WALES

Cost : €549

8 Day Tour Tour Dates April to October

Tour Grade 2 Moderate to Easy Accommodation Guesthouse & Hotel

Tour Highlights The quaint villages of Beddgelert & Aberdaron Bardsey Island Sygun Copper Mines Mount Snowdon Swallow Falls and the forest trails around Betws-y-Coed Coastal path and blue seas at Aberdaron Fantastic countryside Great people and good food   What's included in your tour 7 nights B&B All accommodation will be pre-booked in approved family-run guesthouses with all rooms en-suite. Maps and all route details.Details on restaurants and places of interest to visit along the way All transport where/if required within the tour. All information on trains or buses needed to get to your first accommodation and back at the end of the tour. 24-hour back up service should you require it while on the tour Not included: Evening Meals or packed lunches

With a fascinating history, compelling culture and beautiful scenery ranging from Snowdonia, which contains the most dazzling mountain scenery in the UK and the rolling hills of the Welsch Borders to the rugged coastline of Pembrokeshire, Wales offers some of the best walking in Britain.
On this tour you stay in two different locations, firstly in the picturesque and unspoilt village of Beddgelert. Small and friendly, it boasts a full range of amenities.

DAY 1: TRAVEL TO BEDDGELERT

Arrive at Liverpool or Manchester Airport and take a train to Bangor, then bus to your first accommodation in Beddgelert. After settling in you could spend the afternoon/evening exploring this wonderful little village.
Overnight Beddgelert.

DAY 2: CIRCULAR BEDDGELERT

Your first walk will be a fantastic introduction to the Welsch countryside. From the village you take a small road passing beautiful old style cottages and the Sygun Copper Mine, one of the wonders of Wales – a remarkable and impressive example of how precious industrial heritage can be reclaimed, restored and transformed into an outstanding attraction.
From there the trail takes you to lake ‘Llyn Dinas’ and over the shoulder of ‘Mynydd Llyndy’
where you have superb views in all directions. Through an area of moor lands and a series of natural woodlands to lead you into the peaceful hamlet of Nantmor and back to Beddgelert via the fisherman’s trail.
Overnight Beddgelert.

DAY 3:SNOWDONIA

Your next walk takes you to Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales (1085 meters). From Beddgelert you take public transport for the short distance to the start of the trail at ‘Pen-y-Pass’, a mountain road built in the 1830’s to carry ore from the mines on Snowdon mountain to the nearby town of Llanberis. Your trail leads you along one of these old miner’s tracks, called the Pyg Track to the summit of Snowdon. From the summit (weather permitting) you will enjoy the spectacular panoramic views of the Welsh mountains.
We will give you a couple of options to descend of the mountain, by either taking the miner’s track back to Pen-y-Pass or following the train track down to Llanberis. Public transport back to Beddgelert
Overnight Beddgelert.
 

DAY 4: BETWS-Y-COED TO TY-HYLL

Once more you take public transport to the start of your walk, this time in the colourful town of Betws-y-Coed. Situated in a wonderful setting, surrounded by dense woodlands and magnificent countryside.
A small forest trail will lead you up to the  ‘Llyn Elsi Reservoir’, build in 1914 and providing water for the town. The trail continues via an old Roman Road that takes you across the ‘Miner’s Bridge’ and on to the Swallow Falls. These falls are considered to be one of the loveliest spots of North Wales. Here the river Llugwy rushes down from the mountains. Crags and jagged rocks divide the stream into a number of foaming cascades. Your day ends at ‘Ty Hyll’, the Ugly House, built overnight by two outlaw brothers, now the offices of the National Trust. Public transport back to Beddgelert
Overnight in Beddgelert

DAY 5: BRYNCROES – ABERDARON

A taxi transfer today from Beddgelert to the small hamlet of Bryncroes for the start of your walk. (Transfer included in the tour cost)
A very mixed and varied walk today, taking you through open farmlands, mixed woodland, over small hills, along some very quiet country roads on your way to Aberdaron.
Mynydd Rhiw is the high point of the day at 304mtrs and from the top you will be rewarded with sweeping views of both land and sea. As you travel you will pass through many derelict farmsteads. Old Stonewalls reach out for miles in all directions, built with skill care and pride. Fields lay abandon but clear evidence of old farming practices can still be seen in the field, evidence of now a forgotten era.    

DAY 6: BARDSEY ISLAND

Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli) lies across the Sound about two miles /3km) off the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula.
It is 1.5 miles (2.5km) in length and, at its widest point and just over half a mile (1km) across. The mountain, Mynydd Enlli, rises to a height of 167m. It covers an area of 180 hectares, most of which is farmed.
The island has been a refuge for nature lovers and those seeking solitude for centuries. It was declared a national nature reserve in 1986, and many make the journey from Aberdaron each summer to glimpse cormorants, shags, Manx shearwaters and curlews.
Grey seals also come to bask on the beaches, and other unusual animals live on the island's mountain and grasslands.
Between eight and thirteen people are resident on the island, including a farmer, warden and bird experts.

To get to the island you will take a small ferry from just outside Aberdaron for the 15 minute crosing.

DAY 7. ABERDARON

This is one of the most spectacular coastal walks to be found anywhere in the British Isles. It is made up of costal paths, open countryside; moor lands, peace and tranquillity.  The trail take’s you in a clockwise direction around the headland of the Llyn Peninsula, up to the top of Mynydd Mawr. From here on a good day, you can see across the Irish Sea to the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland.
You will pass St. Mary’s Well, which is a very unusual well because it fills with fresh water from an underground spring, despite being under sea level at high tide.
You will also have great views over Bardsey Island.

DAY 8. DEPART
Take public transport from Aberdaron to Bangor and from there a train or bus to wherever your journey is taking you to.

The itinerary above is only a rough guideline of the tour; distance may be altered slightly depending on the accommodation that we use at the time of booking.

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• Beara Way • Wales • Wales & Wicklow • Walking Specials