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Welcome to our UK travel forum where you can get advice on everything from holidays to exotic destinations, to tips on London travel.

Original poster

LOVE Conwy - where else is similar?

59 replies

Wiifitmama · 08/07/2022 22:00

We are on holiday in Conwy, North Wales. It ticks every single box for me. I am loving it more than any other Uk destination we have been. Where else can I go that is similar?

What we love about Conwy:


  • coastal and beautiful (castle, boats etc). We don’t need a beach but do need water.

  • larger than a village so lots to see and do (love historic stuff like old houses and castles)

  • total foodie destination. Excellent butcher, baker, local coffees, fab restaurants etc.

  • train station is vital. We have no car and travel by train from London


Any thoughts? We travel as a family of 5. But all kids are teens/adults and like similar to my list above.

OP posts:
SouthOfFrance · 08/07/2022 22:03

Christchurch
Bristol
Caernarfon
Arundel

Original poster
Wiifitmama · 08/07/2022 22:09

Thanks for replying.

Bristol is a city so too large. We live in London so want a smaller town.

Christchurch is interesting. We have been to Bournemouth though so I wonder if it is too close.

Arundel is not coastal. We have to be able to walk everywhere as don’t have a car.

Caernarfon Looks very interesting. Just down the coast from where we are but we have loved north wales!

OP posts:
mnahmnah · 08/07/2022 22:11

Whitby in North Yorkshire. The only thing I’m not sure about is the train…

Tenby too

Original poster
Wiifitmama · 08/07/2022 22:20

I have just checked Caernarfon as it looks fab but sadly there is no train station there (well there is but it is for steam trains!).

Whitby is one I have looked at before. It appeals. Quite a long way from London through!

Tenby is an awful train journey from London - it would literally take all day sadly.

OP posts:
Beekindbeehumble · 08/07/2022 22:20

Gower Peninsula - area of outstanding natural beauty, Swansea.

Beekindbeehumble · 08/07/2022 22:23

You can get a train from London to Bangor, then take a bus to Caernarfon.

Sadik · 08/07/2022 22:24

Have you just checked the Tenby trains now? Only that it probably looks much worse than normal just right now because the line is out between Newport & Bristol with rail replacement buses, and loads of cancellations. I travel between west Wales & london and it's not that bad (I mean, it's a long way, but not all day!)

Sadik · 08/07/2022 22:25

What about Aberystwyth?

One thing to note about Tenby / Pembs coast is there's good coastal bus services, so pretty easy to get places once you're there (at least in summer). There's lots of walkers who use the buses even if they travel initially to the area by car.

Fluckle · 08/07/2022 22:26

Caernarfon is not a patch on Conwy, sorry. Not foodie, bit dull, nice castle but not as picturesque. You might however like Beaumaris on Anglesey. Ticks all the boxes though might be train and short bus ride from Bangor. Can't remember if there's a local station. Very pretty place, very foodie, sea, fancy bridge, lots of old places to explore nearby and nice walks.

Squashedraddish · 08/07/2022 22:32

lots of places in north wales- Caernarfon is lovely, Anglesey also lovely with gorgeous beaches. Also Llangollen is a nice riverside town and Llandudno is a nice beach town with pier and cable cars up the great Orme. Across the border in England is chester which is a lovely Roman city- quite a small city, very pretty with a river and good rail links to London. Lots to do there and you could easily get a bus to the coast for a day trip too

MichaelAndEagle · 08/07/2022 22:37

North Yorkshire coast is nice, similar vibe. It is a long way, but east coast mainline is quite quick to York, then change.

Haggisfish3 · 08/07/2022 22:39

Tenby.

Kite22 · 08/07/2022 22:44

What about Portsmouth, or Plymouth (quite a lot further)

Chattycatty · 08/07/2022 23:10

Beaumaris is lovely and a short bus ride from bangor well worth a day trip.

Original poster
Wiifitmama · 09/07/2022 07:44

Thanks everyone. I am defiantly interested in North Yorkshire and will look at that further.

Anglesey looks lovely though more challenging to get to.

We went to Llandudno yesterday on a day trip from Conwy. Loved the Great Orme and mines but not the town itself. Way too English seaside for us. What we love about Conwy is there is not an amusement arcade anywhere!

@Fluckle that is a shame that you think Caernarfon is not that nice as I looked at it after it was mentioned here and though it looked perfect!

OP posts:
Fluckle · 09/07/2022 09:39

Feel free to ignore me then, each to their own! When we've been, which has been a few times over the years, we've run out of stuff to do/see very quickly beyond the castle in the town itself. The food options were so limited I ended up in KFC the last time I was there! This was pre 2020, maybe things have improved??

There's loads to do in the region round Caernarfon - there's a great climbing wall near there, Greenwood Park is a fab, especially for small children. You've got Snowdonia, Betws y Coed, all the Zip World stuff. I'm unsure how you'd reach it on public transport though, especially specifically trains.

I know Conwy well. Beaumaris is your closest match.

Funf · 09/07/2022 11:05

Conwy and Caernarfon are very different
Conwy is a Medieval walled town nothing I know of in the UK is the same?
Llandudno is nice but look at the places around it , Angel bay, Rhos, Aber Falls
Some ideas here
www.donthibernate.co.uk/route-1-llandudno-from-m62-m56/
www.donthibernate.co.uk/waterfalls-of-north-wales/
Liverpool is just over an hour away and is a Must see whilst in the area
www.donthibernate.co.uk/liverpool/
Llangollen
www.donthibernate.co.uk/winter-trip-to-llangollen-and-motor-museum/

Hoppinggreen · 09/07/2022 11:07

Northumbria is lovely but it’s a long way from London

WoundTheBobbinUp · 09/07/2022 11:10

I can't believe nobody has said Criccieth yet! Absolutely stunning little town!

CheesyChipsOnWembleyWay · 09/07/2022 11:11

How about Berwick? Direct train from London.

MrsDThomas · 09/07/2022 11:14

Oh please! Scrap Caernarfon. You’ll arrive and leave. It has a castle….,

there is stops. Drunk and druggies on the square, boarded up shops. Please. Just don’t. Nothing there.

llanberis is lovely. Really lovely. Go there. Cafes, waterfall, slate museum, old quarry hospital, Dolbadarn castle and views!!

Lonelycrab · 09/07/2022 11:15

Lymington?

Easy from London, good selection of food places, perfect for a short hop to the IOW for the day. New forest on your doorstep, great outdoor lido/ sea baths, great walking in pretty much any direction and I should imagine the buses that tour the forest would stop there.

SingleHandSue · 09/07/2022 11:23

Shrewsbury? Not coastal but has a lovely river. Great foodie town with lots of old mediaeval buildings and a castle. Many restaurants and coffee shops. Amazing countryside all around, you can get a train to Church Stretton which is gorgeous, or to Ludlow for more of the same history and foodie loveliness!

Covidagainandagain · 09/07/2022 11:24

WoundTheBobbinUp · 09/07/2022 11:10

I can't believe nobody has said Criccieth yet! Absolutely stunning little town!

Ssssh we are keeping quiet about Criccieth so it doesn't get overrun!

TammyOne · 09/07/2022 11:30

Well I was going to say Scarborough until you said no amusement arcades!
Still think it’s worth a trip though as it’s dead easy on the train- about 40 mins from York. Castle, beaches, coastal walks along the Cleveland Way to Robin Hoods Bay (smugglers/fishing village with pubs).
Also agree with Anglesey, so worth visiting. How about around the English Riviera? Brixham is nice and easy by train. Places in Dorset- Lyme Regis/ Jurassic coast etc? The coastal bus service is good and amd you can train to Bournemouth or Axminster etc.