Betws
y Coed in the Conwy Valley is a natural hub from which the roads,
rivers and 
valleys
radiate and is ideal for touring the central area of the Snowdonia National
Park and the Conwy Valley in North Wales. Straddling the A5 London to Holyhead
road the town became popular in the C19th owing to the arrival of the railway
and the frequent visits of English artists and their followers. Frequented
today by outdoor types and, due to the abundance of good outdoor clothing
stores, those who dress as outdoor types.
Walkers, climbers, canoeists, anglers, mountain
bikers.....all congregate in Betws, Accommodation varies from small
friendly bed and breakfast houses and holiday cottages, some off the beaten
track, to luxury hotels. Scroll down the page for a few snapshots of Betws
y Coed where you will find plenty of things to do and places to see in Betws
y Coed, Wales.
There
is a good selection of pubs and restaurants. The economically priced, and
informal, Stables Bar and Restaurant in the centre of the village is very
popular but you have to arrive early to get a table on busy weekends. You
can get a lovely fish, chips and mushy peas, eat in or take away, from the
Fish and Chip shop at Pont y Pair, next to the bridge in the heart of the
village. (But please don't get tempted to make "boats" from the
containers and sail them down the beautiful river Llugwy...."PLEASE
PUT THE RUBBISH IN THE BIN", Another pub I would recommend is the Pont
y Pair Public house, they do a very nice "leek flavoured sausages on
mashed potatoes with onion gravy"..bangers and mash, washed down with
a pint of Black Sheep bitter.
Betws y Coed (often called Betsy Coed) is North Wales' most popular inland
resort and weekends can attract huge crowds including quite a few motor
bikers, especially near to the railway station shopping precinct.
Another
option is to take a ride on the train up the Conwy Valley Railway line which
runs from Llandudno through Betws y Coed
to Blaenau Ffestiniog.
The journey takes you alongside the banks of the River Conwy, and the turbulent
River Lledr, A breathtaking range of scenery unfolds before you, from majestic
crags and pastoral delights of the upper valleys to the historic castle
of Dolwyddelan. You
glimpse fairytale landscapes, ancient quarries and tracks, forests and the
high peaks of Snowdonia before eventually reaching Blaenau
Ffestiniog.
Also at the railway station is one of Betws' many other attractions the
Conwy Valley Railway Museum with a miniature railway, shop and buffet coach
restaurant. Another attraction is the old 14th century church
of St Michael's.
one of the oldest in Wales and has much of interest. And at the parish church
of St Mary's, look out for performances by Welsh choirs on summer Sunday
evenings.
But
one should not visit Betws y Coed without visiting the main attractions
.....the rivers and riverside
walks of which there are so many. Flowing
through the centre of the village you will find the Afon Llugwy (river Llugwy),
crossed by the Pont y Pair (the bridge of the cauldron). The bridge was
built in the C15th and after heavy rain the foaming water buffeting the
bridge is a dramatic site to see. Buy a bag of Fish and Chips, cross the
bridge toward the car park and you will sit on the rocks contemplating the
beauty and power of nature. Here you will find the start of a number of
sign-posted trails into the surrounding countryside. One such trail takes
you up river to the Miner's Bridge, on the road to Capel Curig, where the
miners crossed the river on a steep ladder to their work. Continuing up
river you come to the famous Swallow Falls, where the Llugwy river hurls
itself into a spectacular chasm.
Venture down stream and you will come across the grand site of Thomas Telford's
iron Waterloo Bridge, built in 1815, which carries the A5 across the River
Conwy, bearing the cast iron inscription "This arch was constructed
in the same year the battle of Waterloo was fought". Continue in this
direction up the Conwy river and you will soon come to the awesome Conwy
Falls, and the beautiful Fairy Glen off the A470 where the River Conwy flows
through a narrow gorge.
From
the Fairy Glen you have but a 3 mile walk along forest tracks in the beautiful
Lledr Valley to the hanging valley of Wybrnant, and Ty
Mawr (Big House). Ty Mawr is the ancient home of Bishop William Morgan,
the man who translated the bible into Welsh.
Another walk takes you eastwards and up into the hills at nearby Capel
Garmon where there is a celebrated cromlech; a 5,000 year old Neolithic
burial chamber overlooking the mountains of Snowdonia....truly a "Tomb
with a view".
