All walks › Eryri: Cadair Idris and the Mawddach
Eryri: Cadair Idris and the MawddachRhaeadr Ddu and the Gold Mine
Wooded valley with a black waterfall and the ruins of the Cefn Coch gold mine above it, in the middle of what was once a Welsh gold rush.
- Distance
- 2.5 mi / 4 km
- Time
- 1 hr 30
- 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
Head up from Ganllwyd through the woods to the falls, then continue past the mine workings before looping back down. Steep in places with steps.
Worth knowing
- Gold from these hills has been used in royal wedding rings. The mines are long closed and the workings are unsafe to enter.
- The falls are named black for the dark rock they run over, not the water.
- Very wet ground and slippery rock. This is a boots walk even though it is short.
What you’ll see
The falls, ruined mine buildings and leats, and mature oak and beech woodland.
Background
The Dolgellau gold belt was worked intensively in the nineteenth century. Cefn Coch produced gold into the early 1900s before flooding ended it.