You will depart Holyhead via motor coach and travel across Anglesey to the Menai Strait with its wooded banks separating the island from the mainland of North Wales. Your first stop will be at Bodnant Gardens, situated above the River Conway, with stunning views across Snowdonia. Begun in 1875, Bodnant Garden features huge terraces and formal lawns on its upper level, with a wooded valley, stream and wild garden below. There are dramatic colors throughout the season, with herbaceous borders, roses, hydrangeas, water lilies and clematis delight throughout the summer. Following your guided walk around the gardens enjoy some free time to explore the gardens further at your leisure before continuing inland towards the magnificent landscapes of Snowdonia National Park, with some of the most amazing scenery to be found anywhere in Wales Drive past the beautiful villages of Betws-y-Coed and Llanberis which sits beside the Llyn Padarn Lake in Snowdonia and take the incredible Llanberis Pass that skirts the base of Snowdon, the highest peak in Britain south of the Scottish highlands at 3560 feet high before arriving back in Holyhead.

Please note: Wear comfortable walking shoes. There are steps throughout Bodnant Gardens.  Bodnant Gardens consist of flat and sloped areas, some of which are steep in places. There are graveled, grassed and historically stepped pathways leading to the lower levels of the garden and some pathways may have exposed tree roots. Wheelchair users will not be able to access all areas of Bodnant Gardens; there are way-marked routes for wheelchairs.  This visit to Bodnant Gardens is scheduled in September, and although still very beautiful, will not be in full bloom.

Take this opportunity to travel on the world-famous Ffestiniog Railway aboard a unique, steam-hauled narrow gauge train! Leaving the pier, you will cross the island of Anglesey with its landscapes of meadow, farmland and low-lying hills and over the Menai Strait, via Caernarfon and down to Porthmadog, an attractive busy little town standing on an inlet of Tremadoc Bay. With fine views across the bay to the mountains of Snowdonia, Porthmadog was once a flourishing port, its prosperity built on the slate trade. Here you will begin your journey on the Ffestiniog Railway, the oldest of the Welsh narrow gauge railways, which was founded in 1832 to bring slate from the quarries of Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog for shipment. The railway closed in 1964 but has since been restored and is now one of the most popular attractions of North Wales. A steam-hauled narrow gauge train runs along a 21-kilometer (13.5 mile) mainline in miniature from the coastline at Porthmadog into the mountains at Blaenau Ffestiniog.  Your memorable journey climbs 213 meters (700 feet) through tranquil pastures and magnificent forests, past lakes and waterfalls, round horseshoe bends and even in a complete spiral. Every twist and turn will bring you magnificent new vistas through the carriage window. Upon arrival in Blaenau, you will re-board your tour coach and travel to Betws-y-Coed, a scenic village located at the meeting point of the Llugwy and Conwy Rivers, and is popular with hill walkers and adventure seekers! Lunch will be served at a local restaurant before you enjoy time at leisure to explore this charming village and browse the shops. Finally, re-join your coach for the return journey to Holyhead, pausing, time permitting, at the seaside town of Conwy where you can capture photographs of its majestic castle.

Please note:  Wear a rainproof jacket and comfortable walking shoes.