Conwy

Conwy is a walled market town on the estuary of the River Conwy in north Wales. Edward I had the castle built between 1283 and 1287, during his conquest of Wales, to a design by his master mason James of St George; Cadw now manages the ruin, and the castle and town walls together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1986. The walls run for 1.3 kilometres with 21 surviving towers and three gatehouses, enclosing about 10 hectares, one of the most complete town-wall circuits surviving anywhere in Britain.

Why base here

Conwy Mountain (Mynydd y Dref) rises directly above the town to 244 metres, topped by the Iron Age hillfort of Castell Caer Seion, which held more than fifty hut circles and platform houses, with evidence of occupation from around the sixth century BC. The mountain is crossed by the long-distance North Wales Path and forms the northern gateway to the Carneddau, the largest continuous area of high ground in Wales, so this is a base for both an easy first hill and a run of harder mountain days further south.

On foot versus by car

The castle, the town walls, and Conwy Mountain all start from the town on foot; the hillfort summit is a there-and-back walk of a few hours at most from Castle Square. Reaching Sychnant Pass, the wider Carneddau, or anywhere further south into the main body of Eryri needs a car.

Practicalities

Conwy railway station sits in the town, on the North Wales Coast Line. It is an unstaffed request stop, so tickets are bought on the train, and it has a free 25-space car park.

With children

Cadw hands out free family activity sheets at the Conwy Castle entrance, and under-fives get in free, which makes the castle the natural place to start. A restored spiral staircase allows a full circuit of the battlements around all eight towers, though the stairs themselves are steep, uneven, and no place for a pushchair. The town walls make a shorter, free alternative, 1.3 km with 21 towers to count off, but the walkway runs close to a long drop on the outside edge behind a fairly low rail, so this is a hand-holding walk rather than one where children can range ahead. For a climb, Conwy Mountain’s Iron Age hillfort adds a destination to the effort: hut circles to explore among the heather, sheep and wild ponies grazing loose, and 279 metres of ascent that rules out anyone still in a buggy. It suits school-age children better than toddlers, who are better served by the castle and the walls.