North Wales – unicornpostbox

As some of my followers may have noticed, I haven’t uploaded a blog post in quite some time now. This is because unfortunately for 5 months this year I was an inpatient in a mental health institution, as I suffered a breakdown 😢 At the moment, I am in a convalescence period and thankfully doing much better.

Courtesy of Buckleys Travel Holidays, on Wednesday 15th April 2026 me and my wonderful Grandma Ruth set off from our hometown Doncaster to embark on an incredible North Wales adventure, Llandudno being the focal location.

On our way to Wales we stopped at the picturesque city of Chester where we were able to admire it’s exquisite ancient architecture and remarkable medieval charm. We took photographs of the famous Eastgate Clock, leisurely strolled through the centre grabbing light refreshments, marvelled at the Rows and then made our way to the stunning Chester Cathedral before hopping back on our coach to Llandudno.

We stayed at the 3* Hydro Hotel on Nevill Crescent which we found basic but satisfactory; the meals were tasty but the night time entertainment fell below par. One great aspect though, the location was superb as were right on the seafront. Llandudno is absolutely gorgeous, the prettiest seaside town I have ever encountered ❤️ We didn’t explore much on our first evening other than I quickly crossed the promenade to take photos of and appreciate beautiful North Shore Beach.

The next day on Thursday we travelled to the lovely town of Caernarfon and beheld the Mighty Castle, enjoyed afternoon tea and delicious scones with jam in a delightful eatery, as well as wandering merrily down the artsy streets.

A highlight of the trip was getting up close to the Blade of the Giants, a metal sword sculpture with folkloric connections to the King Arthur legends, before being driven through the breathtaking Llanberis Pass in Snowdonia National Park.

My favourite place of all was idyllic Betws-y-coed village with it’s enchanting little shops and scenic delights. In particular, the Oriel Ospie conservation art gallery interested me greatly with it’s amazing animal ornaments and colourful teddy bears. I bought a cute little giraffe as a souvenir.

On Friday we went to James Pringle Weavers speciality gift shopping centre in the Anglesey village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll (Try saying that without your teeth in!) I wheeled my Grandma around to browse and to my recollection she purchased a few items of clothing. Afterwards, we visited pleasant Beaumaris town also on the Isle of Anglesey, again featuring a spectacular castle. We had lunch at Neptune fish and chip shop before glimpsing at the impressive Menai Suspension Bridge on route back to our hotel.

Our final full day on the Saturday was a day of leisure properly exploring Llandudno. They had an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ themed trail occurring with various character statues scattered around which were fun to find. We wandered around a shopping outlet and bought keepsakes before making our way to Llandudno pier. There was a street performer juggling fire batons and a ball who was exciting to watch. In the amusements, my Gran made me laugh with her penny machine technique, practically slamming them into the slot! On the pier I had an extremely emotional experience. ‘Unchained Melody’ by the Righteous Brothers suddenly played through the speakers which was my late Mum’s favourite song 🥺 I captured a video of the horizon, the sea gently rippling on such a bright sunny blue skied spring day, it made me well up. Such a special moment 💕

On Sunday the 19th we called at Gordon Rigg garden centre before heading back to Doncaster 😊

A memorable dialogue on Llanberis Pass: Lauren: “I’ve never seen so many sheep!” Gran “I’ve never seen so much water!” It just made me chuckle, bless her heart.

Overall, it was a fantastic holiday and I was so very grateful to spend some quality time with my amazing Grandma who turns 90 next year! 🥰🥰