanted atmosphere of the castles among the green hills and balls of wool. The journey I propose is itinerant and adventure, able to excite and give a dense memory of the territory.
How to reach us
The nearest airport to land at is the John Lennon of Liverpool, where I recommend renting a car to start your adventure. For the itinerary you can choose a fixed destination where to stay or, if you prefer, change city and dive for a few nights in Snowdonia National Park or treat yourself to a romantic getaway in an ancient residence surrounded by nature.
As you will see the landscape will change drastically as soon as you leave Liverpool: the gray streets will alternate between green hills and thick surrounding trees.
1. Llandudno
The first destination I suggest you on this journey to discover North Wales is Llandudno, Conwy County town, capable of attracting you for its particularities. Llandudno is the exact encounter between nature and history. Characteristic is the pier built in 1878 which allows you to admire a spectacular scenery between rocky walls, the sea breaking on the coast and the lights of the city, especially at sunset.
Looking towards the hinterland, you can see the Snowdonia mountains, another destination of our journey. Llandundno leaves you breathless when admired by the Great Orme limestone promontory, suggestive for the expanse of greenery and the landscape that allows you to admire from the rocky peak.
2. Conwy Castle
Continuing our itinerary, the next stop is Conwy Castle, also in the county of Conwy, which together with other medieval fortresses forms the so-called "Iron ring" of North Wales. The architect who built it was James of St. George together with the engineer Richard of Chester, designing the eight cylindrical towers that make it up and that make it characteristic throughout Europe.
The defensive and control function was commissioned by King Edward I, and together with the Fortresses of Harlech, Beaumaris and Caernarfon, Conwy Castle is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the title “Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd”. Walking through the castle you can admire the surrounding landscape of Conwy and its suggestive bay.
Typical Welsh end-of-day ritual is the five o'clock afternoon tea glimpsing from the window of the tea room an ancient rocky dwelling to then complete it all with a wool blanket where you can relax and watch the cloudy sky on the hill by wrapping yourself in a wool sweater that we often use as a passpartout in a suitcase during the gloomy days.
3. Trefriw Woolen Mills
In this regard, our itinerary in Trefriw Woolen Mills, an ancient one, is worth a stop family business which has been producing traditional Welsh woolen textiles since 1859. Depending on the season and the particular processing, it is possible to visit the annexed museum capable of surprising for its machinery, mills and hand spinning.
What journey to discover Wales can be called such without an adventure in the hills and the sparkling waters of the Tryweryn stream?
4. National White Water Center
Next stop to meet this demand is the National White Water Center in Frongoch, Bala, Gwynedd.
Immersed in nature, the White Water Center offers breathtaking experiences in contact with water. You can choose between rafting, canyoning or adventure trails to immerse yourself even more in the Welsh context and experience the lush nature within the Snowdonia Park where the vegetation will captivate you from the charm of the city. Reservation is required especially for rafting where it is necessary to form groups of people, also possible through the site of the National White Water Center.
5. Portmerion
After enjoying Welsh nature, the last stop in North Wales is Portmerion, a typical architectural folly. This style exercise brings together the most beautiful architectures of the Mediterranean seaside resorts, creating a village in Gwynedd, in North West Wales.
Sir Clough Willams-Ellis, the one who commissioned Portmerion, he would have drawn inspiration from the Ligurian village of Portofino, destination of one of his travels. Bright colors of the buildings, a collage of several architectural styles: a Mediterranean village appears overlooking the sea, Portmerion represents one of the greatest artistic examples of postmodernism in architecture. The flora of the village is unusual for the Gwynedd: over the years shrubs from other regions of the world have been planted, which thanks to a mild climate have managed to proliferate and reproduce over the years.
This travel itinerary gives an exact portrait of North Wales, which could make you fall in love with those lands, so wild and particular of their kind. Without a doubt I can assure you that it will remain among the most exciting travel stories.
