Conwy Pod

The Welsh Mountain Zoo is a zoological garden near Colwyn Bay in Conwy County Borough. It covers 37 acres and has been open since 1963, so it has built up a good range of animal areas over the years.

Tip: Check the zoo's website before you go, as the sources note that animal exhibits such as the sea lions have changed over time.

Conwy Castle was built by Edward I between 1283 and 1287 and is part of a World Heritage Site. Eight large towers and a high curtain wall still stand, and it has the best preserved set of medieval royal apartments in Wales. The ruins are split into an inner and an outer ward, with a Great Hall undercroft and chapels to explore.

Tip: Climb the spiral staircases and walk the full battlement circuit if you can. Cadw highly recommends it.

The Conwy Valley Railway Museum sits beside Betws-y-Coed railway station, on the site of the old goods yard. The museum building holds a collection of railway artefacts, and the attraction began with a former standard gauge railway carriage, which is a licensed buffet and restaurant car.

The copper mines on the Great Orme were uncovered in 1987 during a landscaping scheme. They date from the Bronze Age, long before the Roman invasion, and are thought to be the largest prehistoric mine discovered in the world so far. Archaeologists, cavers and mining engineers are still uncovering more tunnels and surface landscape.

Tip: It's cold underground (5-8°C), so bring warm clothing and sensible footwear; the floor is uneven and wet in places. Pushchairs and wheelchairs can't do the tour.

Dolwyddelan Castle is a thirteenth-century castle in Conwy County Borough, probably begun by Llywelyn ab Iorwerth, ruler of the Kingdom of Gwynedd, to guard an east-west route through his lands. It stands on a small knoll, with a keep on the east side and a tower on the west, joined by walls to form a roughly circular enclosure.

Adventure Parc Snowdonia, formerly known as Surf Snowdonia, is an adventure park at Dolgarrog in the Conwy valley, North Wales. It was built around the world's first commercial artificial surfing lake, a freshwater pool 300 metres long and 110 metres wide, filled with rainwater collected from Snowdonia reservoirs.

Tip: Check which activities are running before you set off, as the park has changed over the years.

Dolbadarn Castle (Castell Dolbadarn) was built by the Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great in the early 13th century. It stands at the foot of the Llanberis Pass, overlooking the lake of Llyn Padarn, and once controlled an important mountain pass. Today it is a grade I listed building, owned by Cadw and run as a tourist attraction.

Anglesey Sea Zoo is an independent aquarium and marine conservation centre on the south coast of Anglesey, near Brynsiencyn. Over 40 tanks show native British sea life, including octopus, lobsters, seahorses, conger eels and jellyfish. Highlights include the No Bone Zone for invertebrates, a wolf fish lair, a real crashing wave, a shipwreck and a kelp forest full of big fish.

Tip: No need to book ahead, as tickets are bought on the door. Standard and family tickets stay valid for 6 days after the day of purchase, so you can return for free in that time.