North Wales – Abergele, Conwy, Llandudno and Rhos on Sea

We had a free weekend, so thought this was the perfect excuse to try out Airbnb for the first time. In short, it was a success.

The Stone Hut

We booked an Airbnb located in Abergele (right next to the Castle Grounds of Gwrych Castle) that was secluded in a woodland area. Our host Penny was great to meet at the start of our weekend away. She shown us around and how to use the facilities, like the compost toilet, outdoor shower and boiling a kettle. Penny even left us a little treat – homemade loaf of bread, fresh eggs from her hens and a lemon drizzle cake that was to die for.

Our accommodation was within a fenced area, safe for us to let our dog roam free and not worry that she could potential escape – our car was also parked in the area too. Outside the hut we had a fire pit, two deck chairs, two chairs and a table. The outdoor shower area had a sink, hot and cold water, shampoo, body wash and fresh towels. The compost toilet, was a lot nicer than expected as well, basic, but clean. Around the back of the hut, had plenty of chopped up wood to burn, and a BBQ to use (if you have lucky enough weather to do so).

The stone hut itself was probably on the verge of being a little too small for two adults, a toddler (with a travel cot) and a Beagle (with a travel crate). But we made it work. The hut was split into two. One side was the kitchen/ living space with a log burner (used to boil the kettle), sink, counter top, loads of cooking utensils, a small sofa, and loads of trinkets like games. Oh and we were supplied with tea, coffee, milk and yoghurts. In the second part of the room was the bedroom with a super comfortable double bed. The hut always had such a lovely homely scent too, and was decorated perfectly, with books everywhere, fresh blankets and more.

Oh and I must add, the hut is electric free. Apart from a small solar panel that offered a little light into the hut.

Bodnant Gardens

We’ve visited quite a few National Trust locations now, and Bodnant Gardens is one of the biggest ones yet. We don’t even think we covered half of the land. Walking around the area, it just seemed to go on and on. Lots of steps and winding paths through beautiful floral walkways through a woodland.

It’s free for National Trust members to enter, but if you aren’t a member it is £14 for adults and £7 for children. Even though it feels quite steep price wise, you would definitely spend an entire day here. It’d be the perfect family day out!

Conwy

Having visited Conwy many times before, we had to bring our little boy to this quaint little town. Conwy has lots to see whilst taking a stroll. We parked at the Vicarage pay and display car park that is right at the castle grounds.

We first stopped by a Bodlondeb play area right at the Castle wall. It was early and empty, so Dexter had some time to run around and get all of his energy out before we sat down at a cafe for breakfast. The cafe we visited was called Cantin, and it was a perfect find for the four of us. Outside seating with high chairs, and a dedicated area to keep your pooch happy – dog beds, water and dog treats were all available to help yourself to. We got sausage buttie’s, cakes, coffees and a children’s lunch box – would reccomend.

Walking through the town towards to the waterfront you find cute little bakeries, coffee shops, tourist shops and more. Conwy has major Cornwall vibes. It’s so beautiful to look at. We found a really cool shop called The Knight Shop – it sold so many cool Knight accessories, and child friendly ones too! This shop is definitely a must, you will not miss it.

Conwy Quay is a lovely little walk with boats, seagulls, fishmongers – it has all of the seaside town vibes. Right along the front you can find The Smallest House in Britain – albeit small, you wont miss it. It’s bright red, and for a small price of £1.50 for adults and £1 for children you can enter the house. Just a small upstairs and downstairs, but crazy to think that this house was once lived in.

We didn’t go inside Conwy Castle, we wandered the grounds. The grounds enough are magnificent to look at, especially if you want to capture some cool photos.

Llandudno

Llandudno is one of those places we’ve visited on many occasions due to it being an easy drive from Liverpool. Also, it is a proper seaside town. It has everything – ice cream shops, beaches, cable cars, mountains, play areas, shopping arcades, tea and coffee shops, fish and chips, promenades and more. Llandudno is roughly a 15 minutes drive from Conwy, you can definitely combine the two towns in a day trip.

We parked near West Shore beach – one of the many beaches in Llandudno, that also has a play area, boating lake and the cutest miniature railway right at it. Dexter and I went on the miniature railway right the moment the heavens opened, so it certainly made our ride interesting! If you plan on riding the miniature railway, it’s only a small charge, and free for children under 5. The track is 1/3 of a mile long, and it doesn’t half pick up some speed. Even though we got soaked, we had a laugh. Oh, and the moment we got off the sun came back out, typical!

The other side of Llandudno, is where most tourists will visit, because more is happening along the North Shore beach area. Before heading up the Great Orme, we sat along the promenade to enjoy an ice cream, that naturally comes with a lot of anxiety in Llandudno. If you didn’t know, the seagulls in this particular area are ruthless, they have zero fear. Within about 15 minutes, we saw around 3 families getting essentially attacked by seagulls for food. You must keep your wits about you! We done our usually stroll along the beach, and down the pier where you can find a funfair that always seems to be busy.

We head up to the half way point of the Great Orme via The Great Orme Tramway. For a return, it costs £8.50 for adults and £6 for children, and free for under 3’s. There is a cable car option as a way of transport too, but it is weather dependent on if it will be running or not, and unfortunately on this trip, it wasn’t (next time though!). We thoroughly enjoyed this little trip up The Great Orme, and luckily dogs are allowed on the Tram and Cable Cars too. Just note that prams have to be stored away at the office at the bottom.

Half way up the Great Orme, you will find the Great Orme Mines – which is great for us because again, dogs are welcome to visit too. Certain parts within the mines naturally are more narrow than other places – Roxy wasn’t too happy about, and also had grids on the floor in certain places. This resulted in carrying her in some tight spaces. That was … fun, haha! If you do find yourself heading up the Great Orme, the Mines aren’t to be missed. They are copper mines, and archaeologists are still finding new things to this day. £9 for adults, £6 for children and free for under 5’s.

Rhos on Sea

We had a little pit stop into Rhos on Sea for a walk along the beach front, play in the park (that also had a communal pool) and a bite to eat at Hickories.

From Llandudno, you can get to Rhos on Sea in 10 to 15 minutes – a pretty scenic and simple drive along the coast. Ultimately Rhos on Sea felt like a smaller seaside town, more for the locals which was nice, and meant it wasn’t too busy.

We love a Hickories, so we thought we would treat ourselves to the Hickories here in Rhos on Sea. We got one of the outside booths that have heaters – this made it super comfy as yet again the heavens opened. The booths are also big enough to keep Roxy under the table with her own food.

Thurstaton Country Park

Before we head home, we decided to stop off … again. So both Dexter and Roxy could have one last run around. Thurstaton Country Park is in The Wirral, and has the most picturesque beach with cliff edges running alongside of it. Whether you want a beach walk, coastal walk, or one within nature. Thurstaton has it all.

Overall

This was the first time taking our Beagle Roxy on a little holiday, and we can happily say that everywhere we visited was super dog friendly. We even had more planned with her that didn’t go ahead due to the weather. We successfully got around all of the towns with a dog and pram in tow – it was never an issue. North Wales is a perfect holiday away with your pooch, or even a day trip!