map england and wales

North Wales and the Lake District

Table of Contents

On our first trip to Great Britain we hit many of the typical highlights and  focused more on cities and towns. This trip was more about walking and nature; villages and small towns. (And castles.) I’ve always been interested in the Lake District but had never found the time to get there. And since Arthurian legend is one of my minor obsessions, I wanted to see North Wales. (It turns out Ambleside has a connection there too, being a possible site of Count Ector’s holding.)

We balanced that with a week of more cultural and entertainment pursuits in London. Since we’d seen highlights the first time we could relax and take in more specialized options. We’re finding that’s one of the nice things about revisiting a place: We feel less compelled to check must-sees off a list and more freedom to just be there. That’s also why we make an effort to expand our time in each location, so we don’t feel rushed and have time to just relax.

  • 34 days
  • 2022 Fall

Food and Beverage $41 per day*

Average per person per day. Breakfast was included everywhere we stayed. Beyond that we ate one meal a day out, because one other meal was all we needed!

Lodging $83-$142 per night

London was the most expensive. Carlisle and Llandudno were both $83 per night. The rest ranged from $107-113.

Transportation $356.46 per person

We used trains where we could (London to Conwy, Llandudno to the Lake District, Carlisle to London) and buses otherwise. We used Oyster pay-as-you-go in London.

Entertainment $580 per person

Entertainment included tickets to two plays in London, three scenic trains in Wales, the Harry Potter Studio Tour, and a handful of castles, museumss, and other sights.

* In US dolllars at time of trip

Days 1-3: Conwy, North Wales

Planned Activities

  • Conwy Castle
  • Bodnant Gardens

Actual Activities

  • Conwy Castle
  • Conwy Valley train

The Plan: The photos of the castle are stunning, and the Bodnant Gardens sound really interesting too. Since both Conwy and Llandudno sounded like great places to stay, though very different, we’re going to stay at both of them. 

The Reality: The castle was stunning. Bodnant Gardens looked difficult to get to using public transportation, so we opted to take the scenic train through the Conwy Valley instead. Conwy and Llandudno are very different and we enjoyed both. 

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Train from London

We had to change trains a couple of times.

Stay at Number 18

We loved Number 18. Great location, unique 70s inspired interior, delicious breakfast, warm and helpful hosts.

Get around by walking

Conwy is compact and walkable. We averaged 13,026 steps daily.

Days 4-9: Porthmadog, North Wales

Planned Activities

  • Ffestiniog Railway scenic train
  • Portmeirion
  • Hiking

Actual Activities

  • Ffestiniog Railway scenic train
  • Portmeirion
  • Borth-y-Gest
  • Beddgelert
  • Criccieth

The Plan: Originally it was all about the scenic train. But after reading about Portmeirion, that also became a must-do. Other than that we’ll do some walking or hiking in the area.  

The Reality: We skipped Barmouth because the coastal train and viaduct were closed for construction but were still able to hike while in the area. 

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Bus from Conwy

With a change of bus in Bangor. We couldn't find a direct bus route.

Stay at Yr Hen Fecws

Great location and delicious breakfast. Friendly and helpful staff. Small but nice room.

Get around by walking

Porthmadog is spread out along the main road and walkable. We averaged 10,809 steps daily.

Days 10-12: Caernarfon, North Wales

Planned Activities

  • Welsh Highland Railway scenic train
  • Day trip to Snowdon
  • Caernarfon Castle
  • Segontium Roman Fort

Actual Activities

  • Welsh Highland Railway scenic train
  • Day trip to Snowdon
  • Caernarfon Castle

The Plan: Another great castle to check out. We’re also using this as a base for Mt Snowdon. We’d originally planned on a day trip to Beaumaris but decided it was too out of the way.

The Reality: Things went as planned other than skipping Segontium Roman Fort, which was outside of town and therefore more hassle to get to than we were looking for. 

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Bus from Porthmadog

The T2 picked us up on the main street in Porthmadog and dropped us right across the road from Bron Menai.

Stay at Bron Menai

Spacious room, great location, delicious breakfast. And a pretty garden!

Get around by walking

Caernarfon is easy to walk around. We averaged 7,816 steps per day.

Days 13-15: Llandudno, North Wales

Planned Activities

  • The Great Orme
  • The pier
  • Hanging out at the beach 

Actual Activities

  • The Great Orme
  • The pier
  • Walking on the beach

The Plan: Checking out a classic British seaside resort, including a great Victorian pier. Also some hiking on the Great Orme, and depending on the weather, either sitting or walking on the beach. Or both! 

The Reality: We didn’t end up doing any hiking on the Great Orme, though we did go up and wander around. And the weather allowed us to walk on the beach though it did not encourage sitting on it. The pier wasn’t that exciting. The jelly fish and the Victorian architecture were.

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Bus from Caernarfon

The #5 bus took us from Bron Menai to downtown Llandudno.

Stay at Capri Guest House

The location was great and so was the comfortable room and breakfast. Danny and Juliette are warm and welcoming hosts.

Get around by walking

It's hilly, but Llandudno is easy to get around on foot. With a good pub up the road we didn't have to go far.

Days 16-19: Ambleside, the Lake District

Planned Activities

  • Dove Cottage
  • Rydal Mount
  • Hiking

Actual Activities

  • Walk to Rydal Water
  • Walk around Grasmere
  • Walk Loughrigg Fell

The Plan: Walk or hike every other day, interspersed with sightseeing. 

The Reality: We opted to walk every day, and skipped the sightseeing, other than whatever we ran across while walking or wandering around a village. We just weren’t in the mood.

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Train from Llandudno

We ended up on a replacement bus for the last part of the journey.

Stay at Rothay Garth B & B

Small but nice room, excellent breakfast, hosts, and location.

Get around by walking and bus

A daily bus pass was £8 and the weekly pass was £30. The weekly pass was good for the entire Lake District.

Days 20-22: Keswick, the Lake District

Planned Activities

  • Boating on Derwent Water
  • Hiking 

Actual Activities

  • Castlehead and Friar’s Crag
  • Catbells
  • Buttermere

The Plan: Walk or hike every other day, interspersed with sightseeing.

The Reality: We went for walks every day and combined the boating by taking the boat to the Catbell’s trail head. 

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Bus from Ambleside

Stay at Allerdale House

Our new gold standard for B&Bs!

Get around by walking and bus

The #77 is good for sightseeing too.

Days 23-24: Carlisle, England

Planned Activities

  • Settle-Carlisle Railway

Actual Activities

  • Carlisle Castle
  • Carlisle Cathedral
  • Settle-Carlisle Railway

The Plan: We’re spending the night here in order to catch the Settle-Carlisle scenic railway. We’ll continue on by train to London. 

The Reality: We ended up spending two nights here due to a rail strike that prevented us leaving the day we planned. I was able to rebook the train tickets for the next day at no charge, and our host was kind enough to let us stay an extra night even though she wouldn’t be there. So we missed another excellent breakfast.

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Bus from Keswick

Stay at Rosalind House

Really nice room and a kind and flexible host.

Get around by walking

Day 25: Skipton, England

Planned Activities

  • Skipton Castle
  • Narrowboat ride
  • Walking

Actual Activities

Nada. Nothing.

The Plan: We originally planned to go straight to London from Carlisle but found ourselves with an extra day or two in order to save on a flight. So here we are. 

The Reality: A rail strike forced us to stay another day in Carlisle and taking a later train, so we ended up not having enough time in Skipton to do anything, really. 

Train from Carlisle

Stay at The Unicorn

Some rough edges but a clean and spacious place to spend the night.

Get around by walking

Days 26-34: London, England

Planned Activities

  • National Gallery
  • Cutty Sark
  • Tate Britain
  • Tate Modern
  • Windsor Castle pub
  • Hampstead and Highgate
  • Day trip to Brighton

Actual Activities

  • Greenwich
  • Tate Britain
  • Tate Modern
  • Windsor Castle pub
  • Portobellow Road
  • Victoria & Albert
  • Day trip to Brighton
  • Theater

The Plan: Hit some of the things we missed the last time we were here. We’d originally planned on four days but have doubled it so we can get to everything on that list. 

The Reality: We didn’t get to everything on the original list but we added a couple of entertainment options like the Harry Potter Studio Tour and two plays. This vist felt like less of a whirlwind than our last one.  Which was also fun. 

Related Posts: The first post describes daily activities and destination. Other posts cover anything that generated lots of photos!

Train from Skipton

Stay at Ridgemount Hotel

Great value (for London) in a central location. Warm and friendly.

Get around by public transport

We got an Oyster card but contactless cards work as well.

Resources

Christmas Ornaments

The queen died the day we arrived so a queen ornament seemed appropriate. The train is a model of a heritage steam engine. The snitch speaks for itself.