Tŷ Hyll (The Ugly House)

Nobody knows exactly who built Tŷ Hyll or when. Local legend calls it a tŷ unnos, a “one-night house” raised on common land before dawn. Other stories cast it as a robbers’ hideout, while another plausible theory is that it sheltered workers building the A5 bridge over the Llugwy in 1820. The building is not clearly recorded until the 19th century, so treat the older stories as folklore, not settled history.

The first known resident was the shepherd John Roberts in 1900. The Riley family lived here from 1928 to 1961 and welcomed visitors, continuing the tradition of telling stories inside the cottage. The Snowdonia Society rescued the listed building from near-dereliction in 1988 and restored it.

• Garden and woodland: Look for oak, birch, ash, rowan, holly and hazel, with mosses and polypody ferns on the trees. A pond and pollinator planting add interest beyond the cottage itself.
• Wildlife: Quiet visitors may see frogs or frogspawn at the pond, a vole beneath the bird feeders, and in summer the returning pied flycatchers that breed in the woodland. Pipistrelle bats roost in the house, but wildlife sightings are never guaranteed.
• Practical facilities: OSM mapping verifies a small free customer car park and a free dry toilet, not a conventional flush restroom. The paths around the cottage and garden are made of stone and can be uneven after rain.

The house is cared for by the Snowdonia Society. A small, independently run tea room occupies the building, and an upstairs exhibition explains the work of honeybees and pollinators. The terraced garden is planted to attract pollinators, while the roughly four-acre ancient oak woodland behind it offers a peaceful place to stretch your legs.