Fairy Glen, Swallow Falls Waterfall & Betws-y-Coed Hike: Snowdonia, North Wales

This was an awesome hike, taking in some really special places and epic scenery. It is a 13 mile circular and about 5 hours, with lots of messing about and tea swilling. We started at a free layby (labeled Ysbyty Estate National Trust) alongside the A5, the closest postcode is LL24 0PN. From here we very quickly made our way along the busy A5, moving South-East and following the wall. Soon we dipped into the forested gorge and could hear the rushing water of the mighty River Conwy. It had rained very heavily the day and night before so the river was incredibly full, unlike anything we had ever seen. It was furious, and brown with sediment but utterly enchanting, difficult to keep our eyes on the path! We followed the river and gorge path for a few miles until we reached our first extra special spot, The Fairy Glen/Ffos Anoddun. With a carpark and suggested small donation, this is a real treat. It is essentially a secluded area of the gorge that feels enclosed and a bit other worldly, the best place to spot a fairy we are sure. The paths heading to the glen are in good form and easy to use but the path down to the heart of the glen is rather slippery so be careful, worth it though if you are able, a truly magic place. We then headed back out and started our journey towards the village of Betws-y-Coed. Here we had a good look at the rather stunning cast iron Waterloo Bridge, built by Thomas Telford in 1815, spanning the extremely full River Conwy and acting like a gateway into the village. We walked through the quintessentially Northern Welsh village, could be on a chocolate box. A friendly place, appearing to both cater to tourists but also retaining its' history and rural, Welsh heart. We toured its' streets, checking out the rather brilliant miniature railway and railway museum. This is also where we nabbed the unusual key to the 14th century St Michael's Old Church. The oldest building in the village, nestled among Yews and housing a stone effigy of Gruffydd ap Dafydd Goch, it is a real must see. We made our way through the village and over the very Instagram famous, Pont-Y-Pair bridge. Built in 1500s by Hywel Saer Maen, this is a medieval packhorse bride, sitting proudly over the Afon LLugwy and the breathtaking Babbling Cauldron Waterfalls. We followed the riverside path from here, some of this path is very accessible but the further you go the more trip hazards, nothing too bad though and it is worth the walking. Eventually, after following the Afon Llugwy for a while we headed up the gorge type hill to a small road. We were not road walking for long before we turned back off, into the wooded gorge and towards the mighty Swallow Falls/Rhaeadr Ewynnol. The woodland walking was tremendous here! Streams flowed through the trees and we found ourselves crossing tiny bridges pretty often. We could hear Swallow Falls long before we could see it. A really cool lookout point has been created, it even has a bench, and it is totally free! The falls from that spot were beyond spectacular. The force of the water sent spray droplets all the way over to us, it felt like we were part of it rather than spectators. We spent a good chunk of time drinking tea and gorking at the unusually full waterfall, perfect. We made our way back to the car pretty much the same way we came. A mind-blowing day of hiking. Thank you for being here, all the best, Ceri & Kat!   / teainvalhalla     / teainvalhalla