With a fascinating history, compelling culture and beautiful scenery, Wales offers some of the best walking opportunities in Britain. During this 8 day self-guided walking holiday, you will have an opportunity to explore the most dazzling mountain scenery of Snowdonia, the rolling hills of the Welsh borders and the rugged coastline of Pembrokeshire.
On this walking vacation, you stay in two different locations, firstly in the picturesque and unspoilt village of Beddgelert.
The second part of your walking tour is based in the quaint village of Aberdaron which is renowned for its beauty, whitewashed houses, blue seas and rugged cliffs. A stream meanders through the heart of the village and an old stone hump-backed bridge forms the medieval version of a traffic moderator.
Prices / Dates
Price: £759 per person sharing
Single Supplement: +£350
Solo Traveller Supplement: +£90
Tour Dates: 1 April to 31 October
Tour Grade: Moderate to Easy
Accommodation: Guesthouse & Hotel
Included / Excluded
- 7 nights bed & breakfast
- All accommodation is pre-booked in approved family-run guesthouses with all rooms en-suite.
- Maps and all route notes.
- Details on restaurants and places of interest to visit along the way.
- Luggage transfers daily while you walk.
- All information on trains or buses needed to get to your first accommodation and back at the end of the tour.
- Full back up service, should you require it, while on our tour.
- 24-7 Emergency Telephone support
- Ferry to and from Bardsey Island
- Packed Lunches
- Evening Meals
Arrive at Liverpool or Manchester Airport and take a train to Bangor, then travel by bus to your first accommodation in Beddgelert. We will supply you with all the travel details required to get to your first accommodation.
After settling in you could spend the afternoon/evening exploring this wonderful little village.
Your first walk will be a fantastic introduction to the Welsh countryside. From the village, you will take a small road passing beautiful old-style cottages and the Sygun Copper Mine, one of the wonders of Wales. This is a remarkable and impressive example of how precious industrial heritage can be reclaimed, restored and transformed into an outstanding attraction. The walking trail continues to the lake ‘Llyn Dinas’ and over the shoulder of ‘Mynydd Llyndy’ where you have superb views in all directions. You will continue through an area of moorlands and a series of natural woodlands to lead you into the peaceful hamlet of Nantmor and back to Beddgelert via the Fisherman’s Trail.
Distance: 16 km / 10 miles, Ascent: 320 m / 960 ft, Approximate walking time: 4 / 5 hours
Today's walk takes you to Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales (1085 meters). From Beddgelert, you will take public transport for a short distance to the start of the trail at ‘Pen-y-Pass’, a mountain road built in the 1830s to carry ore from the mines on Snowdon mountain to the nearby town of Llanberis. Your walking trail leads you along an 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. You will have a choice of walks to descend off the mountain, by either taking the miner’s track back to Pen-y-Pass or following the train track down to Llanberis. Public transport is then available to take you back to your accommodation in Beddgelert.
Distance: 11 km / 7 miles, Ascent: 725 m / 2175 ft, Approximate walking time: 3 / 4 hours
You will again take public transport to the start of your walk today, this time in the colourful town of Betws-y-Coed which is surrounded by dense woodlands and magnificent countryside. A small forest trail will lead you up to the ‘Llyn Elsi Reservoir’, built 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 in 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 is available to take you back to your accommodation in Beddgelert.
Distance: 13 km / 8 miles, Ascent: 360 m / 1080 ft, Approximate walking time: 3 / 4 hours
A taxi will today transfer you from Beddgelert to the small hamlet of Bryncroes for the start of your walk. Taxi transfer is included in the tour cost. A very mixed and varied walk awaits you 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 304 meters and from the top, you will be rewarded with sweeping views of both land and sea. As you walk, you will pass through many derelict farmsteads and old stonewalls reaching out for miles in all directions, all built with great skill, care and pride. Fields lay abandoned but clear evidence of old farming practices can still be seen in the surrounding fields, evidence of a long-forgotten era.
Distance: 16 km / 10 miles, Ascent: 365 m / 1095 ft, Approximate walking time: 4 / 5 hours
Today's walk is on Bardsey Island. To get to the island, you will take a small ferry from just outside Aberdaron for the 15-minute crossing.
Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli) lies across the Sound about two miles (3 km) off the tip of the Llŷn Peninsula. It is 1.5 miles (2.5 km) in length and, at its widest point, is just over half a mile (1 km) across. The mountain Mynydd Enlli rises to a height of 167 m. 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.
Distance: 12 km/7.5 miles, Ascent: 160 m/480 ft, Approximate walking time: 3 to 4 hours
This is one of the most spectacular coastal walks to be found anywhere in the British Isles. It is made up of coastal paths, open countryside, moorlands and an abundance of peace and tranquillity. The walking trail takes you in a clockwise direction around the headland of the Llyn Peninsula and 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 enjoy some great views over Bardsey Island.
Distance: 14.5 km / 9.6 miles, Ascent: 585 m / 1755 ft, Approximate walking time: 4 / 5 hours
After a hearty Welsh breakfast, public transport is available from Aberdaron to Bangor and on to your next adventure.
We will supply you with all the travel details require for your onward from Aberdaron.
