As Featured in The Telegraph: A Great British Drive Through Wales
“Daily Telegraph comments that the Black Boy is one of the best places to stay in north wales. You can visit Portmeirion nearby.”
That’s how we first shared the news back in 2015, and it’s still true today. The Black Boy Inn was named in The Telegraph as one of the best places to stay on a road trip through North Wales. It’s an old mention now, and we’re upfront about that, but it’s one we’re still proud of, and the route it describes – Portmeirion, the slate caverns of Blaenau Ffestiniog, the Llanberis Pass beneath Snowdon, and finally Caernarfon – is still exactly the kind of trip guests come to us for today.
About the Article
The piece was called “High adventure on a drive through Wales”, published in The Telegraph’s travel section on 19 October 2015 as part of a Michelin-sponsored series called Great British Drives. It followed a two-day driving route through Snowdonia: an overnight stay at Portmeirion, a day of zip-lining and slate mine tours near Blaenau Ffestiniog, a scenic pass beneath Snowdon’s summit, and a finish in Caernarfon, where the Black Boy Inn was recommended as the overnight stop before exploring the castle, harbour, and old town by evening.
“Welsh welcomes don’t come much warmer”
The Telegraph on the Black Boy Inn, “High adventure on a drive through Wales”, 2015
A line we’ve tried to live up to ever since.
About the Author
The article was written by David Williams, a motoring and travel writer whose Great British Drives series for The Telegraph covered scenic driving routes across the UK, from Snowdonia to the Scottish Highlands to the Dorset coast. The original piece is no longer live on The Telegraph’s website, but you can still read the full original article via its archived version.
What We Offer Today
Nearly a decade on, the Black Boy Inn is still exactly where the article left it: inside Caernarfon’s medieval town walls, a short walk from the castle gates and the harbour. What’s changed since 2015 is the range of accommodation on offer. Guests can now choose between the original Black Boy Inn rooms in the main building, the Edwardian elegance of Black Jack’s next door, the listed Victorian Black Tower, the 19th-century Town House just around the corner, or one of our larger Llety Suites for a self-catering stay.
Our restaurant and bar has picked up a Visit Wales Bronze Award along the way too, still built around the same “field to fork” approach the article’s writer would have found in 2015: hearty Welsh classics, locally sourced ingredients from suppliers across Gwynedd and Anglesey, and a proper pint of something local in the bar before dinner. If you’re stopping in Caernarfon after a day on the road, it’s the same warm welcome The Telegraph described, just with a few more ways to enjoy it.
Still the Same Route Today
The appeal of this corner of North Wales hasn’t dated at all. Portmeirion, Snowdon and the surrounding attractions, and Caernarfon’s castle and harbour remain some of the most popular stops for anyone touring the region by car, and the roads through Snowdonia the article praised are just as dramatic now as they were then. If anything, there’s more reason to make the trip today: the zip-lining and slate cavern tours near Blaenau Ffestiniog have only grown since 2015, and Snowdon itself remains one of the most rewarding climbs, or train rides, in Britain.
If you’re planning a similar drive, whether you’re retracing the original route or building your own, our rooms are ready for the end of a long day, and reception is always happy to point you toward the best of what’s nearby. You can also check our current offers before you book.