Betws-y-coed Bridges

A 3.6 km (2.2 mile) circular loop that takes about 45 minutes and is graded Easy. It starts and finishes at Cae Llan Car Park in Betws-y-coed, links two of the village's best-known crossings, Pont y Pair and Miners' Bridge, and spends much of its length on a riverside path through woodland beside the Llugwy.

• Leave the car park heading towards the National Park Information Centre and follow the path out to the A5.
• Turn right and walk the pavement through the village, river on your right.
• Take the first right over Pont y Pair, then turn left onto the riverside footpath into the woods, river on your left.
• Bear left at the fork; at a picnic area pass between the rock and the picnic table and through a kissing gate.
• Continue through a second kissing gate and along the riverside path to Miners' Bridge.
• Cross the bridge and climb the stone steps up to the A5.
• Turn left and follow the pavement back into the village; at the Royal Oak Hotel turn left at the black signpost to return to Cae Llan.

Suitable for most ages and fitness levels. The going is predominantly well-formed track or path, with some steps and gently undulating sections. Trainers or comfortable walking shoes are fine. The only sustained effort is the short stone-step climb after Miners' Bridge, and there is no big hill on the loop.

The appeal is the contrast packed into a short circuit: a stone-built village, the Llugwy running fast over rock, and a shaded woodland path between two very different bridges. It is a popular, family-friendly outing and a favourite for nature watching, photography and a picnic, with a picnic area partway along the riverside stretch.

Start and finish at Cae Llan Car Park, Station Road, Betws-y-coed. Use designated parking places only, and do not block field entrances or residential access.

Dogs may be walked on public footpaths, which is what this route mostly follows. Keep your dog under close control, and on a short lead near livestock or wildlife. If your walking takes you onto open-access land elsewhere in the national park, a 2 m lead is required from 1 March to 31 July. If you are specifically after waterfalls rather than bridges, look up a separate waterfall walk in the area instead of extending this loop.

• The stone steps after Miners' Bridge are the one pinch point for anyone with wheels, a pushchair, or unsteady footing.
• Two kissing gates on the riverside section.
• The river and the rocks beside it can be genuinely hazardous, and they are slippery when wet. Stay on the path and keep off the water.