Be Excellent To Each Other

So, the wife and I are going to North Wales in September, for a week. We'll be staying near enough to Prestatyn, likely in a caravan or some other such glamorous arrangement. We will have with us a 2.5 year old (approx) child.

So!

What's good to do in North Wales? We have a car and don't mind driving. Any suggestions?

Yeah, it's way in advance, but I'm bored.

Chester Zoo. Technically speaking not North Wales but should be in easy reach.

I'm confused. Chinny has just posted in this thread, but didn't say Portmeirion.

Thats because he's not a number he's a free man !

Thought it might be a little far. Everything takes bloody ages to get to once you get into that part of Wales.

Self cater. Wales is to food what France is to singing.

Visit the slate mines, if they still exist, still have a tourist section, or are even in that area. I have no idea, but those places are my abiding memory of Welsh holidays as a child.

Hope that helps

The train up to the top of Snowdon's pretty cool.

Aberystwyth is pleasant in the right weather. Blaenau Ffestiniog is a slate mine museum if memory serves. A drive to Holyhead on Anglesey is advisable

Portmeirion.
Also, Centre for Alternative Technology at Macynlleth - it's literally a fun day out for all the family.

Also, Jeff Minter's llama farm.

Lake Bala is nice to hire a boat and sail round on a sunny day, or just paddle in the water at the edge.
Portmeirion is interesting, as has been mentioned.
Snowdon and Dinorwig power station are worth a visit, though might not be ideal for a child that young.

Rhyl butterfly place is pretty cool - if it is still open; also the sun centre I remember being quite good, it had an indoor surf thingy and water slides.
Llandudno, you have the Great Orm which has a ski slope on and a toboggan thingy which is pretty cool. Llandudno also has a pier and is a decent sized town.
There is nothing in Prestatyn.
Go to Abergele market and get some knocked off trainers and computer games (that's where I bought my copy of Lode runner and Barbarian)
Colwyn Bay, not much there, but the dinosaur place and the Welsh mountain zoo, and the beach - obv.
Conwy is a old castle town and the castle/walls can be walked around - I think. Also has Cadwaladers' ice cream shop - v.nice.
If you are heading into Snowdonia Betws-y-Coed is a picturesque town set up to fleece tourists of their money, but has a few nice walks in and near the town.
Be warned though, as was pointed out above, it takes ages to get anywhere around there, and Do not go neat Betws on a bank holiday!