Before this trip, I’d barely been to Wales. Apart from a trip to a mine many many years ago, I’d not explored the country. So when I had a week off, I decided it was finally time to change that.

I wanted a dog-friendly itinerary that didn’t involve spending every day hiking. Instead, I was after a mix of castles, beaches, pretty towns, scenic drives and places to enjoy being outside with the dog.

If you’re planning your own North and Mid Wales road trip, here’s exactly what I did.

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Day 1 – Towyn, Bodnant Garden & Conwy

I booked this trip fairly last minute, so accommodation options were a little limited. We ended up staying in a static caravan in Towyn and, honestly, it turned out to be the perfect base.

The park was quiet, friendly and had everything we needed nearby. I could also see why Towyn is so popular with families. There are loads of activities in the area, and its location makes it incredibly easy to explore the rest of North Wales by car without having to constantly move accommodation. Having arrived late in the evening we spent the first night grabbing some dinner and then headed off to bed. 

Morning: Our first proper stop of day 1 was Bodnant Garden. I’d seen photos online beforehand, but they really don’t do it justice. We spent hours wandering through colourful gardens with rolling Welsh hills stretching out behind them. Around every corner there seemed to be another beautiful view, whether it was huge flower borders, peaceful woodland paths or perfectly kept lawns.

One of my favourite moments was stopping for a snack beside the Old Mill. It was such a peaceful spot. We looked out over the water and the rocks as little robins flitted about, happily eating the crumbs dropped by tourists. As we continued exploring, we came across the beautiful lily pond outside the elegant Pin Mill. The pond was covered in lily pads, with dragonflies darting across the water in every direction. It felt almost too picturesque to be real.

If you’re visiting Bodnant Garden, don’t miss The Poem or the Pin Mill. Despite its name, The Poem isn’t actually a poem at all but a striking Victorian mausoleum tucked away amongst the trees overlooking the valley. Nearby, the Pin Mill is an elegant 18th-century garden building that was carefully relocated to Bodnant and now overlooks one of the prettiest parts of the gardens.

Bodnant Garden is a large site, so I’d recommend allowing at least three to four hours to explore it properly. You certainly won’t run out of things to see.

Afternoon: After a whole morning spent exploring the gardens we jumped in the car and drove to Conwy.

As you drive over the bridge, Conwy Castle suddenly appears right in front of you. It’s absolutely enormous and completely dominates the skyline. It was one of those moments where I immediately thought, wow.

After parking beside the castle, one of the first things I noticed was people walking along the castle walls high above the town. We spent the afternoon wandering through the medieval streets, popping into independent gift shops, browsing local galleries and discovering little hidden corners around almost every turn. It felt busy but never overwhelming.

Of course, we had to visit Britain’s Smallest House. Measuring just 1.8 metres (6 feet) wide, it’s officially recognised as the smallest house in Great Britain and was lived in until 1900. There was a surprisingly long queue to get inside, but considering how tiny it is, it’s hardly surprising! One necessary stop was Popty Conwy Bakery, perfect if you’re in the mood for a sweet treat or two. The smell alone is enough to tempt you inside. We picked up a couple of traditional Welsh cakes along with a few other sweet treats, all freshly baked that morning. I don’t think there was a single thing in the display that didn’t look delicious, and judging by the queue, plenty of other people felt the same.

While exploring, we noticed there were dog-friendly boat trips running from the harbour, so we booked ourselves onto the next one. It turned out to be one of the unexpected highlights of the day. At first, the dog wasn’t entirely convinced about being surrounded by water, but he eventually sat with his head poking over the edge happily watching the world go by. The boat ride lasted around an hour and took us out onto the Conwy Estuary while the skipper shared stories about the area’s history, the castle and the surrounding landscape. Despite visiting during the summer holidays, there were only a handful of other people onboard, which made it feel even more relaxing.

After arriving back on dry land, we headed back to Towyn where we had dinner before calling it a day.

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Day 2 – Gwrych Castle, Llandudno & the Great Orme

Early Morning: We started the morning with a breakfast bap from a local café in Towyn before making our way to Gwrych Castle. Even if you don’t go inside, it’s well worth stopping to have a look. You might recognise it as the castle used for I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! during the pandemic, and it’s currently undergoing an enormous restoration project.

The castle is dramatic sitting high on the hillside and makes a great stop on the way to Llandudno if you’re interested in history.

Late Morning – Late Afternoon: Llandudno instantly felt different from anywhere else we’d visited.

It’s a classic Victorian seaside town with an elegant promenade and what feels like one of the longest piers I’ve ever walked along. And a quick tip… If you think you might need the toilet, use the Wetherspoons before you start walking. Otherwise you’ll be holding it all the way to the end of the pier where there are toilets… and probably a queue!

The pier itself is great. There are little gift shops all the way along and I somehow managed to come home with a little seahorse ornament despite promising myself I wasn’t buying anything. At the far end we grabbed a coffee and a sausage roll, found a bench and admired the view across the bay towards the Great Orme.

That’s when I noticed cars winding their way around the cliffs and said “I want to drive that!” So that’s exactly what we did. After another stroll back along the pier, we grabbed a snack, spent half an hour relaxing by the beach and then drove onto Marine Drive to see what was on the other side of the Great Orme.

The drive down from Betws-y-Coed to Rhayader is unavoidably beautiful. I purposely put a route into the sat nav that would give me amazing views of Snowdonia and recommend you do the same. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and pretty much as soon as we got in the car decided to throw down a load of fog. Despite all the fog I was still determined to get a peak at Snowdonia and we did manage to see a few good angles.

To enter the road, we paid a small toll (around £5 when I visited), and then we were on our way. The road hugs the cliffs as you slowly make your way around the Great Orme. I absolutely loved driving it. My mum, sitting on the cliff edge side of the car… not quite as much!

Halfway around we stopped at the Rest and Be Thankful viewpoint where the views across the sea were incredible. The water was such an intense blue it almost didn’t look real. It was also unbelievably windy – the kind of windy where you spend more time laughing than taking photos because your clothes are trying to blow everywhere.

Eventually we carried on around the headland until we reached West Shore Beach which felt like we’d arrived on another planet. The beach was almost empty, the sand stretched far beyond us and the surrounding hills created an incredible backdrop. The dog absolutely loved running around. The only downside? We spotted three jellyfish washed up on the sand, so we quickly put him back on the lead and gave them a wide berth.

Evening: When we were eventually able to tear ourselves away from West Shore Beach we drove back, stopping in Rhos On Sea for a spot of dinner by the sea. Of course, I couldn’t resist sinking my feet into the sand and was really surprised how soft and warm it was – so soft it made walking out to sea a bit of a workout. Rhos on Sea was the perfect backdrop for a lovely second day in North Wales.

Day 3 – Betws-y-Coed and Snowdonia then onto Rhayader

By day three it was time to leave our base in Towyn and start making our way into Mid Wales. For the rest of the holiday we were to be based in Rhayader, but after looking at the map I thought Betws-y-Coed looked like it would make a nice place to break up the journey.

Morning and early afternoon: About an hour and a half after leaving Towyn, we pulled into the main village car park. “Nice” didn’t even begin to cover this gorgeous little village. I genuinely wasn’t expecting it to be as stunning as it was. The whole village is surrounded by towering trees and rolling hills, and within minutes I found myself comparing it to Narnia. You know the scene where Lucy first steps through the wardrobe into that snowy woodland? That’s the feeling it gave me. At other times it felt like a ‘miniature Canada’, with dense coniferous forests stretching high above us in every direction. It’s easily in my top 10 prettiest villages I’ve visited in the UK.

The first thing we did was wander over to the famous stone bridge crossing the River Llugwy. The water looked so inviting that I couldn’t resist climbing down onto the rocks with the dog so he could get his paws wet. Surprisingly, the water wasn’t nearly as cold as I expected. After clambering back up, we followed the red walking route alongside the river. It was an easy stroll, with sections of wooden boardwalk weaving through the trees and plenty of information boards explaining the local wildlife and history.

Eventually the path looped back towards the village centre, and by that point lunch was calling. We stopped at Hangin’ Pizzeria where, you guessed it… we ordered pizza for lunch. No regrets.

Late afternoon and Evening: After a few hours exploring Betws-y-Coed, it was finally time to get back in the car and continue our journey south in pursuit of Rhayader. If you’re following this itinerary, don’t make the mistake of treating Betws-y-Coed as just a quick pit stop. Give yourself at least half a day here. I only intended to break up the drive, but it ended up being one of my favourite stops of the whole trip and a well spent 4 hours.

Aside from Snowdonia, there were so many other other visually stunning places we drove past – villages tucked between giant slate hills and roaring rivers winding through valleys.

After about 2 and a half hours we arrived into the quiet town of Rhayader. Here, we were to stay at The Green Bear Guesthouse – an absolute gem of a place I had found on Air Bnb. Greeted by one of the friendly owners, we grabbed our bags and headed inside.

The dog quickly made himself at home as I rested on the comfy sofa, taking a moment to relax after the long drive. By now it was late evening and we were feeling a little peckish. Luckily, the accommodation was less than a five minute walk away from a row of shops. Since it was a Sunday options were a little limited but the local supermarket had more than enough snacks to fill a gap.

As the next day was going to be a day of driving around the Elan Valley for the rest of the evening we relaxed in our beautifully decorate accommodation – highland cow themed! and watched a movie.

Day 4 – Driving the Elan Valley Loop

Today was the day I’d been most looking forward to. After hearing so many people recommend Elan Valley, I couldn’t wait to see if it really lived up to the hype. Spoiler alert… It absolutely did.

I’d decided to drive the famous Elan Valley loop, stopping at each of the dams along the way. If you’re travelling with a dog or simply don’t fancy hiking for miles, I’d really recommend doing it this way. You still get to experience all of the incredible scenery while exploring at your own pace.

What surprised me most was how different each stop felt. I’d assumed we’d be looking at six very similar dams, but each one had its own character. Some were surrounded by steep rocky hillsides, others opened up into vast reservoirs that looked like inland seas, and every time we went around another corner there seemed to be another breathtaking view waiting.

The roads themselves were a huge part of the experience too.

They twist and wind through the valley, with mountains rising on either side and barely another car in sight. It was one of those drives where I found myself saying “wow” every few minutes. Again, my poor mum had her eyes half closed as she prayed I’d come away from the edge. Sorry mum!

One of the biggest highlights of the day came completely unexpectedly. Highland cows. We had in no way expected to see them wandering around the valley, and of course we had to stop. They were absolutely gorgeous and somehow looked perfectly at home amongst the dramatic Welsh scenery. It ended up being one of my favourite moments of the entire holiday. The baby cows were adorable! 

Throughout the drive there were plenty of places to pull over, stretch our legs and let the dog have a little wander before hopping back in the car to continue. It never felt rushed, and because each stop is fairly close together you can easily spend as much or as little time at each one as you like. Some are a quick walk across or a quick walk to a viewing point, whereas others are set beside farmland with sheep strolling around everywhere you look.

By the time we’d completed the loop, I completely understood why Elan Valley is often described as one of Wales’ hidden gems.

If you’re planning a North and Mid Wales road trip, I’d honestly put this right at the top of your itinerary. It absolutely deserves to be explored.

Top tip: Don’t rush it. Although you could drive the whole route fairly quickly, you’ll enjoy it so much more if you stop regularly, take in the views and keep an eye out for the wildlife. You never know what might be waiting around the next bend.

Day 5 – Aberystwyth

After a full day exploring Elan Valley, we enjoyed a slower start to the day. Breakfast was at Ty Morgans Bistro in the centre of Rhayader, where I tucked into a heartt, giant breakfast before deciding what to do next. After finishing the morning teas and coffees we went for a little stroll around the village looking at some of the cute little shops.

As lovely as Rhayader had been as a base for exploring Elan Valley and for early morning and late night strolls, we’d pretty much seen everything we wanted to see around the town. Rather than spending another day there, I decided to jump in the car and drive the 50 minutes west to Aberystwyth.

It turned out to be a great decision. I’d heard of Aberystwyth before, but never really knew much about it. The first thing we did was park by the sea then took a wander through the town centre, popping into a few of the independent shops before making our way to the castle ruins. We explored the ruins and then headed to a snack van by the beach since unfortunately the majority of the pier was not dog friendly.  I had not looked up anything about Aberystwyth prior to visiting and was surprised to see the grey stone beach. 

As we sat down to eat our paninis and drink our coffees there was a far bigger surprise than the beach itself as I suddenly spotted movement in the water. Dolphins!! Way out in the distance, but unmistakably dolphins. It was one of those moments where everyone along the seafront stopped what they were doing to watch. I’d never expected to see dolphins on this trip, let alone from the promenade in Aberystwyth.

That was it for the next hour. I even extended the parking so we could sit and dolphin spot for a while. Delightfully there were a few more occasions where we were able to spot a fin popping up from the waves. 

Eventually, we used up our car parking allowance and so hopped back in the car to spend our last night in Rhayader.

Day 6 – Hay-on-Wye & Home

We couldn’t just simply head home from Wales without making the most of the last day. It’s also always an excellent idea to break up a long journey.  Since it was going to take at least 4 hours to drive home I planned to stop off about an hour and a half into the journey at Hay-on-Wye, the famous town of bookshops, and since it was more or less on the way back, it seemed rude not to.

The drive from Rhayader only took around an hour, and before long we were wandering through the streets of one of the quirkiest little towns I’ve visited. We did not expect to find this place so enchanting, nor did we expect to end up spending a whole 3 hours there! 

As luck would have it, there was a lovely market on the day we visited. We wandered around the stalls, picking up a few handmade gifts and little decorative bits for the house before exploring what Hay-on-Wye is best known for – its independent bookshops. At the market I was really chuffed to find a small Portmerion pot which I had to buy to match a larger pot my mum has owned for years. 

Haye-on-Wye is really worth visiting even if you don’t read much. My personal favourite shop was Gay-on-Wye which had such a cool vibe and excellent books. I simply had to buy one. 

You’ll be hard pressed not to find a book you want in this place. The shops are packed from floor to ceiling with everything from vintage novels and travel books to maps, children’s books and quirky second-hand finds. Every shop felt different, and it was easy to lose track of time browsing.

One thing I loved about Hay-on-Wye was how relaxed it felt. There was no rush, no crowds pushing past you, just people happily wandering between cafés, bookshops and market stalls.

Before we knew it, three hours had passed. Eventually, it was time to admit the holiday was over and begin the three-hour drive back home. 

Looking back, I don’t think I could have planned a better route for my first proper trip around Wales. From medieval castles and Victorian seaside towns to mountain roads, hidden valleys, unexpectedly warm rivers, Highland cows and even dolphins, every day offered something completely different.

Would I do it all again?

Absolutely.

In fact, I’m already planning my next Welsh road trip just two weeks after returning!