Lasting five miles, the walk around Coed Felinrhyd isn’t too long, nor is it too strenuous, but make sure you have good walking shoes on for it. It’s a beautiful trek, taking in the waterfalls as well as some local legends.
Start off by the Maentwrog power station and cross over the bridge. Go through the gate and you can read the map of the route, as well as pick up a little map if you’d rather have something to take with you.
Follow along the river, climbing the hill into the woods. These woods are a temperate rainforest with Atlantic Oak, there aren't many areas like this left in Wales. You’ll come out on a viewing point, where you can take in the Black Falls. Walk away from the river and circle around, taking in all of the sights as you come slowly back to the starting slope.
Those sights include the afore-mentioned Black Falls – Rhaeadr Ddu in Welsh – and a wide range of unusual and rare plant and animal life.
If you look carefully you may see lichen, for example Thelotrema petractoides, which are so rare that they are found nowhere else in Wales. They grow here not just because of the clean air, but also the moist conditions. Indeed, ancient woodlands such are sometimes referred to as Celtic Rainforest. Both this wood, and the Llennyrch, which extends to the south as far as Llyn Trawsfynydd, are now in the care of the Woodland Trust and therefore open to the public to enjoy.
Image Source: CC-by-2.0 by GanMed64 (Edited by NWHC)
Image Source: CC-by-SA-2.0 by Barry Hunter
Location
This walk begins at Maentwrog power station within the Snowdonian National Park close to Blaenau Ffestiniog.
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