Snowdonia National Park

What a spot!  Nestled among the "mountains" of Snowdonia National Park, North Wales is a collection of the most charming little towns, all unpronouncable: Betws-e-Coed, Llanwrst, Llangglen, you get the idea.  The area has a rich heritage of both Welsh and English history, and astounding castles everywhere!  In Conwy, for example, you can visit one of the best preserved Medieval towns in Europe - complete with the entire Medieval fortress wall around the tiny town (you can walk around on top of the wall).  North Wales is also famous for its ice cream, male choirs (prepare to be blown away), and sheep.  Many of the towns were built on the slate industry -- and you can tell that slate was their major natural resource.  The fences, homes, and grand buildings are all made of thin pieces of stacked slate.  It is a place of natural beauty and haunting scenery, and the seriously cool Welsh language, which is alive and well!