We spent last weekend exploring everything that Conwy County in North Wales has to offer – at least, as much as we could cram into a long weekend. We’d been invited down as part of a partnership with Visit Conwy, and they had very kindly put together a bespoke itinerary for us to help us narrow down the options – which was helpful as there’s so much to choose from.
Driving down on the Friday night we tried not to let the weather forecast dampen our spirits too much. Storm Bert was rapidly approaching and while we were in for a rather wet weekend, there was at least no snow forecast, which is infinitely preferable when you’re driving round on unfamiliar roads. I’m boring, I know!
After spending Friday night settling in to our lodge at Rwst Holiday Lodges and enjoying a takeaway from Asha Balti House, on Saturday morning we popped over to Llandudno to explore some of its fantastic array of independent shops and cafes. With the rain coming down, I was quite glad to be having a look around the town rather than up a hill! Our first port of call was Dudley & George’s, a wonderful dog friendly cafe and shop – they even do dog grooming and walking services. Places like this are what draw the line between ‘dog friendly’ and ‘dog tolerant’ – we sat at a table to find there was a dog bed there as well as chair, and the dogs got their own breakfast off the doggy menu (scrambled eggs and salmon fillet, if you were wondering).
It was rather hard to tear ourselves away from the warmth of Dudley and George’s, but we headed out into the rain (which happily had lightened to more of a drizzle) for a walk along Llandudno’s Victorian promenade – also home to Wales’s longest pier. Strolling along the prom was really rather pleasant even in the wet, and eventually we turned off to visit another of Llandudno’s independent gems – Casa Reme Deli. This Spanish delicatessen is the perfect place to stock up on traditional Spanish deli items and we called in to pick up some bits and pieces for breakfast the next day – I wish it was closer to home as I would be in there all the time!
Laden down with our purchases (I was glad I’d taken my backpack), we walked back down the promenade to the car. We’d wanted to walk up the Great Orme, a limestone headland next to Llandudno which is reputed to have great views, but with low cloud and rain we thought our chances of catching the views were pretty much non-existent. A good excuse to go back another time, as I always say.
Saturday afternoon was spent sheltering from the rain, which by early afternoon was coming down rather heavily. Plan A had been to visit Bodnant Garden, which was super close to where we were staying. Unfortunately the site ended up being closed due to the weather, so we instead took that as a sign to chill out. For Sam this was watching the UFC on telly, and for me an afternoon curled up with my Kindle. Other more athletic visitors may have chosen to visit Rwst’s onsite gym and sauna, but as far as we were concerned we’d done our steps for the day.
For tea we drove back up to Llandudno to eat at Dylan’s restaurant. This is the first restaurant (rather than a pub) I’ve come across which is dog friendly, so of course we had to try it out. The food was delicious (I highly recommend the Menai Strait seafood pizza), and all of the dogs were brought a water bowl of their own for the duration of the meal too.
Happily, Sunday dawned much drier, with intermittent showers and blue skies valiantly peeking through every now and then. We seized the opportunity to climb Conwy Mountain, one of the area’s best view points and a popular hike with both locals and visitors. Originally we were going to walk up from Conwy itself, however with the weather being a bit uncertain we opted instead to start from the Sychnant Pass to cut out a lot of the climbing and to make the route a bit quicker: juuuust incase the rain caught us out.
The walk up to the top from the parking area along the Sychnant Pass is pretty easy, mostly flat or gentle inclines, with just a few short steeper sections. The surroundings are lovely, and soon you get views down over Conwy and its castle, before reaching the top to get views over the sea and Conwy Morfa beach too. Lovely! Look out for the wild ponies and goats which graze on the hillside, just to make a very nice walk even better. We didn’t spot any goats but I was chuffed when we came across a small band of ponies on our way down.
We made it nearly all the way to the top in the dry, but the rain caught us just as it came into sight, and so after a quick dash to the summit we beat a hasty retreat back the way we’d come. Of course, the only thing to do after a bracing winter walk is to pop to the pub to warm up…
Thankfully it was only a short drive to The Mulberry, a smart dog friendly pub in Conwy Marina. Looking out over all the boats moored up outside feels like you’re on holiday in the Med rather than North Wales – even if the weather wasn’t quite the same. We both opted for a steak ciabatta and couldn’t believe the size of them when they arrived. It was a good job we had another stop planned in the afternoon to walk them off! (Not that I’m complaining).
We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling along the beach at Conwy Morfa. This huge sandy beach is dog friendly year round and was surprisingly quiet for a Sunday afternoon, with just a few other dog walkers to be found. While at low tide there’s an enormous expanse of sand for a good old zoomie sesh, beach combers should also spend some time looking through the pebbles at the top of the beach, where there’s sea glass aplenty. I found a handful in about 5 minutes of looking, and I’m usually terrible at this kind of thing.
After such a large lunch, we weren’t massively hungry come tea time and so opted for a takeaway from Jade2 Chinese in Llanrwst: both this and the Asha Balti House from our first night were a 5 minute walk from our holiday lodge. Then, rather reluctantly, it was time to pack our bags ready to depart in the morning. Rwst was a great base for our visit and is a good budget friendly option, with both North Wales and Snowdonia in easy reach. It’s a small holiday park type set up and would be perfect for groups travelling together, but still wanting their own space to chill out in the evenings. Many of the lodges also welcome pets (max 2 per lodge), but not all, so make sure to mention when you book if you’re bringing a dog.
All too soon it was Monday morning and we were on our way. Not, however, without a few last stop offs to sample everything the area had to offer. We called in at Cantin for breakfast, a lovely cafe with super friendly and helpful staff (who were very accommodating to my request to swap items around in my fry up). The cafe is located in the Conwy Culture Centre and has a great view of the town walls – it made me wish we had more time to explore the town.
Satisfyingly full, there was only one place left to visit before we were well and truly on our way home. This was Mynydd Marian, a small nature reserve on a limestone ridge, home in the summer to many rare plants and the silver studded blue butterfly. When you arrive in the parking area it at first just appears to be a grassy field, however a short climb up hill soon reveals 360 views over the surrounding countryside and the sea. We were even treated to a rainbow!
Dog friendly rating: 5/5. Conwy is the perfect place for a Winter getaway with your dog. There’s plenty of dog friendly beaches, with no summer restrictions to worry about, and lots of dog friendly cafes and restaurants you can escape to if the weather isn’t playing along. And if it is, there’s hundreds of options for countryside walks. What more could you want?
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