Eisteddfa Caravan and Camping Site

After sampling the first lot of Cadwaladers ice-cream at Criccieth, make for mighty 13th-century Criccieth Castle, set on the headland overlooking Tremadog Bay, Snowdonia to the north and across the entirety of the Llyn peninsula to the west (you’ll see the castle towering above the town as you drive into Criccieth). Cadw, which now manages the site, has added info on it and other Welsh castles, a visitor centre and gift shop. As you’ll see when peering down from the headland beside the castle, Criccieth also has two rather smashing beaches: the sandy beach of East Shore to the, er, east, and pebbly Marine Beach to the west. Sea angling can be had at both: mackerel, bass, whiting and dogfish are good bets from either side and anglers also wrestle pollock, conger and evening mackerel from the stone jetty under the castle. The Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways line can be picked up at Porthmadog for a seriously scenic trip to Blaenau Ffestiniog; the Snowdon Mountain Railway from Llanberis will puff you sedately up to Snowdon’s peak via viaducts and a waterfall; and the Welsh Highland Railway steams along a 25-mile route from Porthmadog to Caernarfon.