Where
is it? Between Abergynolwyn and Llanfihangel-y-Pennant in the beautiful
Talyllyn and Dysynni Valleys in West Wales. Close to Tywyn,
on the coast, and Dolgellau to the north. How long will it take ? : The walk is a 5 ½ mile round
trip so I would allow 3 hours when including the visits to Castell
y Bere and the church of St Michael's at Llanfihangel-y-Pennant. What's the attraction? : One of the most beautiful valleys
in Wales, a mediaeval Castle and an ancient Church Essentials : As I usually say..... take a picnic. OS map and
compass. Rating : Easy to moderate. Car Parking : Parking is available
on the street or Car Park in the centre of Abergynolwyn Facilities : Refreshments and Toilets are
available at the Railway Inn in Abergynolwyn. When we visited in 2007
the pub meals were excellent. There is also a very good cafe in the
community centre in Abergynolwyn.
Directions :
[ Map of Abergynolwyn
to Castell y Bere Walk location ]
From the A487 Machynlleth to Dolgellau road take the B4405 near Minffordd, signposted
Tywyn. Travel down the Talyllyn valley past the beautiful Talyllyn Lake to the
village of Abergynolwyn.
Alternative Route : From Tywyn take the A493 north to Fairbourne
road. Take the B4405 to Abergynolwyn. Travel up the Talyllyn valley
to Abergynolwyn.
View some of the highlights of the walk on the youtube
video player. The pics were taken in sequence
Scroll down the page for further information and pictures
of this walk. Please note I have no pictures available for
the return journey of this walk.
Take the minor road on the right of the Railway
Inn. Continue along the road and you will see typical single
storey ex
miners' houses on your left hand side. At the end of the road there is
a bridge crossing the river with a lovely view up the Talyllyn Valley.
Climb the steep hill as you leave the village, take the path leading
off the road on the right signposted to Castell
y Bere. Follow the trail
and you will soon have beautiful views of the valley ahead. The hill
Foel Cae'rberllan is on your right. Continue along the trail and it gets
even better with the Dysynni Valley and Craig yr Aderyn (Bird Rock)
coming into view.
Bear right at the first junction on the path and then bear left at the
next fork. This takes you down to the minor road to Llanfihangel-y-Pennant.
Turn right towards Castell y Bere.
Continue past the rocky outcrop on which sits Castell y Bere until you
come to a small parking area for castle visitors on your left. Follow
the signs through the woodlands to the Castle. The castle is well worth
a visit - the ruins are in a spectacular location, overshadowed by Cadair
Idris. This is one of the few Welsh built castles. Llywelyn the Great
started building in 1221 , when he regained control of Wales from his
son. The castle was besieged, and fell to the English
in 1283 during the campaign of King Edward 1 in his attempt to subdue
the Welsh. It was recaptured
by the Welsh 11 years later, and subsequently fell into ruin. Entry
is free and it is well worth a visit if only for the fantastic views
of the Dysynni Valley from the ancient ramparts. After exploring the ruins, follow the road to Llanfihangl-y-Pennant.
I would recommend another stop here to visit St Michael's church. It
is a lovely old church and has an important part to play in Welsh christian
history, as it was from this village that the young girl Mary Jones walked
bare foot to Bala , 26 miles away, to buy a copy of the Welsh Bible.
The church has an exhibition explaining the life and times of Mary Jones.
Continuing the walk take the track
opposite the church gate that runs alongside the stream with Foel
Cae'rberllan again on your right. Further along the track you
can see the ruins of Nant-yr-eira on your left. Eventually you
will come to a wall directly ahead – bear to the right and climb
over a ladder stile. Continue following the waymarks
until you reach the
road.
Turn right and walk along the minor
road for about a mile until you
see some clearly marked steps on the left. Else ignore the steps and
continue along the road as shown on the map above until you reach the
original road leading from the village.
Another option for this walk is to let the train take the strain and
leave the car in Tywyn on the coast. The Talyllyn
Railway, a narrow-gauge railway travels from Tywyn to Nant Gwernol
and Abergynolwyn stations , either of which are good starting points
for the walk.
Please -- click on the pictures -- for
enlarged pictures of the walk from Abergynolwyn in the
Tal-y-llyn Valley to Castell-y-Bere in Llanfihangel-y-Pennant,
in the Dysynni Valley, west Wales.
Arriving at Abergynolwyn in the
Talyllyn Valley
Cottages in Abergynolwyn
The crossroads and car park in
Abergynolwyn
Views toward the
Dysynni Valley at the start of the walk to Castell
y Bere
The road drops downhill to Castell
y Bere, but the path continues on the lower slopes
of the hill on the right
Pastoral scene in
the Dysynni Valley
The location of Castle y Bere
on a rocky outcrop that rises from the floor
of the Dysynni Valley
Pathway through the woods to Castell
y Bere
The walls of Castell y Bere and
the view down the Dysynni Valley toward Bird Rock
(Craig yr Aderyn)
St Michael's Church
in Llanfihangel y Pennant
I can highly recommend the Railway
Inn in Abergynolwyn for a meal or a pint
An alternative to
the car is to reach Abergynolwyn via
the Talyllyn Railway