All walks › Eryri: Cadair Idris and the Mawddach
Eryri: Cadair Idris and the MawddachCastell y Bere and Bird Rock
Welsh castle on a rock in an empty valley, with a crag nearby where cormorants nest four miles from the sea.
- Distance
- 3.1 mi / 5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 50
- Ascent
- 180 m
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
From the castle, field paths and lanes lead towards Craig yr Aderyn and back. Gentle with one climb.
Worth knowing
- Craig yr Aderyn, Bird Rock, holds the only inland cormorant colony in Britain, left over from when the sea reached here.
- The castle was built by Llywelyn the Great and is unusually elaborate for a Welsh castle.
- Very quiet valley; you will meet few people.
What you’ll see
The castle on its outcrop, Bird Rock with its cormorants, and the Dysynni valley.
Background
Castell y Bere fell to Edward I in 1283 and was the last Welsh castle to hold out in Gwynedd.