In a nutshell
This low-key and friendly visitor centre is a champion for Welsh honeybees, which are increasingly under threat from climate change and loss of wild flower meadows. It raises visitors’ awareness of environmental issues and illustrates the 4,000-year history of beekeeping and honey-making, from the ancient Egyptians via the Romans. A Hive Aid scheme lets you adopt a beehive at one of three locations nearby, and regular courses (from £60pp) train new generations of beekeepers.
Fun fact
Bees pollinate about a third of everything we eat and play a vital role in sustaining our ecosystems. In economic terms, honeybee pollination could be worth up to £200m to the UK alone.
Best thing(s) about it
It’s a fun but also educational visit set in the glorious countryside of the Conwy Valley. The What’s the Buzz section is great for primary-school-age children, describing how bees communicate with each other: their “waggle dance” – it goes on to explain – is the way a bee lets others in the hive know the distance to the forage for nectar and its relation to the angle of the sun. Join one of the regular apiary tours to see the honeypot hive up close.
What about lunch?
Next door is the Furnace Tearoom, part of the Bodnant Welsh Food Centre, which serves light bites (toasties and wraps around £4.50) and coffee. And the Pavilion Restaurant at the National Trust’s Bodnant Garden is nearby for cooked food, including baked potatoes (£5.25) and daily specials such as local casserole with bread (£5.99), plus coffee and cakes. A walk around the gardens afterwards reveals bee-friendly plants, such as spring heather, lavender and sage. (The National Beekeeping Centre will be hosting bee-friendly events here for National Meadows Day on Saturday 7 July.)
Exit through the gift shop?
There is a small range of gifts on an apis theme, including knitted bee toys (£1.99), wooden honey twizzlers (£1.99) and a selection of honeys all made by north Wales producers (from £4.95). The bestselling Bodnant honey (£8) goes fast.
Getting there
It is just off the A470 on the Bodnant Estate in the Conwy Valley and 10 minutes from the A55 north Wales coast road. Follow the brown signs just after Bodnant Gardens.
Value for money?
Yes. Visits and activities for kids are free, though donations are welcome. Taster days (from £60) and intensive weekend beekeeping courses (from £145) are held at Abergwyngregyn, 10 miles west down the A55.
Opening hours
Visitor Centre opens daily from 10am-4pm but it is volunteer-run so phone ahead to check. Expect a buzz around the annual Conwy Honey Fair (13 September 2018).
Verdict
8 out of 10. A good way to connect kids with themes of ecology and, besides, the bees need us. But the wasps can buzz off.