North Wales Adventure Day Trip From Liverpool
Full-Day North Wales Day Trip Adventure – The epic landscapes of North Wales are alive with action, and a rich, distinctive culture. Find World Heritage, one of Europe’s oldest living languages, and the UK’s best adventure. Within the region of North Wales you’ll find Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Wrexham and Ynys Môn (the Isle of Anglesey).
North Wales (Welsh: Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri) and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley (Bryniau Clwyd a Dyffryn Dyfrdwy), known for its mountains, waterfalls and trails, wholly within the region. Its population is concentrated in the north-east and northern coastal areas, with significant Welsh-speaking populations in its western and rural areas. North Wales is imprecisely defined, lacking any exact definition or administrative structure. It is commonly defined administratively as its six most northern principal areas, but other definitions exist, with Montgomeryshire historically considered to be part of the region.
Those from North Wales are sometimes referred to as “Gogs” (from “Gogledd” – the Welsh word for “north”); in comparison, those from South Wales are sometimes called “Hwntws” by those from North Wales.
The largest localities in North Wales are the city of Wrexham and the conurbations of Deeside and Rhyl/Prestatyn, where the main retail, cultural, educational, tourism, and transport infrastructure and services of North Wales are located. Bangor and St. Asaph are the region’s cities, Bangor is Wales’ oldest city, whereas St Asaph is one of Wales’ smallest and was awarded status in 2012. Wrexham, the region’s largest settlement, became a city in 2022
After we have admired the Liverpool Skyline we will pass under the River Mersey as we head south to join the North Wales Expressway before entering the dark and mysterious land known as North Wales. You will see the Liverpool Skyline in the distance as we drive along through beautiful open countryside and maybe spot the occasional castle on the way!
Arriving at Llandudno we will ascend the steep Great Orme and marvel at the views (on a clear day we will even see the Isle Of Man!) and visit the 1,100 year old hidden chapel of St. Tudno with its Blue Window and Stigmata. A stroll down the original wooden pier far out to sea is a must you can buy those Welsh souvenirs!
Next is the walled town of Conwy, constructed by the English monarch Edward I between 1283 and 1289 as one of the key fortresses in his ‘iron ring’ of castles to contain the Welsh, it was built to prompt such a humbling reaction with its fabulous wall circuit of over 3/4 mile long and guarded by no less than 22 towers. It is renowned as one of the finest examples in the World.
Conwy Castle is a gritty, dark-stoned fortress built by James of St. George in partnership with the french Richard The Engineer. This castle is the “real thing” resembling exactly what children form from buckets of sand on the beach. It has the rare ability to evoke an authentic medieval atmosphere. The first time that you catch sight of the castle you’ll know you are in the presence of a historic site which still casts a powerful spell. When you go inside (optional – entrance charge applicable ~£9.50)…well…need I even comment?
Now, brace yourselves for what BusyBus has become known for (and, we modestly add, have won National awards for) the North Wales Adventure element of the tour. In to Snowdonia National Park using carefully selected routes and taking you well and truly off the beaten track to viewpoints of wonder! You’ll feel like you own Snowdonia in the tranquility and ambiance (and adventure) we’ve prepared!
No trip to North Wales would be complete without a stop at the “capital”, Betws-Y-Coed (prayer-house in the woods). Interestingly, whilst right in the centre of Snowdonia National Park, an exclusion boundary has allowed this fairy-tale town to flourish into the centre of outdoor tourism in Wales. With it’s many shops, cafes, pubs and locals, it simply can’t fail to impress!
We will pass through Llangollen, the starting station for the famous and still fully-functional steam railway along with many other “claims to fame”.
You get a unique chance to experience the Pontcysyllte Canal Aqueduct, built by Sir Thomas Telford in 1795 and still taking canal barges across the valley high above the ground.