Samantha with her family at Castell y Bere, the remains of the castle built by Llywelyn the Great.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Why I went to Snowdonia
\n<\/strong>My family and I headed to Snowdonia National Park in Wales for a wild week of glamping, campfires and dramatic scenery. A winter adventure seemed like the perfect choice, with few crowds and lots of roaring log fires awaiting us. While the days are short, and the weather can be feisty, we wanted to embrace the region in all its wintry glory.<\/p>\n

My highlight of the trip
\n<\/strong>With a four year old in tow, tackling the indomitable Mount Snowdon was off the cards, so we spent a wonderful day exploring the southern reaches of the park. We began at the Mach Loop, a series of dramatic, narrow valleys used by the RAF as a low flying training area \u2013 here fighter planes soar seemingly inches overhead. In the valley below, the beautiful glacial lake of Tal-y-llyn glimmers under the looming, 893-metre-high Penygader Mountain.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our final stop on the first day was the remote ruins of Castell y Bere, built by Llywelyn the Great in the 1220s. We surveyed the jaw-dropping scenery from a lofty point as we sipped hot soup and channeled our inner warlords.<\/p>\n

What else I love about Snowdonia
\n<\/strong>Snowdonia is wild and magnificent. The snow-dusted mountains beg to be hiked, while thundering waterfalls and pretty little towns dot the landscape in all directions. Whilst being ensconced in a glamping pod at the tip of a valley and spending days exploring nature was enough for me and my husband, we decided a bit of adrenaline-tinged fun was in order for our daughter. Enter the Fforest Coaster, a hair-raising rural rollercoaster that weaves through thick woodland at 25 miles per hour. A ride elicited shrieks of joy from not only my daughter, but all of us!<\/p>\n

You could visit Snowdonia dozens of times and not see it all. Sustainable tourism is a way of life, with the one-time slate quarrying region now offering everything from trampolining in a disused mine to heart-pumping coasteering. Small visitors will love all the beaches and castles, the flat riverside strolls and the Olde Worlde steam train rides.<\/p>\n