North Wales and Eryri, along the coast and over the pass
Three castles, a mountain railway and one of the finest mountain roads in Britain, all within thirty miles of each other and none of them near a station.
A chauffeur-driven tour of North Wales covering Conwy, Bodnant, Betws-y-Coed, the Llanberis Pass, Caernarfon and optionally Portmeirion. From London it is two hundred and fifty miles and five hours, so it is arranged as a two-day trip; from Chester it works as a single day of nine or ten hours. The route uses the A55 along the coast, the A470 into the Conwy valley and the A4086 over the pass. Mountain roads here are narrow and weather-dependent, and the Snowdon Mountain Railway runs only when conditions allow. Rates are guide figures.
Duration
Two days, or one from Chester
From London
250 miles, 5 hrs
From Chester
50 miles, 1 hr
Stops
Six
01/Overview
What a day at North Wales and Snowdonia actually involves
North Wales packs an unreasonable amount into a small area. The A55 expressway runs along the coast past Conwy and Bangor, the A470 turns south into the Conwy valley towards Betws-y-Coed, and the A4086 climbs from there over the Llanberis Pass under the shoulder of Yr Wyddfa, the mountain the English call Snowdon.
From London it is around two hundred and fifty miles and five hours, which makes it a two-day trip rather than a day one. From Chester it is an hour to Conwy and this becomes a single, full and rather glorious day. From Manchester it is two hours, which also works if you start early.
02/At a glance
The North Wales and Snowdonia day in four figures
Duration
Two days, or one from Chester
From London
250 miles, 5 hrs
From Chester
50 miles, 1 hr
Stops
Six
03/The itinerary
North Wales and Snowdonia, stop by stop and in driving order
Timings include the walking and the standing about, not only the mileage between stops.
01
Conwy
An hour from Chester on the A55. Edward I’s castle sits above the estuary with the town walls still complete around the medieval street plan, and you can walk the whole circuit in forty minutes. Two hours including the castle, and the smallest house in Britain is on the quay if anyone wants the photograph.
02
Bodnant Garden
Fifteen minutes south in the Conwy valley. Eighty acres running down a hillside to a wooded gorge, with a laburnum arch that draws a crowd in late May and terraces that work in any month. Ninety minutes, and it is the gentlest stop of the day.
03
Betws-y-Coed
Twenty-five minutes further up the A470 into the trees. A village of grey stone at the meeting of three rivers, with Swallow Falls two miles west on the A5. It is the walking capital of the area and it is where the day stops for lunch.
04
The Llanberis Pass
Half an hour west on the A4086, climbing between Glyder Fawr and the Snowdon massif. The road runs through a glacial trench with scree on both sides and Pen-y-Pass at the top, and it is the single best piece of driving in Wales. Stop at the top; the car park fills early in summer.
05
Llanberis and the mountain railway
Down the western side of the pass to the village on Llyn Padarn. The rack railway has climbed to the summit of Yr Wyddfa since 1896 and takes two and a half hours for the return trip when it is running, which depends entirely on the weather. Book ahead, and expect to be turned back in wind.
06
Caernarfon, or Portmeirion
Twenty minutes west to Caernarfon, where the largest of the Edwardian castles stands over the Menai Strait with its polygonal towers and banded stone. Or forty minutes south to Portmeirion, an Italianate village built into a wooded estuary by a single determined architect. An hour and a half for either.
04/Planning notes
Things worth settling before a North Wales and Snowdonia day
01
From London this is a two-day trip. Five hours each way leaves nothing at the far end, and the mountain roads are not somewhere to arrive tired and leave in the dark.
02
The Llanberis Pass is a public A road and perfectly drivable, but it is narrow with limited passing and the Pen-y-Pass car park fills by eight in the morning in summer. We plan the pass for the middle of the day and stop where there is room.
03
The Snowdon Mountain Railway does not run in high wind and frequently terminates below the summit. It also sells out. Treat it as a bonus rather than the centre of the itinerary.
04
Place names here are Welsh and increasingly signed only in Welsh: Yr Wyddfa for Snowdon, Eryri for Snowdonia. Your chauffeur will know both, which matters when the signs change halfway along a valley.
05/In detail
How the North Wales and Snowdonia day is put together
TR-01/A55, A470, A4086: the shape of the day
A55, A470, A4086: the shape of the day
North Wales has one fast road and a great many slow ones. The A55 runs along the coast from Chester to Bangor as a dual carriageway and covers ground quickly; everything south of it climbs into the mountains and does not.
The itinerary uses that deliberately. Fast along the coast to Conwy, slow up the valley to Betws-y-Coed, slower still over the pass, and then out to the west coast. Reversing it means doing the mountain roads at the end of the day when the light is going, which is the wrong way round.
TR-02/Conwy and Caernarfon are the same idea, thirty years apart
Conwy and Caernarfon are the same idea, thirty years apart
Edward I built a ring of castles across North Wales in the late thirteenth century to hold the country after conquest, and Conwy and Caernarfon are the two best preserved. Conwy is the more complete town, with its walls intact; Caernarfon is the grander castle, deliberately built to look imperial.
Doing both in one day is comfortable. Doing both plus Beaumaris on Anglesey is a day of castles and nothing else, which suits some parties very well and bores others thoroughly. We ask before planning it.
TR-03/The pass is the reason to bring a car
The pass is the reason to bring a car
There is no train through the Llanberis Pass and no bus worth the name. The A4086 climbs from Capel Curig through a glacial valley with scree slopes rising on both sides and the Snowdon horseshoe above, and it is one of the half-dozen best roads in Britain.
It is also narrow, with walls close on both sides and limited places to stop. A saloon or an SUV is fine; a large van is possible and slower. Whatever the vehicle, this is the stretch where having somebody else driving means you actually see it.
06/The cars
Vehicles that suit the North Wales and Snowdonia itinerary
On a touring day the boot is used more than the legroom, and the lanes decide the rest.
No standing price list. Send the journey on WhatsApp and the written quotation confirms the price, what it includes and any applicable tax.
07/Further detail
Getting the most out of North Wales and Snowdonia
TR-04/The mountain railway, and its moods
The mountain railway, and its moods
The rack railway from Llanberis has been carrying people to the summit since 1896 and it remains the only way up Yr Wyddfa that does not involve walking. The return trip takes two and a half hours with half an hour at the top.
It is entirely at the mercy of the weather. High wind stops it, and cloud regularly means services terminate at Clogwyn, three quarters of the way up, with a view of the inside of a cloud. Book it, hope for it, and have the rest of the day arranged so that losing it does not matter.
TR-05/Portmeirion, which makes no sense and works anyway
Portmeirion, which makes no sense and works anyway
An architect called Clough Williams-Ellis spent fifty years building an Italianate village into a wooded estuary in Gwynedd, using salvaged fragments from demolished buildings across Britain. It should be ridiculous. It is one of the most charming places in Wales.
It takes ninety minutes and it is the alternative to Caernarfon rather than an addition, unless the day has started early. Parties travelling with children generally prefer it; parties who came for the castles do not.
08/What it costs
Pricing the North Wales and Snowdonia day
Touring days are quoted by the hour, from the first collection to the last drop, with the mileage folded into the figure. That is the arrangement that lets a stop run long without anybody doing arithmetic in the back of the car, which on a day built around six or seven stops matters more than it sounds.
Admission tickets are not included and are not something we sell. The figures shown here and on the pricing page cover the car and the chauffeur. Where a day runs past the hours quoted, the written quotation says what the additional time costs before you set off.
09/Worth knowing
Season, weather and the North Wales and Snowdonia variations
TR-06/Coming from Chester, Manchester or Liverpool
Coming from Chester, Manchester or Liverpool
Chester is the ideal base and an hour from Conwy on the A55. Manchester is two hours and Liverpool is an hour and three quarters, both of which still leave a workable day if you set off at seven.
From Birmingham it is two and a half hours and the day becomes tight. From London it does not work at all as a day, which is why the itinerary is written as two, with a night in Betws-y-Coed, Llandudno or Portmeirion in the middle.
TR-07/Weather in Eryri
Weather in Eryri
The mountains here catch the first weather off the Irish Sea and it rains a great deal. The upside is that the valleys are green in a way that only happens with that much water, and the light between showers is exceptional.
The practical approach is the same as in Cumbria: keep the order flexible and swap the high stops for the low ones when the cloud is down. Bodnant, Conwy and Betws-y-Coed all work in rain. The pass, in fairness, does not.
10/Collections
Where a North Wales and Snowdonia day usually starts
The collection point sets the departure time, and on a long itinerary that decides how much of it fits.
Five questions that come up on almost every enquiry for this itinerary.
Can Snowdonia be done in a day from London?
+
Not sensibly. It is two hundred and fifty miles and around five hours each way, which leaves no day at the far end and puts the mountain roads at dusk. We arrange it as two days with a night in the area. From Chester, Liverpool or Manchester it works as a single long day.
Is the Llanberis Pass suitable for a large vehicle?
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Yes, with care. It is a public A road, but it is narrow with stone walls close on both sides and limited passing places. A saloon or SUV is comfortable; a Sprinter is slower and needs more patience. It is not in the same category as the Lake District passes we decline.
Will the Snowdon Mountain Railway be running?
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Possibly. It stops in high wind and frequently terminates below the summit when cloud is down, and it sells out in season. Book it in advance if you want it, and plan the rest of the day so that losing it is a disappointment rather than a problem.
Which is better, Caernarfon or Portmeirion?
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They are opposites, so it depends on the party. Caernarfon is the grandest of the Edwardian castles, on the Menai Strait, and it is a serious building. Portmeirion is an Italianate folly village in a wooded estuary and is a great deal of fun. Families usually pick Portmeirion; historians pick Caernarfon.
Are the road signs in Welsh?
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Bilingual on the main roads and increasingly Welsh-first, with Yr Wyddfa for Snowdon and Eryri for Snowdonia. It causes visitors more confusion than it should when a valley road changes from one convention to the other. Our chauffeurs know both names for everything on the itinerary.
Tell us the date for North Wales and Snowdonia and we will put the day in writing.
Send the date, how many of you there are, where the day starts and any timed tickets you already hold. You will get a written quotation with the vehicle, the collection time and an itinerary that fits the hours rather than the wishlist.
