North or South Wales for a holiday? Scenery/walks/nature.

[GlitteryFluff]

Where would you go? Much difference?

2 DC- a 4 year old and 7mo baby.

Would really like to see beautiful views/mountains/lakes etc luckily 4yo likes nature and baby will just be in a carrier. Though obviously can't do massive hikes as he only has little legs and one of us is weighed down with the baby!

Are they pretty similar? Snowdonia/Pembrokeshire/Brecon Beacons - any of those better than the others? I'm drawn to Snowdonia - mountains and lakes. But the other two are closer together so could possibly visit a bit of both.

Also 4yo likes castles/beaches/other kid things

Also is it always raining there?!

Any opinions?

Need to hurry up and book as meant to be going in 12 days but not sure where to book!

The Gower is lovely with beaches, countryside walks and castles and is very accessible not far from the M4. It doesn't tick the mountains and lakes box so well though.

The area along the coast from St David's is gorgeous and a bit wilder.

I've had fabulous holidays in both of these areas.

You can't really go wrong with either. Snowdonia is lovely and Anglesey is lovely. I love The Gower near Swansea - great for beaches. There are lovely castles just outside Cardiff.

Why not split your holiday and move around a bit? See a bit of everywhere. It's not too far from one end to the other.

Around Abersoch is great. Great beaches and scenery / mountains.

I've never been to South Wales but Snowdonia is my favourite place in the world. Mountains and beaches and lakes and castles everywhere. If your dc like nature I would really recommend a trip to Greenwood Forest Park too, ours love it there.

It's basically all lovely if you like that type of thing. Pembrokeshire very busy in parts at this time of year though. I might be tempted to just go to whichever is nearer and/or cheaper. North east coast wouldn't suit what you want, as it's quite traditional British seaside, lots of funfairs, arcades etc and not as lost in nature as you seem to prefer, but otherwise near enough anywhere.

In terms of castles I'd say Caernarfon and Conwy are the best, so Snowdonia region. But Caernarfon might be a bit of a death trap for a 4 year old. Very narrow, steep spiral staircases... but it is really good.

Either, and do the other another year. Both areas have much to commend them.

It may rain in either, but there are indoor things to do (loads of castles). Also if you do go north, Anglesey has a 'microclimate' ... often the rain clouds don't seem to notice it's there as they rush precipitately to the mountains.

Thank you all SO much.

I've no idea what any of you are talking about though so am off to google these areas.

We can't travel around as only have 5 days total. But may very well go back and do the other half another time.

And yes want to avoid traditional seaside areas if possible though may spend one afternoon on one but really would prefer something quieter.

How far away are you? I’d go to the closest. Both have loads to do and the little ones might enjoy some of the steam railways.

Personally I love the Llyn pennisula, it’s beautiful and seems to have a microclimate if it’s own. Everything from wild walks to castles, beaches and fish and chips

If you want lakes and mountains I would go north and stay somewhere near Beddgelert. The Welsh Highland railway is accessible from there and you can use it to explore the area. Llanberis would also be a good base, the Slate Museum would fill a wet day if you have one and Llyn Padarn is beautiful.

Down south we have stunning beaches on Gower and in Pembrokeshire but no lakes to speak of. The Beacons are lovely but not as awe inspiring as Snowdonia.

You will just have to come back!

I love Snowdonia. Llanberis would tick the boxes for lakes, mountains and even a castle ruin. You could take the train to the top of Snowdon. It is a beautiful area.

If you want quiet, if you're going for Pembrokeshire then I'd avoid Tenby for your half day. It's gorgeous but pretty busy in the summer. Would recommend a day doing St Govern's Head and the nearby Bosherston Lily Ponds. And go to the Bosherston Café as well. You'll thank me, especially if you like cheese on toast. Broadhaven Beach is also around there and is stunning. You don't get the mountain views in Pembrokeshire that you do in the Beacons or Snowdonia, but you do get some bloody lovely cliffs.

If you decide on Snowdonia, do you want to be inland or near the sea? More of it is on the west coast than the north. Caernarfon Castle is about a 10 minute drive out of the northern tip of Snowdonia maybe.

We went to near Abersoch in May and it was gorgeous. Lovely walks and not too strenuous for little ones - I will be going back

Go to snowdonia. Lovely scenery. Electric mountain tour is a must, your DS would love it. I loved it and didn’t think I would at all, totally fascinating.

Train up snowdon and walk down.

Riverside walk at Bedgellert and ice cream afterwards.

The copper mine near there is also good.

Plenty of castles in the vicinity but I’m not really into them so never visited any. Whistling Sands near abersoch is a good beach. There’s a sea life centre on Anglesey which is small but nice.

I used to live in Tenby and it is lovely but not in the same way. I’d also say that though the Brecon Beacons May look close to Pembs on the map I reckon the roads aren’t great and it wouldn’t be the quickest day excursion.

Oh and a little steam train at Bedgellert as well which is nice.

I'd definitely recommend Whistling Sands. Great beach with the weirdest squeaky sand.

Where have you chosen OP?

I’d suggest West Wales! North Pembrokeshire/ Ceredigion borders. Preseli Hills, amazing castles abs and coastline, seals and dolphins and much less touristy than south Pembrokeshire.

Aberdyfi area is beautiful...wonderful 4 mile beach. Also a steam railway at Tywyn.

Electric mountain tour is a must, your DS would love it. I loved it and didn’t think I would at all, totally fascinating

No under 4s so you wouldn't all be able to do it, and IMO best when the kid is old enough to understand what's going on a bit better. Honestly, you will be going back, there's more than you can do in 5 days.

Has anyone mentioned Conwy castle and the copper mine on the Great Orme with train up?

Thank you all again.
We've just booked the north.
Not too far from llanberis/Anglesey etc.
Hoping we have some dry weather!

@glitteryfluff we have just returned from north Wales and we all loved it, in fact we are looking to book again for next year as there is loads more we want to do.
We stayed in a lodge near Mold which was a little too north, we loved Conwy and are looking to stay there next year.
Some highlights for us were Bodnant Gardens.
We did the small hike up Glyderau and we walked round llyn idwal it was stunning and there were kids of similar ages to yours. It was a glorious day and there is a lovely area that the kids can paddle in the lake.
The walk to Aber Falls was lovely even in a unexpected shower.

I mentioned the castle but not the Great Orme errol! Good choice OP and if you're wanting a half day in a town, Conwy/Llandudno might be a good choice. I think about a half hour drive from Llanberis.

Conwy Castle is fab, the town itself is picturesque and it's only down the road from Llandudno. Llandudno is this strange mix of Victorian faded glamour and then the prom is quite kiss me quick, squeeze me slowly. It's really not like anywhere else! Then the Great Orme is at the edge of Llandudno and it's well worth a trip. Stunning views if it's clear. Windy though! You could do Conwy Castle, the Great Orme and whichever of Conwy and Llandudno towns you prefer in a day.

^We've just booked the north.
Not too far from llanberis/Anglesey etc^

Have a fabulous time! It's an amazing area. I grew up in South Wales but absolutely love the North (though Pembrokeshire is beautiful too). There are a few castles you could visit in the North - Criccieth, Carmarthen, Harlech all within a reasonable distance.

If you're walking Snowdon, do the Llanberis path but bare in mind the shop / cafe at the top is closed in bad weather. If you're worried about the older DC's legs, you could always get the train up and walk back down. Also there are tonnes of other walks you can do that are less touristy and just as beautiful. If you buy the Snowdonia National Park OS map you can figure out loads of walks.

If you need any tips on good places to go, happy to give you some pointers either on here or through the messaging system.

I think gerddwreryi meant Caernarfon castle not Carmarthen! My autocorrect changes it to Carmarthen as well!

I prefer to the north to the south as well for holidays. I live in mid Wales which is nice as well, but public transport (not allowed to drive) makes getting anywhere rather difficult.

Places tend to have microclimates so weather forecast even more unreliable! I've stayed in Caernarfon town and done to steam train to Porthmadog and left Caernarfon in warm sunshine to find as we've gone into the mountain ranges it turns grey, foggy and rainy! So watch out for sudden weather changes!

Oh yes, sorry - Caernarfon. Carmarthen is far too far to travel 😂