Waterfalls of Snowdonia, North Wales

North Wales is famed for its mountains, landscape, rivers and beaches. What most people don’t realise that it also has a beautiful assortment of waterfalls branching off the rivers that run through the Snowdonia national park. There are some absolutely stunning waterfalls that cascade down hundreds of feet of steep rock into glistening pools of water. Some of these waterfalls in Snowdonia even freeze over during cold winters here, and ice climbers from all over the country flock to climb them whilst they are solid ice. In summer they are a draw to walkers and bathers alike. Some love to swim in the pools in and around waterfalls, some to just and listen to the sounds.

We have put together a bite size article of the top waterfalls to visit in Snowdonia north Wales, on your visit here. Enjoy.

 

  1. Dyserth Falls Waterfall 

 

Dyserth Falls is located right at the centre of Dyserth town in North Wales, which is a village famous for scenic beauty.

It is a beautiful waterfall that rushes down from a height of 70 feet from the River Flyddion, which is a tributary of River Clwyd. People can climb up through the artificially made stairways and enjoy the view of the valley from top.

This waterfall is very close to The New Inn on Waterfalls Road, where visitors find free car parking facility and toilets. So they can walk up through the steps to the fall after parking their cars here.

Location : Rhaeadr Dyserth Waterfall, Waterfall Rd, Dyserth, Rhyl LL18 6ET

 

 

2. Aber Falls Waterfall 

 

Aber falls is one of the best Snowdonia waterfalls, which is located close to Abergwyngregyn village in North Wales.

This waterfall jumps from a height of 120 feet on the Carneddau mountain range. Two tributaries join to form the river Afon Aber that plunges from this mountain to the foothill comprised of igneous rocks. It is actually a combination of two waterfalls, namely Rhaeadr Fawr and Rhaeadr Bach.

It is situated to the northwest side of Snowdonia National Park and only 2 miles from Abergwyngregyn village in Gwynedd County in North Wales.

Visitors can park their cars on Bont Newydd or the New Bridge, which is built over the River Afon Aber and then walk a distance of 4 Km up to the starting point of Aber Falls, by following a marked tracking route.

Location : Abergwyngregyn, Llanfairfechan LL33 0LP

 

3. Ceunant Mawr Waterfall

 

Ceunant Mawr Waterfall is also known as Llanberis Falls, after the Llanberis town in North Wales that is located at a distance of only 1 Km below the origin of this fall.

Llanberis Falls is counted as one of the most popular waterfalls of North Wales. Its name ‘Ceunant Mawr’ means ‘waterfall of the great ravine’, as it plunges from a height of more than 100 feet to a deep gorge, through which the river Afon Arddu flows.

The pathway leading to this waterfall starts from the middle of the Llanberis and leads up to the foothills of Snowdon.  It can be viewed easily from Snowdon Mountain Railway station and also there is a definite viewing spot at a higher location.

Location : 2 Waterfall View, Llanberis, Caernarfon LL55 4TH

 

4. Swallow Falls waterfall

 

Swallow Falls is located on the River or Afon Llugwy, only two miles to the Betws-y-Coed, a picturesque village in the Conwy Valley of North Wales.

This falls also called Rhaeadr Ewynnol is known as one of the most popular of Snowdonia waterfalls within the Snowdonia National Park, where plenty of visitors flock throughout the year. Actually, it is not a single fall but a series of waterfalls, which is considered the longest in this area. There are a steep series of steps lead to multiple viewing platforms, which are guarded with safety rails.

Visitors need to walk 9 Km to these platforms from Betws-y-Coed or they may start walking from Llyn Sarnau Lake or Ty Hyll. The walk climbs to a height of 350 metres and the Swallow Falls area a hotel, a youth hostel, a campsite and car parking space. It is very close to the A5 road.

Location : Snowdonia National Park, Swallow Falls, Betws-y-Coed LL24 0DW

 

5. Conwy Falls waterfall 

 

Conwy Falls is located on the last part of River Conwy, where it jumps to a height of 50 feet into a pool. This location is at the point where the highway A5 meets B4406, close to Bro Garmon community.

Conwy Falls is locally known as Rhaeadr y Graig Lwyd, the entrance of which goes through a turnstile and tourists need to pay a nominal fee for crossing it. Then they enter Conwy Falls Forest Park and descend to the site of the falls jumping to the rocky gorge.

Visitors need to start walking from the well-designed Conwy Falls Café on A5 and only a short walk of 15 minutes take them to the fall site, which is known as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Location : Snowdonia National Park, Swallow Falls, Betws-y-Coed LL24 0DW

 

 

6. Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall 

 

Grey Mare’s Tail is a wonder of nature that is almost concealed in the dense forest near Gwydir Castle, on the edge of Snowdonia National Park.

Grey Mare’s Tail consists of two waterfalls, which are separated by a huge rock and locally called Rhaeadr y Parc Mawr. This fall plunges down to a pool that flows into River Conwy. It is not so well-known among the popular Snowdonia waterfalls and hence, not so crowded by visitors.

Visitors need to walk  through a steep path starting from B5106, after parking their cars at the gate of Coed Felin Blwm. There is another short walk from the picnic spot of B5186 close to Llanrwst.

Location : Trefriw Road B5106, Llanrwst Wales

 

7. Fairy Falls waterfall 

 

Fairy Falls is located close to Trefriw village in Conwy Valley. This cascade falls from a height of 25 feet, through an angled rock surface that was probably formed during the Ice Age.

Fairy Falls is known as Rhaeadr y Tylwyth Teg in Welsh language and it is fed by River Crafnant, which flows from Llyn Crafnant above this spot. People believe that fairies live here and thus, got its name.

Visitors need to walk through the woods of Fairy Glen, starting from Fairy Falls Inn and Trefriw Wooden Mill in the village Trefriw. They enjoy walking by a series of smaller waterfalls on this route, after paying a nominal entrance fee.

Location : Trefriw LL27 0UX

 

 

8. Ceunant Cynfal Waterfall 

 

Ceunant Cynfal Falls is actually a series of waterfalls located on the River Cynfal, which is a short and fast-flowing river through a glacial gorge.

It is also called Rhaeadr Ceunant Mawr Waterfall, which was the most popular among the waterfalls of North Wales in the Victorian era. This place is beautiful due to different types of ferns and lush greenery.

Visitors need to walk from A470 in Llan Ffestiniog, which is a off the beaten track kind of route. You can also walk by the River Cynfal to find the series of falls upstream.

Location : Car park in the centre of Llan Ffestiniog (SH 701 420 / LL41 4PB)
Postcode: LL41 4LR

 

9. Nantcol Falls waterfall 

 

Nantcol Falls is located on the River Nantcol or Afon Cwmnantcol, which flows at the foot of the wild Rhinogs mountain range.

Nantcol Falls is a series of beautiful cascading waterfalls. Campers love to explore the clearly marked walks, namely Riverside Walk and Woodland Walk, to reach the waterfalls.

This campsite is close to A496 between Harlech and Barmouth. So visitors can start walking after parking their cars near Llanbedr.

Location : Cefn Uchaf, Llanbedr LL45 2PL

 

10. Dolgoch Falls waterfall 

 

Dolgoch Falls is located between Abergynolwyn and Tywyn, in the southern part of Snowdonia, close to Dolgoch Station.

Dolgoch Falls comprises of three waterfalls that flows down in a ravine among the thick woods. It has formed from Nant Dol-goch stream, which flows into Afon Fathew. The way to the lowest fall is easier while the way to higher ones is very steep.

Visitors can reach this falls by the trains of Tallylyn Railway, which go directly into the ravine. Then they can follow the clearly marked walkways surrounding the waterfalls, among which a circular one covers all three falls.

Location : Car Park at Dolgoch Falls Hotel – OS Grid Ref:SH 6504

 

11. Devil’s Appendix waterfall 

 

Devil’s Appendix is the waterfall located on the Clogwyn y Geifr cliff in Berwyn Hills, which is one of the highest points in Wales. This place is beside Twll Du or Devil’s Kitchen that is in Ogwen valley.

Devil’s Appendix is known to be the tallest single-drop waterfall in Wales and also counted among the tallest falls in the UK. It falls freely from a height of 305 feet and is a favourite place for passionate walkers.

Pistyll Rhaeadr or Cwm Idwal walk in Devil’s Kitchen is the route for reaching this waterfall, which takes 2 hours at a slow pace to cover the distance of 8.3 Km.

Location : Ogwen Warden Centre. Post Code: LL57 3LZ.

 

12. Ogwen Falls waterfall 

 

 

Ogwen Falls is close to the Llanberis town, born from the overflowing rivers Llyn Ogwen and Llyn Idwal. It creates Ogwen River that flows by the Nant Ffrancon valley.

Ogwen Falls is one of the most popular waterfalls of North Wales, due to its rugged scenic beauty in the backdrop of Snowdonia Mountain.

The walkway to this fall is close to the highway A5 and this road heads downhill past the Ogwen Cottage YH, to the open land for viewing this waterfall.

Location : Ogwen Cottage, Nant Ffrancon, Bethesda, LL57 3LZ

 

Map of waterfalls in Snowdonia Map

 

Waterfalls of Snowdonia & North Wales
Waterfalls of Snowdonia & North Wales

Waterfalls of Snowdonia and north Wales, click here to go the other interactive map.

 

So here are some of the questions I see that are posted in and around our website and google regarding the waterfalls of Snowdonia and north Wales.

 

What are the walks in north Wales with waterfalls on?

All of the above waterfalls can be accessed and walked too. We will do another blog on the walks to waterfalls of Snowdonia soon and will publish more details of the walking routes, distance and durations.

What is the Best waterfall walk in north Wales ?

If we are asking my personal favourite, I really like Aber falls for the average family its easy to get to and is an amazing walk and feature. Abergwyngregyn is a village and community of historical note and has a huge historical significance, as it was the seat of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Prince of Wales. It also sits on the Welsh Camino ” Tour taith” pilgrimage route

Top waterfall in Snowdonia 

This is a tough one for me to answer, there I one that we haven’t covered In this blog as I wanted to cover an entire blog on to it as it so popular. Its not so well known as a huge waterfall but its so accessible and a great swimming spot in the summer months. its called the Watkin path waterfall and its on the famous catkin path walk up Snowdon. They are found on Lwm Llan at the bottom of Watkins Path in Snowdonia.

 

Famous waterfalls in Snowdonia

Well the most famous of the waterfalls in order of visits are probably as follows :

Aber Falls, Swallow Falls, Conwy Falls, Dolgoch falls, Dyserth falls

 

A word on safety :

Waterfalls can be a little dangerous and I’m sure I dont need to sound like a grandpa warning you of the cold water, undercurrents and deep pools that surround the waterfalls in this blog. By all means enjoy a dip, but be wary of temperature differentials in summer time and don’t drink alcohol and swim.. Enjoy 🙂

 

Photo by Mike Lewis HeadSmart Mediaon Unsplash

Tan Y Tro Nesaf  / Until the next time,

 

Nick

 

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