Llyn Padarn and Llanberis View Point

The view from Llanberis across Llyn Padarn stops you dead. On a clear day the lake stretches out towards Snowdon's bulk in the distance, and you genuinely understand why people have set up camp here for centuries. It's a proper vantage point - the kind of spot where you can see why the slate quarries made sense, why the Victorian tourists flooded in, why caravanners still pitch up at Llanberis Touring Park barely a mile away.

The lake itself is the thing. Llyn Padarn fills the valley floor, cold and grey-green, with the mountains rising sheer on either side. You can walk the shoreline, poke about the old slate works, or just stand and watch the light change across the water. It's free to access and takes as long as you want - twenty minutes for the view, an afternoon if you're serious about exploring the footpaths that thread around it.

Best for walkers and anyone keen on industrial history. Families with very young kids might find the roads around the viewpoint a bit chaotic in summer, but older children will get the scale of the place. The nearby Glamping in Llanberis and Talymignedd Campsite put you right on the doorstep, though the valley gets rammed with tour groups in peak season. Come early, come late, or come in shoulder months when you can actually hear the water. Caernarfon's only ten miles away if you need anything else.