The Dyffryn Ogwen is famous for its classic mountain walks – the North Face of Tryfan, Y Glyderau’s Gribin and Bristly Ridges and the peaks of y Carneddau. It might seem that the valley doesn’t have so much to offer in terms of family walks – especially those families who have small children in…
A retrospective from 2020 of all the North Wales Waterfalls that hiking blog Walestrails has visited. For about the last 18 months or so I’ve been on a waterfall mission heading out to part’s of North West Wales that I’ve not ventured to before looking for family friendly hikes waterfall hikes. So, bearing in mind that there has not been huge opportunity to get out an explore this last year here are the top Walestrails waterfall walks of 2020 from Walestrails.
Coed-y-Brenin is known far and wide as one of the premier mountain biking venues in Wales, and for very good reason – the graded mountain bike trails and skills area are second to none and that’s not to mention the excellent complex that comprises cafe, bike shop & hire, car parking, showers and bike wash facilities. On this particular occasion however we hadn’t come to bike, we’d come for a walking adventure with family.
This walk includes charming paths, quaint old cattle grids and stiles made of old railway tracks. The path that takes us up from afon (river) Gwyrfai is my favourite, crossing the Welsh Highland Railway and heading steeply upwards, through a farm and over a long-forgotten cattlegrid.
The Rhaeadr Ddu Waterfall walk at Ganllwyd near Dolgellau is a short but stunning circular family walk of about 2 miles.Starting from a convenient little car park on the a470 road on the way into Dolgellau this walk leads up along the river Camlan until you reach the impressive double drop waterfall.
Rhaeadr Ddu Waterfalls near Maentwrog in Snowdonia is a magical location hidden in a gorge that flows through Coed Felenrhyd Bach Woodland part of the Celtic Rainforest, a rare habitat and of global importance.
Llan Ffestiniog in Snowdonia North Wales is a beautiful location with expensive views towards Blaenau Ffestiniog up to Stwlan reservoir and down towards the coast – it’s a feast for the eyes on a clear day.
This beautiful walk through the remote Cwm Prysor in Snowdonia, close to the village of Trawfynydd. The walk is a beautiful combination of breath-taking countryside and mind-boggling engineering that created the railway.
The path is flat and open, the views towards the Carneddau and Glyders are phenomenal. It’s an easy going walk with lots of variety, a small estuary gave us the opportunity to pick some marsh samphire for our dinner – to my amazement the kids couldn’t get enough of these salty little shoots. Amongst the samphire shoots we spotted tiny little crabs scurrying about. I’m sure they didn’t like the attention from my kids.
Up in the Gwydyr Forest it doesn’t matter where you go there’s plenty to see – big fat pigs at of the farms and sometimes strutting peacocks, we’ve found newts in muddy puddles and plenty of tadpoles. There are fishing lakes, old mines, marked trails, plenty of geocaches, mountain bikes, mountain views and beautiful picnic spots.