All walks › Eryri: Ffestiniog and the Moelwynion
Eryri: Ffestiniog and the MoelwynionCoedydd Maentwrog
National nature reserve of oak woodland in the Vale of Ffestiniog, with the narrow gauge railway running through the middle of it.
- Distance
- 3.4 mi / 5.5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 55
- 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
Trails climb from Llyn Mair through the reserve and loop back past the station. Steps and rough ground in places.
Worth knowing
- The reserve is one of the best examples of Atlantic oak woodland in Wales, heavy with moss and fern.
- Pied flycatchers and wood warblers here in May.
- Arriving by steam train at Tan-y-bwlch makes a far better day of it.
What you’ll see
Mossy sessile oak, the lake, and the Ffestiniog Railway crossing the reserve.
Background
The woods were coppiced for charcoal and oak bark and have regenerated since that trade ended in the nineteenth century.