Snowdonia Manor

Harlech Castle is a medieval fortification in Gwynedd, built onto a rocky knoll close to the Irish Sea. Edward I had it built during his invasion of Wales, and it is one of the castles UNESCO includes in its World Heritage listing for the finest late 13th and early 14th century military architecture in Europe.

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.

Plas Newydd in Llangollen was the home of Lady Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, two Irish ladies who eloped and set up house together in the late 18th century. It began as a five-roomed stone cottage and was enlarged with many Gothic features. It is now a museum.

Tip: Look closely at the outside of the house as well as the rooms, since the patchwork of reclaimed oak carvings is its most unusual feature.

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.

Aberystwyth Castle is a Grade I listed fortress on the Ceredigion coast, begun by Edward I in 1277 during the first Welsh war. It was built as a diamond-shaped concentric castle, with a twin-towered gatehouse and towers at each corner, and was finished in 1289.

Tip: Bring a windproof layer, as the castle sits right by the sea and the Welsh coast can be breezy and wet.