Sight · Eryri National Park
A forest-framed lake with a poet's monument and mountain views
Overview
Llyn Geirionydd is a long, forest-framed lake in Gwydir Forest beneath the Carneddau. It is a good scenic and picnic stop when you want open water, wooded hills, and a quieter setting than Eryri's busiest mountain roads. The north bank is also tied to the story of Taliesin, the sixth-century Welsh poet reputed to have lived here; a stone monument stands beside the lake.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stopMap
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Eryri Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Eryri National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
Llyn Crafnant“You're coming up on Llyn Crafnant, a reservoir in a wooded valley below the Carneddau. It was built to supply Llanrwst; a stone monument near the outflow marks that connection.”
Plays on the road 1.3 km from Llyn Geirionydd in the Parkwolf Eryri Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
The lakeside visit can be as simple as a picnic and a short wander, or you can follow the waymarked route toward nearby Llyn Crafnant. The full Geirionydd and Crafnant trail is 6.8 km / 4.2 miles and usually takes 2 to 3 hours. Treat it as a proper walk: parts of the route use a steep, narrow, uneven footpath with mud, rocks, and tree roots, plus two small fords and a kissing gate.
The water is popular for kayaking, paddleboarding, and swimming. It is cold open water, not a managed bathing facility, so bring the right kit and take conditions seriously. Power boating and water skiing are permit-based activities. Stay clear of the marked ski area when boats are operating, follow the water-safety panel, and do not use the private launch jetty or drive a vehicle or trailer onto the shore.
The lake sits in a landscape with a strong industrial past. In the 1870s this was a derelict lead-mining area, and the current car park occupies an old waste tip near a mine entrance. That history is easy to miss when the water and forest take over the view, but it helps explain the rougher, working-landscape feel of the place.
Wildlife
77 sightingsGrey HeronMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
17 sightingsTawny OwlMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
32 sightingsCommon RavenMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
21 sightingsGreat Spotted WoodpeckerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
18 sightingsEuropean RabbitMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
161 sightingsViviparous LizardMost seen around 10 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Eryri. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyLlyn Crafnant Circuit5 km · 1.5 hr · 1.5 km awayEasy 5 km lakeside loop beneath the crags of Crafnant Valley
ChallengingCrafnant View Walk4.7 km · 2 hr · 1.5 km awayShort strenuous lakeside loop to a panoramic Crafnant Valley viewpoint
EasyAfon Crafnant Amble0.6 km · 30 min · 1.5 km awayLevel 0.4-mile riverside loop through conifers, birch and open grass
ModerateCyffty Mine Trail0.5 km · 20 min · 1.8 km awayPeer into a covered lead-mine shaft on a half-kilometre heritage loop
ModerateForest Lakes Walk4.2 km · 1.5 hr · 1.9 km awayThree upland reservoirs, a lead mine and a cliff-edge view above Llanrwst
ChallengingSwallow Falls Walk3.5 km · 2 hr · 2.1 km awaySteep woodland loop to a waterfall viewpoint and Moel Siabod panoramas
ModerateLady Mary’s Walk2.1 km · 1 hr · 2.8 km awayForest loop past a Tudor bowling green to Conwy Valley views
ChallengingCraig-Forris Walk3.3 km · 1.8 hr · 2.9 km awayShort, steep loop through an old arboretum to a mountain panorama
Sight · 1.5 km awayLlyn CrafnantA forest-ringed reservoir with easy lake walks and mountain reflections
Sight · 2.7 km awaySwallow Falls (Rhaeadr Ewynnol)Foaming cascades plunge through a limestone gorge beside the A5
Sight · 3 km awayTŷ Hyll (The Ugly House)A storybook stone cottage with a surprisingly lovely pollinator garden
Sight · 3 km awayFairy Falls (Rhaeadr y Tylwyth Teg)Twenty-five feet of white water, ten minutes from the car park
Sight · 3.1 km awayTrefriw Woollen MillsA living Welsh weaving mill where the looms still earn their keep
Sight · 4.7 km awayGwydir Forest ParkWoodland lakes, old mines, and big views around Betws-y-Coed
Visitor center · 5 km awayBetws-y-Coed Information CentreA practical base for maps, walks, and mountain-day know-how
Sight · 5 km awayConwy Valley Railway MuseumMiniature trains and railway history beside Betws-y-Coed stationParkwolf’s Eryri ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
