Go to Barmouth, it’s great! Unless it rains.

GO. A summer holiday treat to fill a long weekend. We thought it would be good to get out in the £80 Asda yurt tent (no expense spared here) and take the dog along. Wales is only a couple of hours’ drive from us and has some incredibly scenic countryside, coastlines and historic sites.

STAY. There’s one pretty big camp site in Barmouth, so we ended up there. Hendre Mynach touring site is a clean site with caravan and camper pitches and a few camping fields. It isn’t so big that the toilet walk is huge - and the blocks themselves were clean and showers hot. Always a bonus. It did rain a lot on the last night, and the bottom field turned into a swimming pool. We decided this would be a sensible time to leave for an early night at home!

EAT. Whilst we expected to find good fish and chips by the seaside, we definitely did not expect it to be as good as it was at The Mermaid. Many fish and chip shops claim to be “the best in the country”, or “voted Wales’ number 1 fish bar”, and it is often hard to see why. We have “the UK’s best chip shop” at the end of our road and it’s not very good. The Mermaid, however, delivered. Tasty, light, crispy battered fish, chips that are just right - a perfect combination between greasy and crispy - and curry sauce that you could bathe in. There’s a clear reason for the queue outside, and it is worth standing in.

Next up. Steak! Whilst aimlessly browsing Google Maps trying to find somewhere nice to eat, we stumbled across the unusually located Norbar. Sitting on the main road between Barmouth and Porthmadog, Norbar served up some insane steak and lobster. A real treat meal for our holiday, and one we will not forget in a hurry.

At the time of writing this amazing place has closed and is being replaced by Dylan’s - a different type of restaurant but we hope it does well in this great location.

In Barmouth itself we managed to grab a table in the Lobster Pot. Open seasonally (April to October), this is a classic seafood shack (literally) right on the harbour. The seafood being sold here is incredibly fresh - plus they also have the very seafoody cheese and bacon burger… mussels were fantastic and it’s a lovely little place to visit. Pretty sure you can’t book here so be prepared to wait and nab a seat when one comes free.

A little more down to earth was the Promenade Cafe and Wine Bar. When someone recommends a cafe purely because the owner / manager / waiter / probably part time chef is completely bonkers, you know it is definitely wort a visit. Beers, J2Os and absolute cafe classics served here - mostly deep fried - in what I would call a very Welsh location next to a windswept rainy beach in August.

DO. There’s a lot to do here, with the beach, the town, the hills, the castles, the trains, the funfair and much more. We really enjoyed spending time by the main small harbour in Barmouth town trying to catch and release some crabs - the excitement on a little ones face at managing to pull one or two of the critters out of the sea is worth the effort.

Not far away are Harlech and Porthmadog. As well as a pretty hillside village with a number of shops and the really nice Cafe Llew Glas (seasonal). Harlech itself has the “world’s steepest street” which I understand is disputed by somewhere in New Zealand - but that didn’t matter as we took a very steep downwards (first) then upwards (after) stroll.

Harlech Castle. One of Edward the First big coastal fortresses, Harlech Castle is a commanding building - with Snowdonia in the background and the sea and dunes close by, it really does have a stunning and unique location. The ruins are an interesting visit, with good guides available and great views from the battlements.

Porthmadog and the Ffestiniog Railway. Porthmadog is a pleasant seaside town, whose main focus is being the hub for the Ffestiniog railway. One of the most famous heritage railways in the UK, this railway consists of a number of different routes and trip options. We opted for a trip to Blaenau Ffestiniog - about a 3 hour round trip. This service is a nice balance between length and comfort - although you don’t get all that long in the destination. In this case this wasn’t too much of a problem as it was absolutely tipping it down! Just enough time for a nice break and a coffee in the cafe attached to Antur Stiniog.

Finally - Barmouth town itself does have a range of classic seaside activities, such as a fun fair, arcades, beach and ice creams. On a sunny day it’s a lovely place to spend some time as a family.