Exploring North Wales with the BMW 330e iPerformance Hybrid

Every journey we make in life has a beginning and an end. While we all try to keep every exciting experience going for as long as we possibly can, something sadly gets in the way. Time, money, waistline – the list goes on. One place I’ve recently being exploring to its fullest is the wonderful Pale Hall Hotel in Wales and it was here that we started our magnificent journey with the BMW 330e.

The 330e is part of BMW’s edrive range of petrol with electric drivetrain cars. The iconic 3 series still remains ever popular and this crossover is no exception. Responsive acceleration and sharp handling, it was a pleasure to drive on the motorways and winding country roads of North Wales. Style wise, it’s rather impressive and the colour choice was spot on. It turned quite a few heads on our journey!

I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a car journey so much as I did here in Wales and the surprises we found along the way just kept on giving. One place we discovered very close to our base was The Glassblobbery in Glanrafon. Husband & wife duo, David and Wendy Pryce-Jones started this glass workshop in October 1989 and it is still going strong. We got to witness the extraordinary creation of a giraffe – which now sits proudly in my living room. Along with a few other creatures and oddities I picked up.

One of my favourite discoveries in Wales was this peak around Snowdon. It’s one of the highest points you can climb by car and words can’t even describe how drastically it changes during the climb and descent. On the ground it was sun and blue skies, but up here the thick clouds enveloped the scenery which revealed itself only bit by bit as you swerved around the curling roads, narrowly avoiding the abundance of sheep which decide to sleep and eat in the middle of the roads.

You’ll find spots like this pictured above which are so serene and are more like something from a movie (Game of Thrones comes to mind). It’s a lot colder up here too and at times very wet, yet the car still handled itself very well and at times looked eerie and majestic with the sultry backdrop.

High up in the clouds we came across something we certainly never expected to find. What we discovered was Plas Brondanw which is part of The Brondanw Estate and lies within Snowdonia National Park, between Snowdon and the sea. It’s rather peculiar if I’m honest, but in a very good way.

The gardens of this special place are open to the public at a small fee and will easily satisfy for a good hour or two if you wished. Lush greenery, mountains, low-lying clouds and clean country air.

Plas Brondanw feels very out-of-place up here, which makes it an even more exciting place to visit. It’s really more like something out of a fairy tale. The cafe on site serves some absolutely delicious home-made cakes and light dishes. The views across Snowdonia are spectacular too.

Before heading back to our hotel we stopped at a magnificent lake which revealed a gushing river on the other-side of it. Park the car up, put on your Wellington’s and keep on walking. Every step you take in this part of Wales simply keeps on giving in natural beauty.

I didn’t really want to hand this car back after 9 fun days of driving, but I’m so pleased I had the chance to drive such a powerful machine. What I love about North Wales over the rest of the country is that it offers such diverse terrain and more importantly it’s all easily accessible by car. Every photo you see here (almost) is from the seat of the car and so seeing Wales in the rain or cold doesn’t have to be the case. Select your favourite soundtrack (Black Velvet by Alannah Myles for me), sit back, drive and take in all the BMW 330e has to offer.