Llanrwst

Stone cottages line the River Conwy here, their slate roofs weathered by centuries of Welsh mountain rain. Llanrwst feels properly rural - a working market town where locals still chat in Welsh outside the post office and sheep occasionally wander down from the surrounding hills.

The town sits in a valley carved by the Conwy, with the Snowdonia peaks rising dramatically on all sides. Mynydd Cauedig and Pen-Or loom to the west, while Penardda offers decent scrambling for those with proper boots. It's not dramatic stuff, but the views stretch right across the valley when the mist clears.

Dolgarrog, just down the road, tells the story of Wales' industrial past through its Railway Society museum. The old trains ran through these valleys carrying slate and copper, and you can still follow some of the old trackbeds on foot. Llyn Syberi makes for a pleasant afternoon walk - nothing spectacular, but a good spot for a picnic if you've brought the kids.

Forested walks thread through Coed y Borthol and Cefn-y-coed Wood, though midweek you'll likely have the paths to yourself. Adventure Parc offers something for families when the weather turns, which it often does up here.

Getting here means driving - the nearest proper train station is Betws-y-Coed, about twenty minutes east. But that's rather the point. This is proper countryside, where holiday parks like Maenan Abbey Caravan Park and Wern Farm make perfect sense for exploring the Conwy Valley without the tourist crowds of Snowdonia's main honeypots. You're close enough to reach the big mountains but far enough away to enjoy some peace.