Betws-y-coed has riverside walks and steep forest climbs to lakes. Natural Resources Wales, shortened to NRW, manages these public trails in Gwydir Forest Park.
Choose from these four village walks by time and terrain:
- Coed Tan Dinas: 0.7 miles, 30 minutes, easy. Boardwalk beside the Afon Llugwy to a picnic area, a gradual climb through the woods, then back along the boardwalk. The climb is 34 m.
- Afon Llugwy Riverside Walk: 1.5 miles, 1 to 1.5 hours, moderate. Boardwalk, grass tracks and a narrow path, returning along a tarmac road. The climb is 68 m.
- Llyn Elsi: 3.9 miles, 2 to 3 hours, strenuous. The trail rises and descends steeply from the village to a lake, with a circuit of the shore. The climb is 318 m.
- Llyn Parc: 4.3 miles, 1.5 to 3 hours, strenuous. A steep climb to a lake, then a descent past old mine entrances. NRW warns of unprotected drops, so stay on the waymarked trail.
Three of the four start at the Pont y Pair car park in the village centre.
Conwy County Borough Council runs that car park, and there is a parking charge.
The riverside on a wet day
Coed Tan Dinas stays in the woods beside the river. It is the short option when you only have half an hour.
The Llugwy walk needs more care. Expect mud, large rocks and exposed tree roots.
The path is under 80 cm wide in places.
After heavy rain the Afon Llugwy may flood across this path outside the woods, and NRW asks you not to walk it when it does. Turn round rather than wade.
The walk passes the Miners’ Bridge, which has an information panel and a bench nearby. You also go through two narrow metal kissing gates into a grassy field.
Llyn Elsi when you have half a day
The trail rises and descends steeply from the village, on forest roads and narrower footpaths.
Footpaths are under 100 cm wide in places. Expect mud, rocks and tree roots on an uneven surface.
There are many benches and perches on the climb, and several around the lake.
You retrace the steep path on the way down.
Allow the full 2 to 3 hours and start with daylight to spare. If the forecast is poor or the paths are very wet, choose a shorter walk.
Swallow Falls is a short drive away
NRW’s Swallow Falls trail starts at the Ty’n Llwyn car park, 3.5 miles west of Betws-y-coed. From the A5 towards Capel Curig, turn onto a narrow minor road just before the Ugly House (Tŷ Hyll).
The car park is 1 mile up that road.
The 2.2 mile circuit starts at that car park, not in the village. It takes 1.5 to 2.5 hours and is graded strenuous. That time does not include getting there.
Parking is free, and overnight parking is not allowed.
The path is steep and narrow, under 70 cm wide in places, with several flights of steps. One viewpoint looks over the falls. Another has views of Moel Siabod.
Moel Siabod is a summit day of its own, a different plan from these walks. If waterfalls are the aim, look at the other waterfalls in Snowdonia too.
Llyn Crafnant for a full day
Llyn Crafnant has its own car park in Gwydir Forest Park, with walking trails around the lake and an accessible riverside trail. It is a separate destination from the village trails above.
For a longer day, walking-holiday operator Macs Adventure lists a route from Capel Curig through Llyn Crafnant to Betws-y-coed.
That route is 9 miles one way, passing Swallow Falls before finishing in the village.
Plan the transport as well as the walk. The published itinerary takes a bus to Capel Curig first, then walks back to Betws-y-coed.
For a walk out from the village towards the lake, plot your route and return separately.
Use Ordnance Survey (the national mapping agency) Explorer map OL17, which NRW cites for this area. Carry the map and set a turn-back time.
Train and bus
Arriving by train to Snowdonia suits these walks. The nearest mainline station is in Betws-y-coed itself.
NRW shows a station and a bus stop within 1 mile of the Pont y Pair car park.
Check current bus services on the Traveline Cymru website before you travel. NRW points to it for public transport details.
We compile and explain public route and safety information. We guide nobody and sell nothing on the hill.
Finding the start of the lake walk
Llyn Elsi does not start at Pont y Pair. Walk to St Mary’s Church in the village centre, about five minutes from the car park, and take the forest road behind it.
