Glasdir Copper Trail

From the car park the red markers lead through the picnic site and down toward Afon Babi, then climb into the old Glasdir copper mine workings. The payoff is the circuit around the high stone mine terraces, with a viewpoint over the workings and the river valley, before the trail returns to the car park.

Natural Resources Wales asks walkers to stay on the red waymarked trail, as the old workings and ruined buildings can be unsafe. This is a working forest park, so expect to share tracks with other walkers, cyclists, horses or vehicles at crossings.

• Narrow in places, often under a metre wide, unmade and uneven.
• Mud, loose rock and tree roots throughout.
• Several flights of steps on steep ascents and descents.
• Unprotected drops into river gorges beside parts of the route.

The walk is built around the remains of a copper mine, with stone-built terraces stacked above the valley floor giving the loop its structure and its interest. There is a picnic site with a barbecue beside the river near the start.

Glasdir Car Park is about six miles north of Dolgellau. From the A470, follow the brown signs for Ty'n y Groes, continue past the picnic site for just over a kilometre, and the car park is on the right. Parking is free, with no overnight parking. The LL40 2NW postcode covers a wide area and will not pinpoint the entrance, so navigate by the signs.

Mobile coverage can be patchy here. If you plan to use the audio trail, download it before you set out.

Dogs are allowed on public footpaths and open access land under Eryri National Park Authority guidance. Keep your dog under close control on rights of way, use a short lead near livestock or wildlife, and on any open access land use a lead no longer than 2 m from 1 March to 31 July.

The same mine can be reached on a separate blue waymarked accessible route from Pont Llam yr Ewig Car Park: about 0.5 mile (0.8 km), 30 minutes, flat, 1.5 m wide and well surfaced with passing bays and resting points. It is a different walk, not a shortcut onto the red loop.