Parking
Start and finish at Barmouth train station, LL42 1LS. If driving, use the large public pay-and-display car park on the seafront; there is no dedicated car park for the walk itself.
Overview
About Dinas Oleu Walk
Why go
- Views over the Mawddach Estuary and Cardigan Bay
- Compact route with a lot of history and character
Heads up
- Steep, rough paths and steps
- Slippery footing and a steep drop on one section
Map & 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 Dinas Oleu Walk, 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 area
Two Homes on the Hills0:00 / 0:26
“Some Eryri farm names describe an old rhythm of moving between two homes. The hendre was the main farm on the better valley grazing.”
Plays on the road 1.9 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Eryri Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Before the Bridge, a Ferry
- The Bridge's Hidden Enemy
- Arthog and Llynnau Cregennan
- Where the Trust Began
- 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 Dinas Oleu Walk
The loop in shortA circular walk of 1.2 miles (1.
A circular walk of 1.2 miles (1.92 km) starting and finishing at Barmouth train station, usually taking 1 to 1.5 hours, call it about 1 hour 15 minutes with stops. Graded moderate, and it earns that grade with steep ground rather than distance.
How it goesFrom the station you head along Station Road into Talbot Square, then down the High Street…
From the station you head along Station Road into Talbot Square, then down the High Street before turning up Dinas Oleu Road and following the small waymarked arrows. The climbing starts here: a steep path with zig-zags lifts you to the centennial memorial at the top of the hill, then the route carries on to Frenchman's Grave. You come back along the signed hillside paths and drop down through the old town to the station.
What you get for the effortThe hill is gorse-covered and open, and the views run out over the rooftops of Barmouth, along…
The hill is gorse-covered and open, and the views run out over the rooftops of Barmouth, along the Mawddach Estuary and across Cardigan Bay toward the Llyn Peninsula. On the way you pass the open-air sitting room recessed into the rock, and Ty'n Ffynnon, once Fanny Talbot's home, marked with a commemorative slate plaque. This hillside was the first piece of land given to the nation's conservation charity, back in 1895, which is a lot of history for a walk this short. The descent through the winding old-town cottages is half the charm.
Difficulty and footingShort does not mean easy. Expect:
Short does not mean easy. Expect:
Wear proper shoes with grip, take the zig-zags at your own pace, and keep children and dogs close where the ground falls away.
- Steep, rough sections and narrow paths
- Steps in places
- A steep drop beside one part of the route
- Slippery footing when wet
Getting there and parkingStart and finish at Barmouth train station, LL42 1LS, which is served by both rail and buses.
Start and finish at Barmouth train station, LL42 1LS, which is served by both rail and buses. If you drive, the large pay-and-display car park on the seafront is the public option; there is no dedicated car park for the walk itself.
DogsWelcome on leads.
Welcome on leads. There can be livestock on the hillside, so keep them close and under control throughout.
Not to be confused withThere is a separate, longer Panorama Walk in the area, roughly 4 miles and rated strenuous.
There is a separate, longer Panorama Walk in the area, roughly 4 miles and rated strenuous. If you want a bigger day out, that is the one to look up. This route is the compact hill loop straight from the station.
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.
