Betws-y-Coed, set in a beautiful wooded valley near the confluence of the Llugwy and Conwy rivers, is the popular gateway into the Snowdonia National Park It lies amidst a beautiful landscape of wooded river valleys, hills and mountains containing numerous hidden lakes. After Thomas Telford’s Waterloo Bridge over the Conwy opened in 1815, the hitherto small community became an important staging post on the London to Holyhead Irish Mail coach road. During the 19thC the stunning scenery attracted many eminent travellers, visitors and artists to this part of North Wales by road, by river as far as Trefriw, then an important inland port, and later by railway, which reached Betws-y-Coed in 1868. The area around Betws-y-Coed and the western upland edges of the Conwy valley, lying within Snowdonia National Park, is delightful walking country, where you can quickly leave the crowds behind. The 25 circular walks in this book explore its diverse landscape and history. There are walks by rivers, past waterfalls, including the famous Swallow Falls, over hills and up Tal y Fan mountain. They follow miners‘ paths and waymarked trails through Gwydyr Forest Park past upland lakes and the relics of a once thriving lead-mining industry. They take you along Roman roads, past ancient upland burial chambers, standing stones and remote churches, and to great viewpoints. The routes range from a ¾ mile visit to the famous Fairy Glen to a challenging 10 mile walk to remote lakes set beneath the Carneddau mountain range.
