Edward I built Conwy Castle in just four years, from 1283 to 1287, as part of his campaign to subdue the Welsh, and the result is one of the most impressive medieval fortresses in Europe. Designed by the master mason James of St George, it stands on a rock above the estuary of the Conwy river, with eight massive towers and high curtain walls, and the town below is still enclosed by its original walls, with twenty-one towers and three gateways. Walking along the walls gives superb views of the town, the castle, the estuary and the mountains of Snowdonia. The castles and town walls of King Edward in Gwynedd were inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1986.
Conwy is a small, charming town, with narrow streets, old houses and a lively quay where fishing boats tie up. On the quay stands what is claimed to be the smallest house in Great Britain, a tiny red-painted building only a few metres wide. The estuary is crossed by a series of bridges, including Thomas Telford's elegant suspension bridge of 1826, designed to blend with the castle, and Robert Stephenson's tubular railway bridge of 1849. The town is proudly Welsh, and you will hear the Welsh language spoken in the streets.
The riding around Conwy is superb. The A55 coast road is fast and busy, but the roads inland are the real attraction. The Sychnant Pass, just west of the town, is a short, narrow climb over the hills with tight bends and great views. The Conwy valley road south toward Betws-y-Coed is a lovely ride, following the river through woods and fields, and from Betws-y-Coed the A5 and the roads into Snowdonia offer some of the best motorcycling in Britain. Weather in North Wales is notoriously changeable, with rain likely at any time, and summer weekends bring heavy traffic.
Conwy has cafés, pubs and restaurants, and Deganwy and Llandudno, nearby, have fuel and more services. Try Welsh dishes such as cawl, a lamb and vegetable stew, or Welsh rarebit, and local mussels from the estuary in season. Leave the bike outside the walls, walk the circuit of the town walls, and visit the castle. Then ride into Snowdonia and let the mountains take over.