Conwy

Medieval walls rise like stone guards around one of Wales' best-preserved fortress towns. Conwy sits where the river meets the Irish Sea, its 13th-century castle brooding over narrow streets that still follow their ancient patterns. The town proper feels delightfully compact - you can walk the entire circuit of the medieval walls in about an hour, though you'll want longer to soak up the views.

Conwy Water Gardens offer a peaceful retreat from the summer crowds, while the surrounding landscape rewards those who venture beyond the castle walls. The peaks of Cerrig-y-ddinas and Pen-y-gaer provide cracking walking territory, and the archaeological sites dotted across the area tell stories spanning millennia. Maen y Bardd Dolmen and the Neolithic Settlement remind you that people have called this corner of north Wales home for thousands of years.

Coedty Reservoir makes for a lovely circular walk through the forested hills, particularly on those crisp autumn mornings when the water mirrors the sky. The Church of St. Celynin sits quietly in the countryside, worth seeking out for its ancient stones and peaceful churchyard.

Getting here is straightforward - the A55 brings you in from Chester or Bangor, though parking within the walls gets tight during peak season. Llandudno lies just five miles east if you need proper seaside attractions, but honestly, Conwy has enough character to keep you occupied for a long weekend.

Basing yourself at one of the nearby holiday parks makes perfect sense. You're close enough to walk into town for evening meals but far enough out to enjoy the countryside walks and archaeological sites without the day-tripper crowds.