The middle ages

Plas Newydd Country House and Gardens, Anglesey

by Paul Sloane

We’re talking about the 10th century here, but druidic references to the region stretch back to Roman times, and Plas Newydd, which offers wonderful views of the surrounding Menai Strait, has yielded numerous megalithic discoveries. Go for a wander anywhere in spectacular Snowdonia and you’ll see why it was considered the most powerful Welsh kingdom during the Middle Ages, when its mountainous terrain proved perfect for creating stubborn defences.

North Wales’ industrial history

Industrial history surrounds you, and a visit to the National Slate Museum, in Llanberis, brings it all together in a setting scarcely removed from its heyday, complete with the giant waterwheel and 19th century workshops where bygone Welshmen once toiled.