Based in Caernarfon, this holiday takes advantage of its proximity to the diverse and majestic Snowdonia National Park, where we have included exciting trips on the Llanberis Lake Railway and the famous Snowdon Mountain Railway as well as a visit to the Victorian seaside resort of Llandudno. Snowdonia is a beautiful area to visit and has appeared in our holiday many times, on this holiday we planned the itinerary to take in some of the traditional sites as well as some new ones and keep it relaxed.

Your holiday itinerary:
Monday: Completing our pickups, we begin our journey to Snowdonia. With suitable stops along the way and following the old coach route along the A5 this afternoon, we aim to be at our hotel in Caernarfon in plenty of time to settle in before dinner.
Tuesday: After a leisurely breakfast we visit Bodnant Foods. Opened in 2012, the vast centre is a development of traditional 18th century farm buildings and includes a coffee shop, bakery, dairy, and farm shop all with a focus on locally sourced produce, and gifts. From here we visit the pretty village of Betws-y-Coed, North Wales’s most popular inland resort. Set in a beautiful valley in the Snowdonia Forest Park, much of the village was built in Victorian times when it was an artist colony, today it is the principal village of the Snowdonia National Park. We make our way back to caernarfon to enjoy some free time before dinner.
Wednesday: Today we enjoy some of the magnificent mountain scenery of the Snowdonia National Park and what will be for some the highlight of the holiday, a trip on the Snowdon Mountain Railway. We begin the day with a ride on the narrow gauge Llanberis Lake Railway. The 5-mile return journey takes us alongside Lake Padarn, providing stunning views of Snowdon, the highest mountain peak in England and Wales. After free time for lunch, we board the train for a return trip on the Snowdon Mountain Railway for what has been described as one of the most scenic railway journeys in the world, with stunning scenery and awe-inspiring views. On reaching the summit you are rewarded with wonderful views of the valleys below and on a clear day across to Ireland. During your 30-minute stop over at the summit you can venture to the cairn of the highest mountain in Wales and England, around 3,560ft above sea level, or enjoy a drink and snack in Snowdon Summit’s Visitors Centre, the UK’s highest visitor centre. On returning to Llanberis we rejoin our coach and make our way back to the hotel.
Thursday: This morning we first venture across the Menai Straits onto the Isle of Anglesey and the tiny village with the longest place name in the UK, now known as Llanfair PG for short. We then drive along the North Wales coast to the Victorian seaside resort of Llandudno. The appeal of Llandudno is that it has remained largely unchanged for over a century. There’s a pier (the longest in Wales) and Punch & Judy, donkey rides on the beach and canopied shopping streets just behind the prom. Enjoy a stroll along the elegant promenade. Perhaps take the San Franciscan-style tramway or alpine cable car to the summit of the Great Orme or enjoy a spectacular drive around the Great Orme in a vintage motor coach and learn about Alice in Wonderland and the prehistoric copper mines. After an enjoyable afternoon in Llandudno, we return to Caernarfon and our hotel.
Friday: Sadly, we must leave Snowdonia and make our way home. With suitable stops along the way including somewhere to get those essential supplies for home, we aim to be back in Essex late afternoon.

Important Information:

Please read the itinerary carefully before deciding if this tour will be suitable for you:
1) Single Supplement – £159pp (max 5)
2) Sensible footwear and clothing are advised for the trip to the summit of Snowdon. The weather conditions on the mountain can change very quickly. Please be aware that if you venture outside the visitor’s centre at the summit the surface is uneven and rocky.
3) C&J Tours cannot be held responsible if weather conditions/technical issues prevent the trains from reaching the summit of Snowdon. If the trains are cancelled, we will try and reschedule the visit but cannot guarantee doing so.
4) There is insufficient space in the carriages on the Snowdon Mountain Railway to accommodate walking frames, mobility scooters and folding wheelchairs. These can be left, at the owners’ risk, at the platform in Llanberis.