Please arrive by 2.00 pm, if possible, when we will meet in the hotel reception for a half day walk to shake off the journey and explore the stunning scenery on our doorstep.  We’ll walk along the banks of the River Llugwy (pronounced 'Thigwy') to, a scenic gorge that contains a string of much-photographed waterfalls.  A woodland walk follows, leading us back to our starting point.   

(3 hours walking, 7 km)

Our transport takes us up to Llyn Crafnant, a high level lake encircled by rocky hills.  Steady uphill walking leads to the summit of the Crimpiau Pass, from where we get views over the Llugwy Valley  to the pyramidal peak of Moel Siabod and to Snowdon beyond. An easy descent leads down to the Snowdon Slate Trail, linking up many sites of industrial heritage, a wide track that leads us past the famous Swallow Falls and back into Betws-y-Coed.  En route we’ll stop off at the ‘Ugly House’, now a pleasant café with garden and terrace.  Built in a single day to avoid local property charges, this house is unusual for its walls of irregular, roughly-cut stones, that mean it now thoroughly deserves its name.  However, the Welsh cakes are nice.  

(6 hours walking, 14km)

This route is memorable for its immersion in the deep green oak woodland that surrounds the
town of Betws.  Old miner’s tracks combine with modern access routes to provide a maze-like network of trails.  Navigating carefully, we take a circular
route which visits the extensive buildings and ruins of the Hafna Mine (now disused) and a series of lakes, each one circled by trees.

A gradual descent leads to the quirkily asymmetrical Miner’s Bridge - a must-do photographic opportunity, then it’s along the bank of the bubbling Llugwy and to our hotel for a well-deserved afternoon cuppa or an even more well-deserved G&T if we got so lost it’s that time of day! 

[6 hours walking, 13 km]

Our walk starts and ends on the shores of the delightful Llyn Dinas, a picturesque lake set beneath the Snowdonia giant Yr Aran.

Our route to Beddgelert takes us along the Cambrian Way, past the Copper Mine museum at Sygun, and on to the heart of the village. We visit the memorial to the faithful hound Gelert who died a heroic death, according to legend, before taking the path down the dramatic Aberglaslyn Pass with its mile-long string of rapids.

A path up through the remote Cwm Bychan returns us to our start point at Llyn Dinas, where our transport awaits.

[6 hours walking, 13 km]

The local train drops us at Llanwrst, from where we take paths across the verdant Conwy flood plain, taking in the picturesque village (and coffee stop!) at Trefriw. It’s a final blast of this rich, atmospheric scenery and a leg-stretch before we finish our week at 1.30 pm.

[3.5 hours walking, 7 km]