Looking for somewhere interesting for a flying day out? North Wales is within easy reach of much of the UK by light aircraft and makes a superb touring destination.

We took one of Freeflight Aviation's Cirrus aircraft from Denham in Buckinghamshire, and routed up to North Wales via Oxford, Shobdon and then direct to Llanbedr, where we descended to take in Harlech Castle, the Italian village at Portmeirion (made famous by cult 60's TV series The Prisoner), then onward via Criccieth Castle to Caernarfon airfield for lunch and a visit to its excellent aviation museum.

After lunch we took off and routed down the Menai Straits taking in Caernarfon Castle and the Straits' two bridges. At the north-eastern end of the Straits we spotted Penrhyn and Beaumaris castles and then routed along the coast to Conwy. Five miles out to sea is one of the UK's first large maritime wind farms, North Hoyle. Returning inland we routed southbound passing Rhuddlan where the river was actually straightened to assist in re-supply from the sea and then Denbigh.