Betws-y-Coed

Railway engines wheeze and chug through this Victorian-built mountain station town, where stone bridges arch over tumbling rivers and Welsh slate roofs gleam after the frequent drizzle. The air smells of pine forests and damp earth.

Betws-y-Coed sits bang in the middle of Snowdonia's wildest country. Proper walkers come here for the peaks - Ffridd-Y-Fedw and Moel Maelogan tower above the town, while Conwy Falls crashes down through ancient oak woods just outside. The surrounding mountains read like a Welsh poetry lesson: Foelasfechan, Cefn Efran, Pen Y Rhiwlas.

Llyn Arennig Fâch offers quieter moments for those who fancy a gentle lakeside wander rather than scrambling up Foel Boeth or Dinas Mawr. Most visitors stick to the well-trodden paths, but venture onto Cefn Gwyn or Moel Trwyn-Swch and you'll likely have the views to yourself.

The A5 cuts straight through town - it's about 25 minutes from Llandudno if you're coming from the coast. Trains run regularly from Chester and Manchester, though the line terminates here so you'll need wheels to explore properly.

Staying at one of the nearby parks makes absolute sense. Conwy Valley Touring Park gets consistently good reviews, and several glamping options dot the valley. You're perfectly placed for dawn raids on the peaks, plus evening returns to a proper base camp rather than fighting for parking spaces with the day-trippers who flood in from Liverpool and Manchester at weekends.