Sunday 19 May, 2024

Dawn chorus

Enjoy the dawn chorus on an early morning walk in the countryside near Trefriw with some local bird watchers. While walking a loop that includes woodland and riverbank, learn how to identify birds by their song.  We will be going at a leisurely pace, though there will be some rough and short steep sections. The ground may be wet in places. Good boots and binoculars recommended.

There’ll be a hot drink and biscuits waiting for us on our return to the Village Hall, and we’ll be back in sufficient time for you to attend another main walk, if you wish!

Duration:  A maximum of 3 hours  (It is likely that some walkers will be wanting to join a later walk.)

Distance:  A maximum of 4 miles, depending on progress

Grade:  Easy, leisurely

Please be aware that this is a rural area and that all our walks take us out into the countryside where some parts of paths and tracks will be uneven and sometimes wet and slippery underfoot; it isn’t like walking on pavements!

Departure time:  06:00 a.m. (i.e. early!) from the main car park in Trefriw (LL27 0JH, SH781631) opposite the Woollen Mill.
NOTE – This walk meets at Gowers car park, not at the village hall.

Refreshments will be available in the Hall after your walk. (See ‘our cafe’.)  Please stay and socialise!

Walk Leaders:  Shaun De Clancy & Lin Cummins

Click on the map to see the rough location of this walk.


Booking: To book a place, please click on the Eventbrite button below (opens in a new tab).
This walk is fully booked.

Please ensure that you have read the booking information, terms and conditions before you attend any walks.

Please note that, although we make no charge for our walks, we do ask for voluntary donations (card preferred, but cash accepted). More details on our funding page.

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Sunday 19 May, 2024

Black Dogs & Broomsticks

The name of this walk comes from the two main hills we’ll be walking, namely Pen yr Helgi Du (‘Head/Hill of the Black Hound’) and Pen Llithrig y Wrach (‘The Slippery Peak of the Witch’)

This is a strenuous mountain walk, but if the weather is kind we’ll be rewarded by amazing views.

Our minibus will take us to the Ogwen valley, where we will walk up the access track to Ffynnon Llugwy reservoir, then follow the narrow Bwlch Eryl Farchog to climb steeply to the summit of Pen yr Helgi Du (833 m  / 2,733 ft). From here its down and up for a mile to the summit of Pen Llithrig y Wrach (799 m / 2,621 ft). We’ll follow its back ridge down to the dam of Llyn Cowlyd, then return to Trefriw over the ridge of Cefn Cyfarwydd (492 m / 1,614 ft).

(The picture is taken from Pen Llithrig y Wrach, looking back at Pen yr Helgi Du, with beyond it the higher Carneddau mountains.)

Duration:  All day.  Please bring a packed lunch.

Distance:  10m / 16km

Grade:  Strenuous mountain, with nearly 3,000 ft (900m) of ascent in total. This mountain walk will include some uneven rocky ground, a couple of very short short ‘clambery’ sections, and exposure in a couple of places.

Please be aware that this is a rural area and that all our walks take us out into the countryside where some parts of paths and tracks will be uneven and sometimes wet and slippery underfoot; it isn’t like walking on pavements!

Suitability:  Fit and experienced hill walkers. Participants must be used to coping with rough terrain and long walks in the mountains. Remember that it can be cold at altitude, even in May; please bring warm, waterproof clothing, including hat and gloves, and suitable sturdy boots.

Departure time:  08:45 a.m. from Trefriw Village Hall (LL27 0JH, SH781631)
Refreshments will be available in the Hall both before and after your walk. (See ‘our cafe’.)  Please stay and socialise!

Walk Leaders:  Tony Ellis, Lucy Flood & Paul Newell

Click on the map to see the rough location of this walk.


Booking: To book a place, please click on the Eventbrite button below (opens in a new tab).
1 place left.

Please ensure that you have read the booking information, terms and conditions before you attend any walks.

Please note that, although we make no charge for our walks, we do ask for voluntary donations (card preferred, but cash accepted). More details on our funding page.

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Sunday 19 May, 2024

Romans and countrymen

This is a glorious round in an area which we’ve not fully explored before. Our minibus will take us to Betws y coed, from where we will walk by the riverside, crossing Miners’ Bridge to then follow the old Roman route of Sarn Helen past the old village of Rhiwddolion and over the hill to Pont y Pant, in the Lledr valley. From here we’ll follow the river downstream to Victorian Gethin’s Bridge, to then take a path up the hillside to Llyn Elsi, the lake/reservoir above Betws y coed, from where we’ll return on the main track to the village. The minibus will return us to Trefriw.

Duration:  All day.  Please bring a packed lunch.

Distance:  8 miles / 13 km

Grade:  Moderate, but with a total of 1,500 ft of ascent

Please be aware that this is a rural area and that all our walks take us out into the countryside where some parts of paths and tracks will be uneven and sometimes wet and slippery underfoot; it isn’t like walking on pavements!

Departure time:  09:30 a.m. from Trefriw Village Hall (LL27 0JH, SH781631)
Refreshments will be available in the Hall both before and after your walk. (See ‘our cafe’.)  Please stay and socialise!

Walk Leaders:  Maria Denney & Marianne Siddorn

Click on the map to see the rough location of this walk.


Booking: To book a place, please click on the Eventbrite button below (opens in a new tab).
This walk is fully booked.

Please ensure that you have read the booking information, terms and conditions before you attend any walks.

Please note that, although we make no charge for our walks, we do ask for voluntary donations (card preferred, but cash accepted). More details on our funding page.

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Sunday 19 May, 2024

Castles in the Air

The castle in question is Gwydir Castle, and ‘Castles in the Air’ is the title of the book detailing its renovation by its current owners. Gwydir was the seat of the powerful Wynn family who were descendants of the Kings of Gwynedd, and were one of the most significant families of north Wales during the Tudor and Stuart periods.

The leisurely walk is one of our easier ones this year, having only about 200m (650 ft) of elevation. From Trefriw we’ll initially take a scenic route round the Cob and alongside the river Conwy as we head to Llanrwst and Gwydir Castle. This walk includes entry into Gwydir Castle and its gardens (paid for by our sponsor*), where we can spend some time. Afterwards we’ll head up to Gwydir Uchaf chapel with its amazing interior and its adjacent small Tudor maze. On the way back to Trefriw we’ll call into the Grey Mare’s Tail, a splendid waterfall which feeds the water features at Gwydir via a half-mile leat across the meadows. It was Lady Willoughby of Gwydir who gave the waterfall its name. (Time allowing we might also visit the site of the Tudor bowling green.)

* This has been made possible through funding from the Carneddau Landscape Partnership. Thank you!

Duration:  All day.  Please bring a packed lunch.

Distance: About 6 miles / 10 km

Grade:  Easy, leisurely, little ascent (except if taking the path down to the bottom of the falls).

Please be aware that this is a rural area and that all our walks take us out into the countryside where some parts of paths and tracks will be uneven and sometimes wet and slippery underfoot; it isn’t like walking on pavements!

Departure time:  09:45 a.m. from Trefriw Village Hall (LL27 0JH, SH781631)
Refreshments will be available in the Hall both before and after your walk. (See ‘our cafe’.)  Please stay and socialise!

Walk Leaders:  Colin Devine & Liz Burnside

Click on the map to see the rough location of this walk.


Booking: To book a place, please click on the Eventbrite button below (opens in a new tab).
This walk is fully booked.

Please ensure that you have read the booking information, terms and conditions before you attend any walks.

Please note that, although we make no charge for our walks, we do ask for voluntary donations (card preferred, but cash accepted). More details on our funding page.

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Sunday 19 May, 2024

Take me home, country roads

This is a popular walk back to Trefriw from Betws y coed, all off-road. There are so many scenic ways back that we have no hesitation in repeating this gorgeous walk. We’ll be travelling to our start point at Betws y coed by minibus, then walking back on good tracks over the edge of the Gwydir Forest, passing several beautiful lakes and viewpoints.

We’ll initially head up through the Aberllyn gorge and the along the shore of Llyn Parc. From here, it’s downhill to Hafna mine, where we’ll probably stop for lunch. The walk then takes us over the highest part of the Gwydir Forest, past some gorgeous lakes with great views over towards the mountains. (There are toilets at Llyn Geirionydd.) This is a gem of a walk at a leisurely pace.
The route will follow a mix of wide forest paths and other paths.

Duration:  All day.  Please bring a packed lunch.

Distance: 8 miles / 12 km

Grade:  Moderate, with a couple of steep sections

Please be aware that this is a rural area and that all our walks take us out into the countryside where some parts of paths and tracks will be uneven and sometimes wet and slippery underfoot; it isn’t like walking on pavements!

Departure time:  10:00 a.m. from Trefriw Village Hall (LL27 0JH, SH781631)
Refreshments will be available in the Hall both before and after your walk. (See ‘our cafe’.)  Please stay and socialise!

Walk Leaders:  Nigel Thomas & Dave Tetlow

Click on the map to see the rough location of this walk.


Booking: To book a place, please click on the Eventbrite button below (opens in a new tab).
3 places left.

Please ensure that you have read the booking information, terms and conditions before you attend any walks.

Please note that, although we make no charge for our walks, we do ask for voluntary donations (card preferred, but cash accepted). More details on our funding page.

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Sunday 19 May, 2024

The riverside Cobs

Most of our walks are on the Trefriw side of the river Conwy, but here’s a chance to also walk on the other side!

The river Conwy has flood defence cobs on both sides of it, which make for beautiful (and fairly flat!) riverside walking. From Trefriw we’ll walk on the southern riverside Cob round to Gower’s suspension bridge, then follow the riverside path into Llanrwst at Pont Fawr, Llanrwst’s famous old bridge. From here we’ll head back out of town using the back lanes, then descending to Tan Lan (this middle 2 miles is the only bit of ascent and descent).

We’ll now be on the other side of the river Conwy, and we’ll follow the 2-mile length of the northern riverside cob to Maenan, from where our minibus will bring us back to Trefriw.

In all, there’ll be plenty of easy, scenic riverside walking, and more often than not there’s plenty of birdlife to be seen on and near the river too.

Duration:  All day.  Please bring a packed lunch.

Distance:  7 miles / 11 km

Grade:  Mostly easy, leisurely (though with a lane ascent in the middle from 10m up to 100m)

Please be aware that this is a rural area and that all our walks take us out into the countryside where some parts of paths and tracks will be uneven and sometimes wet and slippery underfoot; it isn’t like walking on pavements!

Departure time:  10:15 a.m. from Trefriw Village Hall (LL27 0JH, SH781631)
Refreshments will be available in the Hall both before and after your walk. (See ‘our cafe’.)  Please stay and socialise!

Walk Leaders:  Karen Martindale & Jan Blaskiewicz

Click on the map to see the rough location of this walk.


Booking: To book a place, please click on the Eventbrite button below (opens in a new tab).
3 places left.

Please ensure that you have read the booking information, terms and conditions before you attend any walks.

Please note that, although we make no charge for our walks, we do ask for voluntary donations (card preferred, but cash accepted). More details on our funding page.

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Sunday 19 May, 2024

An intro to trail running!

Here’s an opportunity to mix walking with some trail running.

This is a trail run that starts with an easy run out of the village before a steep climb after about a mile that takes us to the edge of the Gwydyr Forest. There’s a further climb that goes past St Rhychwyn’s Church in Llanrhychwyn (worth a quick visit if we have time) before we reach the highest point of the route with fantastic views. It’s then an easy descent to Llyn Geirionydd where we follow a rough track along the side of the lake to pick up a path that leads downhill to the village, with views down to the Crafnant Valley.

There are some steep climbs and some rough paths but we’ll move at a pace that suits the group, typically walking most of the uphill sections and no one will be left behind so we’ll regroup as needed.

Duration:  Half day (2½ hours, 10:30 – 13:00).

Distance:  About 7 miles / 11 km

Suitability:  You must be fit enough to tackle this ‘walk/run’ as described above.

Please be aware that this is a rural area and that all our walks take us out into the countryside where some parts of paths and tracks will be uneven and sometimes wet and slippery underfoot; it isn’t like walking on pavements!

What to wear:  Trail shoes must be worn (road shoes or walking boots won’t be suitable).  Bear in mind that we are very likely to encounter some wet and boggy sections. It would be a good idea to carry drinking water.

Departure time:  10:30 a.m. from Trefriw Village Hall (LL27 0JH, SH781631)
Refreshments will be available in the Hall both before and after your walk. (See ‘our cafe’.)  Please stay and socialise!

Walk Leaders:  Fliss Aries (a registered fell run leader with Welsh Athletics) & Nick Denney

Click on the map to see the rough location of this walk.


Booking: To book a place, please click on the Eventbrite button below (opens in a new tab).
Several places still available

Please ensure that you have read the booking information, terms and conditions before you attend any walks.

Please note that, although we make no charge for our walks, we do ask for voluntary donations (card preferred, but cash accepted). More details on our funding page.

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Sunday 19 May, 2024

Back to nature

We will be using a car-share to travel to the start of our walk, which will be at the site of the former Cyffty Mine near Nant Bwlch-yr-Haiarn in the Gwydir Forest. (Cyffty is 4 miles from Trefriw – see the journey here.)

This is a fairly gentle walk, starting at one of the old lead mines of Nant Bwlch-yr-Haiarn. The route will follow a network of lakes formed for this centuries-old industry and explore the wild flowers, nature, history and legends of this unique area. Mainly on well-worn paths and forest tracks, with some short sections on steeper rough ground, we will gradually rise to a natural viewpoint for a lunch break before continuing back to the starting point. After the walk we will return in the cars to Trefriw.

This is a chance to look at nature in the hills with a couple of experts in this field.

Duration:  Half-day.  Please bring a packed lunch.

Distance:   About 5 miles / 8 km

Grade:  Moderate/leisurely

Please be aware that this is a rural area and that all our walks take us out into the countryside where some parts of paths and tracks will be uneven and sometimes wet and slippery underfoot; it isn’t like walking on pavements!

Departure time:  10:45 a.m. from Trefriw Village Hall (LL27 0JH, SH781631) using car share.
Refreshments will be available in the Hall both before and after your walk. (See ‘our cafe’.)  Please stay and socialise!

Walk Leaders:  Pete Kay & Bernard Owen

Click on the map to see the rough location of this walk.


Booking: To book a place, please click on the Eventbrite button below (opens in a new tab).
1 place left.

Please ensure that you have read the booking information, terms and conditions before you attend any walks.

Please note that, although we make no charge for our walks, we do ask for voluntary donations (card preferred, but cash accepted). More details on our funding page.

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