Penmaenmawr

The quarries tell the story here better than any guidebook. Penmaenmawr sits beneath towering granite cliffs that once supplied stone for London's streets, and you can still see the scars where Victorian workers carved into the mountainside. These days it's a proper working town that happens to have some cracking coastal views.

Pensychnant Conservation Centre offers gentle woodland walks if you fancy something easy, but the real drama lies uphill. Allt Wen, Penmaen-Bach and Maen Amor rise sharply behind the town - serious peaks that reward the effort with views across the Menai Strait to Anglesey. The coastal path runs right through town too, connecting Llanfairfechan to Conwy.

Down by the shore, there's a decent pebble beach that's lovely on a calm day but can be proper wild when the wind's up. The high street has the usual suspects but it's Conwy, just ten minutes east, where you'll find the castle and proper tourist attractions.

Getting here is straightforward enough. The A55 runs right past, and there's a railway station on the North Wales Coast line. Bangor's about twenty minutes west if you need a bigger town.

Staying at one of the nearby parks makes perfect sense. You're ideally placed for both the mountains and coast, with Snowdonia's eastern edges on your doorstep and the Conwy valley within easy reach. It's far enough from the crowds but close enough to nip into Conwy or Llandudno when you fancy a change of pace.