Forest Lakes Walk

Graded Moderate, and it earns that. Expect:

Boots with grip and ankle support make this much more pleasant than trainers. This is not an easy stroll and it is not suitable for everyone.

• Around 170 m (558 ft) of total climb, spread over several pulls rather than one long ascent
• Wide, firm forest roads on some sections
• Rough, narrow paths, in places under 50 cm wide
• Mud, loose rock, and exposed tree roots underfoot

The official window is 1 to 2 hours. Most walkers land near an hour and a half, which leaves time to read the mine panels and sit at the viewpoint. Push to the two-hour end if you are walking with children, stopping often, or the ground is soft.

Two permanent hazards deserve respect. The viewpoint sits on an unprotected cliff edge with no barrier, and the mine area contains old buildings and structures. Stay on the yellow-waymarked trail, keep well back from the drop, do not climb on or enter the ruins, and watch your feet on the rocky, rooty, muddy sections. Keep children close at the viewpoint and around the mine.

The route follows public footpaths within the National Park, so dogs are welcome under close control. A short lead is the sensible choice here given the unprotected drops, the mine remains, and any livestock or wildlife you may meet. On open-access land a lead no longer than 2 m is required from 1 March to 31 July. Treat close control as a genuine obligation, not a suggestion.

Use Llyn Sarnau car park, grid reference SH 778 592. From the B5106 west of Llanrwst, turn at the brown and white Gwydir Castle sign, then immediately right, and continue past the Sawbench and Hafna car parks. Parking is free and overnight parking is not permitted. The postcode LL27 0JB covers a wide area and will not bring you to the entrance, so navigate by the grid reference and the signs.

There is Blue Badge parking and a wheelchair-accessible picnic table at Llyn Sarnau, but the walk itself is not an Access for All route. The narrow, rough sections rule out wheelchairs and pushchairs.

If you want the mining history without the climb, the Cyffty Mine Trail in the same forest is a shorter, more compact option focused on mine remains. It is a separate waymarked route, so do not expect it to link into this loop.

Along the way there are three benches, and a picnic table by one of the lakes. Llyn Sarnau itself is shallow and can dry out in summer; even then it stays valuable wetland habitat, so keep to the path and let it be.