The quaint village of Beddgelert in Eryri (Snowdonia) is best known for it's legendary tale of Gelert the Dog, however, it's also home to some incredible hiking trails, many of which start right in the village itself making it one of my top recommended places to stay in Wales for walking.
Beddgelert is the one place I keep returning to time after time so I've completed many of these trails. In this guide, I'm going to share some of my favourite walks in Beddgelert and the surrounding area.
1. Gelert’s Grave Circular (Easy)
Gelert’s Grave Circular is a must-do for anyone visiting Beddgelert. This is not so much a hike as an easy circular walk that runs alongside a river trail.
The route begins in the centre of the village, passes by Gelert's Grave and continues alongside the River Glaslyn down towards a small footbridge at the bottom. At the far end, you'll cross over the wooden bridge (shown in the photo above) and return down the other side.
Although there are some narrow parts of the path, overall the route is very easy and should take you just 40 minutes or so to complete. On your journey, expect to see salmon splashing around in the river and as you cross the footbridge, you'll see the summit of Craig y Llan.
See the full route here.
2. Llyn Llewelyn Walk (Moderate)
Beddgelert Forest is just north of Beddgelert and is full of waymarked trails for both cycling and walking. The best walk here is the Llyn Llewelyn Walk, a circular trail which takes you around the lake with a beautiful viewpoint at he far end (shown above).
The route starts and ends at the Beddgelert Forest car park. I wouldn't recommend walking to the start from Beddgelert as it will add a lot of extra time to your route.
The forest is a 5 minute drive from Beddgelert or you can catch the Snowdon Sherpa bus. Take line S3 towards Dinorwic and get off at the stop called Coedwig Nant Colwyn which is right near the forest entrance.
The Llyn Llewelyn Walk is a 4.4km (2.8mile) forest trail which takes about 2hr30 to complete. It's moderate difficulty with a slight incline during the first half of the walk. It can get very muddy and the paths can be uneven so take appropriate footwear.
The best resource to find out more about this trail is the Beddgelert Forest leaflet which is linked at the bottom of this page from Natural Resources Wales.
3. The Legendary Dinas Emrys Trail (Moderate)
The Dinas Emrys Trail begins at the National Trust Craflwyn Visitors Centre just outside Beddgelert and continues all the way to the summit of Dinas Emrys. You can drive to the start, take the bus, or walk to the start from Beddgelert in around 20 minutes.
On the trail, you’ll pass through ancient oak woodlands, come face to face with a fire-breathing beast (in the form of a seat) and discover the waterfall known as Merlin's Pool.
The real treat is when you reach the summit where you’ll be rewarded with panoramic views of Llyn Dinas (Dinas Lake) and the Nantgwynant valley.
Not only is the trail beautiful, but it's also steeped in history and, according to legend, is the location where a red dragon (representing the Welsh) and a white dragon (representing the Saxons) once fought with the red dragon winning and becoming the emblem of Wales.
This is just a summary of the story, there's a small exhibition at the start of the trail with the full story of you can also read it in my guide to the Dinas Emrys Trail which also has parking and route information.
This is a well worn trail, but it's steep in place with stiles to climb over and may involve you clambering up small rocky sections so be sure to wear suitable footwear. It took me about 45 minutes to reach the summit and around 30 minutes to return back to the car park.
4. Lôn Gwyrfai Trail (Easy)
The Lôn Gwyrfai trail is a multi-use path that runs parrallel to the Ffestiniog Railway from the Beddgelert to the neighboruing village of Rhyd Ddu.
Along the route you'll catch a great view of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) from the Gwyrfai Valley as well as historical buildings and open marshlands. The path is part of the longer Snowdonia Slate Trail (Llwybr Llechi Eryri) and you can find a full route and map here.
The trail has been designed to be suitable for walking, cycling, and horse-riding. The wide pathways and even surfaces mean that it's also suitable for pushchairs and power assisted wheelchairs.
This is a linear 7 km (4.4 mile) walk which can be started in Beddgelert or Rhyd Ddu and takes anywehre between 2hr30 to 3 hours one way. If you're totally crazy, you can return along the same route but I recommend catching public transport back.
Whilst it's possible to purchase a single fare on the Ffestiniog Railway, the best return option is to take the Snowdon Sherpa bus (line S3) which runs at least once per hour - find timetables here.
5. Aberglaslyn and Bryn Du Walk (Difficult)
One of the most rewarding walks from Beddgelert is the Aberglaslyn, Bryn Du and Beddgelert walk.
To begin with this runs along the Afon Glaslyn river, similar to several others here, but once you reach Pont Aberglasyn bridge, you'll head up through the ancient woodland to the summit of Bryn Du.
At the top of the hill, after a steep walk, you’ll eventually reach the lookout tower that overlooks the Aberglasylyn Pass with the village of Beddgelert visible too. The small stone tower might have been used as a wartime lookout post or even as a watch tower as early as the 16th century.
The official route begins at the National Trust car park in Aberglaslyn, however, it's a circular trail so we started and ended in Beddgelert with no problems. It took us 2hr30 in total and I would definitely say it's a difficult hike with steep inclines and an unclear route at times.
6. Nantmor, Llyn Dinas, and Beddgelert Circular (Difficult)
The Nantmor, Llyn Dinas and Beddgelert Circular walk is a challenging walk, but with plenty of rivers, waterfalls, flora, fauna and beautiful views, it's worth the effort.
Along the way, you'll get epic views of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), Moel Siabod and Nant Gwynant. Plus, you'll pass alongside Llyn Dinas which is a legendary sites where Arthur’s greatest warrior, Owein, fought a giant and where King Vortigern is said to have hid the Throne of Britain.
The walk is 9km (5.6 miles) long and takes up to 4 hours to complete making it one of the longest on this list. As well as steep inclines, it can also be quite tricky to navigate so ensure you familiarise yourself with the full route before you set off.
The trail is a loop so you can begin anywhere along it. Most people choose to start at Aberglaslyn car park, however, you can also start the walk in Beddgelert.
7. Yr Wyddfa via Rhyd Ddu Path (Difficult)
Of course, I couldn't let this list pass by without including Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), the highest mountain in England and Wales. There are at least 6 different routes to the summit of Yr Wyddfa, however, the one that begins near Beddgelert is the Rhyd Ddu path.
All of the routes up Snowdon are difficult given how high the mountain is, however, compared to the other paths, Rhyd Ddu is mid-difficulty paths. It's also one of the quieter paths since it heads of the western side and takes around 3 hours each way.
My favourite section of this route is the ridge where the path quite literally runs across the top of Llechog (see photo above). It might be a little scary for some but it's still very safe and not as dangerous as the ridge on the east side of the mountain.
As the name implies, the route begins in Rhyd Ddu which is the village just north of Beddgelert. The best way to reach the start of the route is by taking the Snowdon Sherpa line S3 which runs at least once per hour. There's also a car park at the Rhyd Ddu railway station.
Published: 21 February 2023 · Last updated: 16 October 2023