Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Along for the Ride
Mountain bikers of all abilities will find
riding to suit them in North Wales. The
technical forest trails at Coed y Brenin
( &   01341/440747 ), 6 miles north of Dol-
gellau beside the A470, include the leg-
endary, off-piste, expert-only Pink Heifer,
as steep and wild as you'll find in the
U.K. (and you won't find it on any official
trail map; Google it). Coed Llandegla
Forest
beside the A525, 9 miles west of
Wrexham, has marked trails suited to
all abilities, including family groups.
Rent equipment locally from One-
Planet Adventure, Ruthin Road, Llan-
degla ( &   01978/751656; www.
oneplanetadventure.com). The essen-
tial website for mountain biking in
Wales is www.mbwales.com .
(www.coedllandegla.com),
still very much of yesteryear. Rooms are moderate to spacious, each individually fur-
nished in markedly contrasting styles. Those with the best views open onto the front
of the hotel.
In an intimate setting, chef and owner Janet Pitman takes her limited-choice,
three-course dinner seriously. It costs £49 per person, and is an expertly assembled
meal featuring such specialties as Welsh Black beef and produce from the hotel
garden. Dinner reservations are essential, for both guests and non-guests, and note
that vegetarian options are not available.
Capel Garmon, Llanrwst, Conwy LL26 0RE. www.tyfhotel.co.uk. &   01690/710507. Fax 01690/710681.
6 units. £115-£245 double. Rates include Welsh breakfast. MC, V. Free parking. From Betws-y-Coed, take
the A5 onto the A470, heading north to Llanrwst, turning at the signpost for Capel Garmon. No children
11 and under. Amenities: Restaurant; lounge/bar. In room: TV/DVD, CD player/library, hair dryer, Wi-Fi
(free).
Tŷ Gwyn Laden with local artifacts, T ˆ Gwyn is a low-slung, 17th-century inn
sitting opposite Waterloo Bridge in Betws-y-Coed. Inside, it's a world of old prints and
chintz, time-darkened beams, and hanging copper pans. Bedrooms, often small, are
comfortably furnished: Three come with a four-poster bed, and two have spa tubs in
recently modernized bathrooms.
The restaurant 's menu of refined pub fare with an international twist features
local produce such as mature Welsh filet of beef with sauce au poivre, as well as
flavors from Thailand and elsewhere. Main courses range from £12 to £20.
Betws-y-Coed, Gwynedd LL24 0SG. www.tygwynhotel.co.uk. &   01690/710383. 13 units, 11 with bath-
room. £56 double without bathroom, £78 double with bathroom, £98-£130 four-poster room. Rates
include Welsh breakfast. MC, V. Free parking. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; Wi-Fi (free). In room: TV, no
phone.
19
THE LLEYN PENINSULA
Porthmadog: 266 miles NW of London, 20 miles S of Caernarfon; Pwllheli: 14 miles W of Porthmadog;
Abersoch: 28 miles SW of Caernarfon, 6 miles SW of Pwllheli
Separating Cardigan Bay and its northern arm, Tremadog Bay, from Caernarfon Bay,
the gentle western Lleyn Peninsula thrusts out like a giant claw into the Irish Sea.
The peninsula has a large Welsh-speaking population, and Welsh feeling is tradition-
ally strong—Plaid Cymru, Wales's nationalist political party, was founded in Pwllheli
 
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