North Wales

The national park’s a hotspot for tourism, but this particular walk felt like, at points, I could have been hiking in a tropical destination, with its bright green rugged cliffs

The more I travel around the UK, the more I am in awe of its natural beauty which seems to be overlooked by a lot of keen travellers, and this particular spot feels like a real slice of paradise.

You don’t need to hop on a plane to experience a sense of the tropics; it turns out you can immerse yourself in the brightest hues of green and walk along waterfalls in the north of Wales. While, of course, Snowdonia National Park is no secret, especially to avid hikers, cyclists and explorers, it was my first time visiting, and this specific route is one that blew me away.

It’s often cited as one of the best hikes in Snowdonia (Eryri). Cadair Idris is an 893-metre mountain in the southern part of the park and is renowned for its wild and rugged scenery. To me, it looked like its surroundings could belong in the likes of Peru or Southeast Asia, with its tropical plants, waterfalls and vibrancy of its green grass.

But of course, like any beautiful place in Wales, it reminded me exactly where I was when I spotted sheep dotted around its cliffs, even on the steepest parts. It looked as though the sheep could fall off the edge of the world, taking me with them, as I fought for hours against the growing pain in my shins, with each step up and up to the peak.

The route

I was taken up the Minffordd Path route, which is described as the shortest yet steepest route to the mountain’s summit, tackling a demanding 10 km walk. Overall it’s set to take up to four to five hours to complete, and in turn you are rewarded with dramatic and captivating views of the national park’s landscape.

The route begins at Dôl Idris car park and takes you past the Cadair Idris visitor centre, which quickly fills up. We were recommended to get there early in the morning to beat the pile-up and were thankful that we did; setting off on our walk at around 8am meant we got to experience the quietness of the route in all of its natural wonder. Albeit, the lie-in would have also been appreciated.

Running parallel along the stream which runs parallel to the stream which leads to Llyn Cau, the lake at the heart of the base of the mountain. It was immediately, when taking on these steep steps along the river, that I felt like I could be abroad.

Not only was the sun shining down on us, but the water was trickling down, with tropical plants growing around us, and it felt as wild and wonderful as the experiences I had in Thailand or the pictures I’ve seen of hikes in Vietnam or Peru.

This continued as we made our way out of the forest area and into the open air, with nothing but pure greenery around us, and the mountain stood proudly ahead. The second phase levels lightly as you enter a rocky amphitheatre, with up-close and personal views of the lake.

Pushing past slate and rocks, many of which are loose and therefore can be difficult to navigate, this section and throughout the walk, requires concentration and care with each step. A quick trip or fall could have you stumbling, and that’s why lots of hikers opt to go armed with sticks to help gain their balance and push them through.

By the time I made it to the top of the mountain, the weather dramatically changed, from sunny to high winds which were extremely cold. It’s this that can catch a lot of amateur hikers out, and I think it’s always best to go armed with windproof and waterproof layers, as they say ‘don’t dress for the car park’.

The real treat after that consistently steep hike upwards is this – the flat walk along the edge of the entire mountain before reaching its penultimate peak. Seeing it all from a circular angle gave you a real treat at each point whenever I decided to stop and take a breath.

Wales is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to my explorations, and Cadair Idris was no exception to that. If you’re willing to take on the circular route and the real challenge of its steep and unsteady ground, then you will be rewarded with a touch of paradise and views you’ll continue to daydream about.

Beer lovers prayers have been answered as this Coach firm has just launched a 250-mile-long pub crawl starting early at 9:15am from Dolgellau and taking in many famous Spoons along the way

Nobody loves an organised pub crawl more than the Brits – but this one may have just topped them all.

While some make pilgrimages to a significant place or worship or set out on a journey to deepen their spirituality, this particular tour will have travellers doing less thinking and more drinking.

Lloyd’s Coaches has launched the ultimate ‘Spoons Pilgrimage’, a 250-mile round journey visiting a whole load of JD Wetherspoon pubs throughout North Wales, and venturing slightly beyond the border as well. The route begins and ends in Dolgellau.

It’s such a brilliant idea that other travel companies are likely kicking themselves, wondering why they didn’t come up with the scheme first. Yet the concept is pretty simple.

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For the very reasonable price of just £20, not including any drinks bought along the way, passengers can embark on a day trip like no other.

Departing nice and early from Dolgellau, Wales at 9.15am, the coach will head towards the inaugural Spoons in Oswestry, known as the Wilfred Owen. It’s expected that the coach arrives at noon, with attendees given a 45-minute stop to knock back a pint or two.

Then it’s time to get back on board and head on towards The Castle Hotel in Ruthin, under an hour’s drive away. Here they’ll have another 45-minute stop, before carrying on to The Picture House in Colwyn Bay, a further 45-minute drive.

It’s shaping up to be a long day on the road already, but fortunately, it’s a shorter drive this time around to the Palladium in Llandudno: the most impressive of all the establishments on the route. At this point, six county boundaries have been crossed, but there’s still plenty more to go.

Perhaps feeling a little bit giddy from all of the drinking thus far, punters will head to Tafarn y Porth in Caernarfon, then Pen Cob in Pwllheli for 7.30pm, for the final drinking stop.

Lloyds Coaches announced in a statement: “Ready for a legendary day out without the ‘who’s driving?’ debate. Grab your mates and hop aboard for the Lloyds Coaches Wetherspoons Tour. We’re hitting some of the most iconic pubs across North Wales and the border. Whether you’re in it for the affordable ales, the legendary breakfasts, or just to check the carpet patterns, this is the trip for you!”

The never-before-seen Wetherspoons Tour is set to be held on Saturday, June 27, and with the initial Facebook post gaining so much traction, who knows, it could go on to be a regular event.

Full of excitement, the travel firm later added: “We’re filling up faster than a pint of Ruddles on a Tuesday. At this rate, we’re seriously asking ourselves: ‘Do we need to add another coach’.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Lloyds Coaches added a second coach on the same day, after the first sold out.