Parking
Foel Ispri Car Park near Llanelltyd, Dolgellau (SH 698 200). Designated parking only; the car park holds about 4 to 5 vehicles and the approach road is steep, narrow and sharply winding.
Overview
About Foel Ispri Path
Why go
- flat and even
- estuary views
- wheelchair friendly
Heads up
- tiny car park
- narrow approach road
The reason to come is the elevated outlook over the Mawddach Estuary, described by the authority as sandy, with salt marsh and lowland peat habitats around it. Wildlife interest in the wider area includes rare flowers, grass snakes, butterflies and birds, though that is the surrounding landscape rather than a promise of what you will see on this short stretch. The authority notes the path is not popular, so it is often quiet, but do not count on having it to yourself.
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 Foel Ispri Path, 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
A Gold Tramway's Second Life0:00 / 0:28
“The New Precipice Walk above the Mawddach follows a tramway, not a path first made for walkers. It served the Foel Ispri mines, where companies sought lead, zinc and gold in the late nineteenth century.”
Plays on the road 0.7 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Eryri Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Oystercatcher's Orange Tool
- Abergwynant Woods from Penmaenpool
- The Timber Bridge at Penmaenpool
- The Buzzard's Mewing Call
- 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 Foel Ispri Path
The short versionThis is a there and back again route from Foel Ispri Car Park to the signposted end of the…
This is a there and back again route from Foel Ispri Car Park to the signposted end of the accessible section, then back the same way. Total visitor distance is 0.67 km / 0.42 miles, which is about 335 m each way along the mapped corridor. The managing authority's overview quotes 300 m and a quarter of an hour, and that figure is the single leg rather than the round trip, so expect roughly 15 to 20 minutes there and back at an easy pace.
SequenceFrom the parking area, walk past the farm buildings to a signpost for New Precipice Walk.
From the parking area, walk past the farm buildings to a signpost for New Precipice Walk. Take the path to the right of the white house, go through two wooden gates, then a third wooden gate. The Mawddach Estuary opens up ahead. Carry on to the signpost that marks the end of the accessible part, turn around there, and retrace your steps.
Terrain and accessGraded Access for All by the managing authority.
Graded Access for All by the managing authority. The promoted section is largely flat and even with no steps and no steep sections, and it suits conventional wheelchairs, pushchairs and Tramper-style mobility scooters. Comfortable shoes or trainers are enough. The signposted end has room to turn a Tramper-style vehicle around. Note the three wooden gates, which are worth factoring in if you are pushing or driving a wider chair.
Parking and the road inStart and finish at Foel Ispri Car Park near Llanelltyd, Dolgellau, at OS grid reference SH 698…
Start and finish at Foel Ispri Car Park near Llanelltyd, Dolgellau, at OS grid reference SH 698 200, with the route start right beside the parking area. The car park is very small, with space for roughly four or five vehicles. The approach road is steep and narrow with many sharp turns, so take it slowly and be ready to reverse. Do not block field or residential entrances if the car park is full.
Farm land and dogsThe path passes through working farm land, which is why the gates are there.
The path passes through working farm land, which is why the gates are there. Dogs are allowed on public footpaths in Eryri under close control, and near livestock and wildlife they should be on a short lead. Clean up after them. This is not a place to let a dog run loose.
Where this record stopsThe corridor continues east toward Llanelltyd and links to the wider New Precipice Walk, but…
The corridor continues east toward Llanelltyd and links to the wider New Precipice Walk, but that ground is not suitable for wheelchairs and sits outside this route. Turn at the signpost.
If you want moreFor a fuller day out in the same landscape, the longer Precipice Walk is a proper circular…
For a fuller day out in the same landscape, the longer Precipice Walk is a proper circular route high above the Mawddach with more distance and more varied ground underfoot. Treat this one as a short, genuinely accessible taste of that view rather than a substitute for it.
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.
