Dinorwic Quarry, Llanberis in the heart of Eryri (Snowdonia) has some of the best views I have ever seen, and if your kids are up for a climb they will have so much fun exploring all the old quarry ruins. I'm going to be honest I have been putting off a visit here as I know how popular it has become in recent years and I kinda hate busy, crowded "touristy" walks... But I am so glad we gave this one a go! (And actually once you're up there and exploring it didn't feel too busy - although definitely still busier than my usual walks)

I also wasn't sure what this was going to be like for the kids as most of what you see on socials is people exploring the tunnels, climbing dodgy looking ladders and finding secret waterfalls - we didn't do any of this and it was still amazing. Instead we followed a well made and maintained footpath (mostly slate steps) which climbed up to Anglesey barracks and had a little explore from there (it was late in the day when we arrived so we couldn't stay too long but if you're up for an adventure I bet you could stay all day exploring here)

Obviously exploring old ruins is not without risk and danger (and I would say is defiantly better suited to older children) but I was pleasantly surprised how many footpaths we could follow that didn't feel sketchy or dangerous. The one point I would make is that the climb is steep! It's only 1km to the barracks but it was a bit of a slog, and we had to keep stopping for little legs to have a rest. (I have a lot of footage of the walk up here so let me know in the comments if you'd be interested in this)

The walk starts at the car park at the Llanberis slate museum and the Llanberis railway which could be great options for extending the day, or hit the lake after a long hot hike - which is exactly what we did!

👣 Walk info... 👣

LENGTH: 2.5km (with a steep climb)
TIME IT TOOK US TO COMPLETE: 2 hours with lots of stops to play and explore
PARKING: Padarn Country Park car park £5
TOILETS: At the car park
FOOD & DRINK: Snacks, drinks and ice-cream available at the station @llanberislakerailway or at @ropeworksactive shop next to the slate museum

OS route map:

https://explore.osmaps.com/route/24902031/dinorwig--anglesey-barracks?lat=53.120678&lon=-4.111702&zoom=16&style=Leisure&type=2d&params=24902031&params=dinorwig--anglesey-barracks