Does this place exist in North Wales.

The Severn Bridge opened in 1966, I remember we went over it in 1967 as part of our Grand Tour of Wales (our honeymoon).

Some friends if ours bought an old wreck of a forester's cottage in N Wales in the 1980s as a holiday home. None of the Welsh people wanted it, we visited them there and it was very rural, well primitive in fact.
I remember the rise of Meibion Glyndŵr when they burnt some holiday homes down.

I went to Wales regularly as a child because my mother was Welsh. After I met my other half we used to go regularly by overnight coach to Swansea and then a bus up to Carmarthern and then change to Cardigan. This was in the days before the M4 and the first bridge. The coach used to cross over at Chepstow I think.

Anyway it was at the time when the Welsh didn't like the second home owners at all but the English used to buy up the old ruins whilst the Welsh moved in to new bungalows. It was the same in France - the elderly rural population liked to live in a house with mod cons whilst the English bought up the old wrecks.

In both Wales and France I spent quite a lot of time fantasising about do-uppables.

So the English cannot be blamed entirely for buying up these old houses - the Welsh and the French people sold thm the houses, no doubt at a good profit.

Ruthin is a lovely town and not too far over the border.

Betws y Coed is also lovely but gets a lot of tourists.

Llanrwst also nice but seems more Welsh than the two above.

There are smaller places between Llanrwst and Betws y Coed e.g. Trefriw, Dolgarrog, which are lovely

Llanfairfechan and Penmaenmawr are also nice small towns but they are just off the A55 beyond Conwy.

We moved to North Wales ten years ago. I have never had an issue with the Welsh being unfriendly. In fact, just the opposite.

Houses are selling like hot cakes around here at the moment and for high prices, especially along the coast.

What is Chirk like?
We nearly moved there once but DH got a job elsewhere.

Blossoming

Loggerheads is nice, a lovely walk to Moel Famau, but it’s more a village than a town. Mole and surrounding area is worth a look.

I was going to say that Loggerheads is in Staffordshire but now realise there is another one in Denbighshire.

It's an unusual name, I wonder how two places got called that.

The Vale of Clwyd is so beautiful but keep away from the very busy A55 though. Once you get away from the touristy spots life goes on as it always has, in the farming communities anyway.
I was brought up in the Vale many years ago, a lovely place.

Ruthin is not remotely industrialised. It's a charming town with a castle and surrounded by stunning countryside. The Vale of Clwyd is absolutely beautiful. I know, I spent many happy years living in a small village in the Vale.

Isn't Ffestiniog beautiful, I can remember going on the train as a child, but too far down for us.
Llangollen I love this too, but also a bit far down.
We are in no rush and just researching at the moment, but getting excited.
Thanks again for the wonderful input, I thought I was probably asking for too much.

Oh, thank you so much. These are some of the areas I have fallen in love with, especially Snowdonia.
Is Ruthin very industrialised, this is the sort of ideal location and a friend put me off. Will have a good look, thanks.
It won't be a second home most definitely, it will be our only home. My grandma was born in Ruthin, and all my ancestors were Welsh/ Shropshire border.
By the time it got to me they'd moved to England.
So, my husband has agreed to take me seriously as long as L find something that ticks all the boxes for him too.

We have 2 grandchildren and I imagine they'll be a couple more at least. So, obviously would like them to be able to visit for a long day, if not able to stay over.

I moved from St Helens area to Wales 40 years ago. There are some lovely countryside villages not too far inside the border.

we have a static caravan just outside Conway and I can recommend the Conway valley - stunning scenery, near the coast, fabulous walks, plenty to see/ do. I would say Anglesey is a little too far - Conway takes us just under two hours from Manchester. As a Welsh ex-pat I would agree that generally speaking Welsh people are very welcoming of and North Wales is a great place to live. It's not just a fair weather destination either - plenty to do out of season though maybe not so much in Anglesey. I would also say that the further west you go, the more likely you are to find resistance to second home ownership. There is a strong sense of Welsh nationalism around the Caernarfon area and further west. Efforts to get acquainted with the Welsh language would go down well and my tip would be, don't think that people in Welsh pubs have only started speaking Welsh because you've walked in - it's their first language in many cases!
The A55 is usually pretty speedy but we have seen some huge tail backs at holiday times.

In my experience English people are made very welcome in Wales, especially if you make an effort to integrate and learn a little of the language, at least enough to be polite.
Respect the culture and don’t moan about the lack of big city facilities.
Birds make a noise, muck spreading smells, sheep bleat. Accept the obvious, join in as much as possible and you’ll find you are very welcome.
Second home owners are not so welcome in some areas as locals feel that they are being out priced from the housing market and empty homes in winter result in closure of schools, post offices and other facilities. On the other hand others are grateful for the extra money brought in when summer visitors shop in Wales and use local tradespeople for home repairs and renovations. In that respect it’s not about being English but about being part time, just as in any tourist area such as the Lake District, Cornwall, Devon and many others.

The Betwys y Coed area has mountains, rivers and trees in abundance. Llanrwst area is also pretty and has all your requirements. I live in beautiful Anglesey which has rolling hills and lovely beaches but we are short of mountains and forests. Good luck.

Ruthin in the Vale of Clwyd is a lovely small town, close to stunning countryside. You might like to Google, Villages in The Vale of Clwyd to find more wonderful villages within the 2 hour travelling time you mentioned. Good luck.

Anglesey stunning beautiful it has everything about 1 hr 45 mins journey.

Mold not mole!

Loggerheads is nice, a lovely walk to Moel Famau, but it’s more a village than a town. Mole and surrounding area is worth a look.

You’re about an hour away from Flint or Holywell, perhaps have a look in those areas. Snowdonia is lovely, but the traffic is dreadful in summer.

Snowdonia

I did think of this, but would it be too far for family within a couple of hours?
It does look lovely, but I think heart set on North Wales.

You could look at Shropshire which is in England but on the Welsh border, which has all of the above and more and very affordable housing.