Parking
Informal roadside lay-by at OS grid reference SH 772 588. Parking is free; overnight parking is not permitted.
Overview
About Cyffty Mine Trail
Why go
- short, well-waymarked heritage loop
- compact view of restored mine workings
Heads up
- rough narrow path and steps
- unprotected drops and old mine buildings
The highlight comes at the far end, where the marked trail passes over a covered mine shaft and you can look down between your feet into the dark while staying on the path. The whole walk keeps you close to the surviving structures of a working lead mine in a short distance.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe payoffMap & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Eryri Tour Guide
Your drive to Cyffty Mine Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Gwydir Forest Lakes Walk0:00 / 0:30
“You're approaching Llyn Sarnau, the start of Gwydir Forest's Forest Lakes Walk.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Eryri Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Swallow Falls
- Tŷ Hyll, the Ugly House
- What the Waterfall Paid For
- The Crossing to the Mines
- 298 audio storiesacross Eryri’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grey Heron, Tawny Owl, Common Raven, and 9 more
- Works offlinemaps, 120 trails, 82 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Cyffty Mine Trail
The short versionThis is a waymarked out-and-back loop of 0.5 km (about 0.
This is a waymarked out-and-back loop of 0.5 km (about 0.3 miles), measured as the complete there-and-back route, with an official time of 20 minutes and roughly 14 m of climb. It is a compact industrial-heritage walk around restored lead-mine workings, not a longer hike, so plan it as a stop rather than a day out.
How the route goesStart at the roadside lay-by at grid reference SH 772 588, where the mapped path begins about…
Start at the roadside lay-by at grid reference SH 772 588, where the mapped path begins about 20 m away. Follow the red waymarker symbols as the trail curves and drops gently through the old mine site, passing machine houses, wheel pits and shafts, then continues to the western shaft at the far point before you return along the same corridor to the lay-by. Interpretation panels along the way explain what you are looking at.
Difficulty and footingThe grade is Moderate despite the short distance.
The grade is Moderate despite the short distance. The path is generally level but narrow, roughly 50 cm to 1 m wide, surfaced in natural rough stone, with several short flights of steps linking the old buildings, wheel pits and shafts. Footwear with grip helps, and the steps and narrow sections need care.
SafetyUnprotected drops and old mine buildings are close to the path.
- Unprotected drops and old mine buildings are close to the path.
- Stay on the waymarked trail at all times.
- Take particular care at the covered shaft, wheel pits and steps, and keep children and dogs close.
Getting there and parkingParking is informal roadside space at the SH 772 588 lay-by and is free.
Parking is informal roadside space at the SH 772 588 lay-by and is free. Overnight parking is not permitted. There is no formal car park or visitor building here, so come prepared. The site sits a short drive southwest of Llanrwst.
DogsDogs are allowed and should be kept under control, on public rights of way in particular.
Dogs are allowed and should be kept under control, on public rights of way in particular. A lead is sensible throughout on this trail because of the drops, shafts, steps and the narrow path shared with other visitors, and a lead is required near livestock or wildlife. On open-access land a lead no longer than 2 m is required from 1 March to 31 July.
The trade-offYou get a lot of mining history in a very small distance, but almost no walking mileage and a…
You get a lot of mining history in a very small distance, but almost no walking mileage and a rougher, more hazardous surface than the length suggests. If you want a longer outing, treat this as a short add-on rather than the main walk.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Eryri
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.
