All walks › Lake Vyrnwy & the Berwyn
Lake Vyrnwy & the BerwynLake Vyrnwy Circular
The full circuit of the lake on a quiet road, long but never steep and never in doubt. Shorter sections from any of the car parks if twelve miles is more than you fancy.
- Distance
- 11.8 mi / 19 km
- Time
- 5 hr
- Ascent
- 200 m
- Difficulty
- Demanding
- 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
The road runs right round the lake, so the route is simply a matter of following it. Take it clockwise or anticlockwise; the straining tower and dam are at the southern end.
Worth knowing
- Twelve miles on tarmac is harder on the feet than the same distance on grass. Cushioned footwear.
- The RSPB hides around the lake are worth building time into the walk for.
- Cyclists use the road in numbers. It is quiet but not traffic free.
What you’ll see
The Gothic straining tower, oak woods along the shore, RSPB hides and the dam wall.
Background
Completed in 1888 to supply Liverpool, the first large masonry dam in Britain. The village of Llanwddyn and its two chapels lie beneath the water; the inhabitants were rehoused below the dam.