Getting into the countryside without a car can be challenging. Firstly, reaching it in the first place and then seeing the sights which can be spread over a large area leaving you either feeling trapped or costing a fortune in taxis from the nearest town.
Betws-y-Coed is a charming village in the Snowdonia/Eryri national park in Wales which is served by a train station in the heart of the village. Here you will find a number of shops, cafes, pubs and a wide range of hiking and mountain bike trails into the surrounding forest.
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Arriving In Betws-y-Coed By Train
It is very likely if you are coming from England that you will take the very scenic rail journey across northern wales before changing at Llandudno junction onto the Conwy valley line. There are not a large number of trains heading into the heart of Wales so if you have a long wait for the change make the most of the Porters cafe at the station.
Throughout this journey you will go past majestic castles, vast stretches of the northern Welsh Coast before heading inland alongside rivers and the growing hills.
When you do arrive into Betws-y-Coed you are immediately met with a station that is full of life. There are sculptures made of plastic and lots of wildlife posters along its charming building. You will even find an underground art gallery here, but don’t worry as there are no barriers you can check that out later. Once you are through the archway you are right in the centre of the village with cafes and shops to your left and right.
Make your way to any one of the number of locally run hotels and B&Bs to settle in. Should you arrive early enough, enjoy exploring the village. It’s bigger than you think when you first arrive, it carries on past the park up the road. As for dinner and winding down for the night, your hotel likely offers a meal if you’re knackered but there are also several other eateries in the town to tickle your fancy.
Day One In Betws-y-Coed
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at your hotel. Alternatively, enjoy breakfast at the number of cafes to set yourself up for the day.
Today you can maximise a longer walk by taking the route up river. Cross over the quaint point-y-pair bridge admiring the small waterfall and take a left onto the river walk. This is an excellent accessible path along a raised wooden walkway. You can do a short loop around here is hiking is not your thing, the red trail is well marked and has lots of interactive signs for small and big kids alike.
Should you want to explore further, follow along the river (keep close to it to find the path onto the field as access is from the left of a mound) and carry on the well marked tail along the river Afon Llugwy.
On this walk you will pass swallow falls, a lovely waterfall. You get a good view from this side, but the official (pay to access) viewing platform is the other side of the river.
Carry along this walk till you see a bridge and up from there is the Ty Hyll: the Ugly House. Which it certainly isn’t. Now it is a charming cafe with gardens up the hill. Definitely stop here for a bite to eat before either returning the way you came or if you’re up for a challenge take the route I did!
When I went, the steps up to the road were closed as they were about to fall over. There is an alternative route following the forest roads around the private property.
Once you have filled up, you can cross the bridge and start the upwards climb towards Llyn Elsi reservoir. This is the most time consuming part as depending upon the route you choose, some of the so called paths are more like mountain goat trails and some of the tracks you couldn’t even get a farmers quad bike down but they are beautiful. Yet like many places in the Gwydir National Park, it has many wide tracks to follow even if they are not the most direct.
The good news is that if you want a shorter series of walks, you can get straight up to Llyn Elsi, which is worth a look from behind the church in Betws-y-coed. It is a steep incline but there are benches and encouraging signs to keep you going.
You could start here and do the walk back to front, getting the hardest bit over first and taking the nice gentle river back into town. This is a fairly long trek, of depending which track you take, it is around 15km and taking about five hours due to the steep inclines.
This gets you back in the later afternoon, plenty of time to enjoy one of the numerous tea options at the Alpine cafe or a pint before heading to Y Stabalu pub for some well deserved grub. The lovely pub has a large outside seating area, but all under a cover with heaters so you can enjoy this even in the predictable rain of the welsh mountains. Of course, should you be craving warmth, then inside is also nice and cosy.
Day Two In Betws-y-Coed
Today I recommend following one of the routes around the mountain bike patch of Gwydir Forest Park. I personally can recommend the yellow trail following the River Conwy downstream. This walk is about 12km and takes around three hours and starts at the pont-y-pair bridge.
This route takes you up through the old section of forest covered in lichens and moss. It is steep and at points hard going as you are climbing over fallen trees past their mosaics of roots for all to see.
If you are not so steady of your feet, you can take the track up which the woodland walk (highly worth doing) joins at Llyn y Parc. A cute little reservoir surrounded by woodland. Once you’re up the walk is easy going and you pass an old bowling green with views over Llanrwst and the rest of the glacial valley.
This area is full of different trails to adapt to your style of exploring the outdoors. Grab a map or take a photo of the information boards at the point-y-pair bridge where these walks start.
If you did a morning walk, grab some lunch at the Hangin’ Pizzeria which serves awesome pizzas to sit in, sit out or take away and spend the afternoon doing some last minute souvenir shopping. Be sure to allow some time exploring the tourist information centre. It may look like just another shop (also worth it for local artisan products) but to the side contains a virtual reality headset for views on top of Snowdon, history of the area and a short film exploring the area from a birds eye view!
If you are only spending the weekend in this little village, then it’s time to say goodbye. But be sure to return because there is several more activities to do in this tiny place that I haven’t even covered yet.
Other Activities To Do
Whether you are staying longer or fancy a different type of trip, I still haven’t exhausted the things to do in and around the area. Got a few more hikes to recommend and some activities.
1. Fairy Glen and Conwy Falls Circular Walk
Just because you do not have a car, doesn’t mean you can’t see the local attractions. From Betws-y-Coed follow quiet roads and bridleways down to Fairy Glen. This joy of walking this direction down to these locations is the landscape changes from wide flood plains to steep sided gorges.
Fairy Glen is a lovely woodland walk down to the river. It has a nice picnic area before gaining height as you walk along the steep sided gorge to steps down to the view point of Fairy Glen at the end.
Everything is well maintained and the only challenging part is the stone steps down to a rocky (naturally formed by the river) viewing part at the end. There is a cost to enter currently at £1 per person through an honesty box so bring exact change.
Once you have enjoyed this local beauty spot continue along a lovely bridge way (part of the Snowdonia Slate Trail) down to Conwy falls. There is a cafe here and the start of Go Below so perfect spot for lunch. To see the waterfall which is fairly impressive, it’s £2 per person to access the viewing platform. You can use card payments here to access it through a turnstile.
Once you have finished here, you can either walk back the way you came or cross over the river and continue to follow the Slate Trail Bridleway till it crosses over the second river. This part I did find a bit busy for cars, but once you’re over the river (Afron Lledr) and turn right back on yourself (unless you want a longer walk). On this route, it’s actually a nice quiet lane and you pass the (free) viewpoint of Machno Falls which is a nice waterfall.
Continue to follow the road back and you will rejoin the route you came out on before heading back into the village. This loop is about 10km if you choose to skip the waterfalls. I nearly did 12km with enjoying both Conwy and Fairy Glen walks.
2. Zip World
If you fancy a bit more adrenaline, zip world is a 40 minute walk from the village. Alternatively, hope on one of the number 19 buses and be there in as little as 10 minutes. There are options here for high ropes, Skyride and the Plummet amongst other attractions for small and big kids alike.
3. Go Below
If up in the sky isn’t your style then try exploring some of the Welsh mines. They offer a half day go below challenge trip from there Conwy Falls hub. Get exploring the mines with all the equipment provided for a fun filled day out.
It is a bit time consuming to get here, and you pass it on the fairy glen, Conwy falls route described in option one but it is a pretty route and plenty of time with the half day tours. Otherwise consider booking a taxi (10 minutes) to save your energy or hop in the T10 bus to be there in half an hour.
4. Conwy Valley Railway Museum
Just hope over the bridge at the railway station to enter a miniature world. Take a ride on miniature train around the surrounding area and take a stroll around the Museum before stopping off a the shop to inspire any budding railway enthusiast in your life. The train ride and museum can be booked separately at a couple of pounds each.
5. Mountain Biking
The Gywdir forest park is full mountain bike trails of every level. If you didn’t get chance to take your beloved mountain bike all the way on the trail, fear not as you can hire bikes from Beics Betws from right in the heart of the village before heading up on the hills.
There is a mix of well marked mountain bike trails and hiking trails through the forest so even if not everyone in your group wants to hurdle themselves down on a bike, everyone can find something to enjoy in the near vicinity.
6. Snowdonia Slate Trail
The footpaths to swallow falls and towards fairy glen that I have mentioned they are part of the Snowdonia Slate Trail. This is a 84 mile strenuous bridle way trail taking in the best sights and heritage of Snowdonia/Eyri National park.
The route explores the beautiful scenery and the slate mining industry which played an integral part of the regions past. Betws-y-coed is a welcomed place for many thru-hikers to rest their head but it is worth exploring the sections which lead to and from the village as they are well marked and maintained.
Consider walking through to another village or town and getting the bus or trail back. Otherwise enjoy the loops I explored before and consider this if you are exploring the national park in other areas in the future.
7. Explore Further Afield With Public Transport
Just because you do not have a car, doesn’t mean you can’t get into the heart of the countryside. Pick up a local bus route map from the tourist information for inspiration.
For example, should you fancy a day out you can get the bus to Caernarfon and explore the seaside town and Caernarfon castle, or stop short in Llanberis. Or hop back on the train and explore the line down to Blaenau Ffestiniog or back up the way you came from for some north wales coastline and castles. It may require some planning but all will be scenic and perfect way to explore more of Wales.
Where to stay in Betws-y-Coed?
Many of the buildings in the village offer some form of accommodation to fit any style and budget. You can stay at hotels, B&Bs and self catering apartments right in the heart of the village. Most places will be within a five minute walk of the trail station so perfect just to settle right in with no faff.
I stayed at the Glan Aber Hotel. They offer a range of rooms and a bunkhouse for those who want the hostel experience. The hotel also has a hot tub, sauna and steam room which you can book out for private use from £10 for two people currently.
They may be self catering but for a bit of luxury consider the alpine apartments. If the furnishing of the cafes and restaurants are anything to go by then you wont be disappointed. Situated right above the train station, you barely have to walk in inch to get settled in. Otherwise most places are on various booking sites but as always, go direct if you want the best deal.
Where To Eat In Betws-y-Coed
You really cannot go wrong. You have the alpine cafe by the train station with its lovely glasshouse seating with log burners to the scrummy ice cream parlour next door. You have a lovely little corner cafe in with the tourist information centre which is a lovely little sun trap or the bakery in the Spar up the road.
Most hotels will offer some form of dining but for the ultimate outdoors experience consider Y Stablau with its covered seating area and pub classics. You also cannot miss the Hangin’ Pizzeria, (which also does breakfast) with its orangutan theme like the cafe. The pizza is wonderfully cooked in a stone pizza over. You can also have take out. There are other options such as the chippies and Indian cuisine to suit everyone’s appetites.
Should you be self catering or worried about finding food if you’re out hiking all day then don’t worry. There may be no supermarket in the village but there is a well stocked Londis and Spar.
Conclusion
If you haven’t booked your trip to Betws-y-Coed then what are you waiting for? This village is the perfect escape for a comfortable countryside experience. There is loads to do in the local area, friendly hospitality and great food. I honestly can’t wait to go back again. I hope this helped squash any doubt you have had and given you plenty of inspiration for when you visit. Happy Hiking!
