Walk from Bedgellert

This short but popular walk from Bedgellert follows the beautiful river, Glas Llyn, through the woods returning via the remains of the copper mines set amongst some low rugged hillside.

The Walk

Bedgellert is a pretty Welsh village in the heart of Snowdonia. It is surrounded by high mountains which for much of the year give the village a more gloomy outlook. However it is not and makes for a an excellent base for walkers. Having climbed Moel Hebog I was keen to explore the hills and mines to the east. On a gloomy day this was a perfect walk.

The walk starts by visiting the grave of Gellert, a dog who gave its name to the village. Prince Llewellyn, the master of Gellert, returned to find his young son and Gellert covered in blood. In a fit of rage Llewellyn killed the dog only to find his son was alive and a dead wolf nearby. Not how to treat a hero!

The walk itself then follows a lovely path alongside the Gals Llyn before climbing in to a long low valley. This is Cwm Bychan, home of an old copper mine. It is a haunting place, the stantions of the cables that transported the raw copper still stirring like ski lifts in the summer. From here I headed north and was rewarded with some lovely views down Llyn Dinas and towards the lower slopes of Snowdon.

Recommend

For those interested there is a short but rough detour to the Marilyn of Moel y Dyniewyd from the high point of Cwm Bychan.

Navigation Tips on the walk from Bedgellert

Sometimes a public right of way o a map does not tell the full story. Just because it has green dashes on the map des not make it easy. The riverside walk alongside Glas Llyn has some tricky, slippery places on it. The authorities have even embedded some hand holes on the rock.