All walks › Berwyn and Lake Vyrnwy
Berwyn and Lake VyrnwyThe Vyrnwy Dam and Straining Tower
Across the first large masonry dam built in Britain, with the Gothic straining tower standing in the water like a small castle.
- Distance
- 3.1 mi / 5 km
- Time
- 1 hr 40
- Ascent
- 60 m
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Shape
- There and back
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
Walk the dam and the lane along the shore in either direction. Level and surfaced.
Worth knowing
- The straining tower is the most photographed thing in Montgomeryshire and is best from the dam.
- The village of Llanwddyn lies under the water; it was rebuilt below the dam.
- The full lake road circuit is twelve miles and shared with traffic.
What you’ll see
The dam and its spillway, the straining tower, and the lake stretching west.
Background
Vyrnwy was completed in 1888 to supply Liverpool, drowning the old village of Llanwddyn and its two chapels.