Parking
Start at Eryri National Park Car Park, Rhyd Ddu. Finish at Eryri National Park Car Park, Beddgelert. Use designated parking at either end and plan the return by bus or Welsh Highland Railway.
Overview
About Lôn Gwyrfai
Why go
- Wide, well-formed route with mountain views
- Bus and Welsh Highland Railway return options
Heads up
- Point-to-point logistics need a return plan
- Shared use means cyclists and horses may be on the path
With an easy grade, a mostly well formed surface and a gentle overall descent from Rhyd Ddu, this is a good choice for families, mixed abilities, and anyone wanting mountain scenery on easy ground.
Parkwolf’s verdictWho it suitsMap & 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 Lôn Gwyrfai, 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
Rhyd Ddu Path to Yr Wyddfa0:00 / 0:28
“Rhyd Ddu is coming up, the start of a demanding route to Yr Wyddfa's summit. The first mile follows an old slate quarry track, but the path soon climbs steeply onto rocky ridges.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Eryri Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Visitor That Fell on Beddgelert
- The Railway Built Twice
- The Ice Age Fish of Llyn Cwellyn
- Snowdon Ranger and Llyn Cwellyn
- 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 Lôn Gwyrfai
The short versionLôn Gwyrfai is a one way multi-use path of about 4.
Lôn Gwyrfai is a one way multi-use path of about 4.5 miles (7 km) between Rhyd Ddu and Beddgelert, normally taking around 3 hours. It is graded easy and it is popular, so expect company on fine days. This is a low-level valley walk through the Gwyrfai Valley rather than a mountain climb, with the peaks looked at rather than climbed.
What the walk is likeStarting from the national park car park at Rhyd Ddu, the route passes Llyn y Gadair and traces…
Starting from the national park car park at Rhyd Ddu, the route passes Llyn y Gadair and traces the valley through varied landscapes and old quarrying country before reaching the national park car park at Beddgelert. The Welsh Highland Railway runs parallel to the route. The payoff is changing views across the valley and out to Yr Wyddfa, without any real effort.
Difficulty and surfaceThe terrain is predominantly a well formed track or path, with gently undulating surfaces…
The terrain is predominantly a well formed track or path, with gently undulating surfaces throughout. Walked from Rhyd Ddu the trend is downhill overall, dropping roughly 145 metres from around 190 metres near the start to about 45 metres at Beddgelert, with a few small rises along the way. It works just as well in the other direction if you prefer to finish at Rhyd Ddu.
Sharing the path and accessibilityThis is a shared route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, so expect bikes and horses as…
This is a shared route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, so expect bikes and horses as well as walkers. Some sections have wide surfaces suitable for some powered Tramper vehicles or power assisted wheelchairs, though only some sections are suitable rather than the whole length.
Getting there and backBecause it is a point to point route, plan the return before you set off.
Because it is a point to point route, plan the return before you set off. The simplest option is to park at one end and use the bus service or the Welsh Highland Railway to travel between the two villages.
DogsDogs should be kept under close control, and on a lead around livestock and wildlife.
Dogs should be kept under close control, and on a lead around livestock and wildlife. On Open Access Land they must be on a lead of no more than 2 metres from 1 March to 31 July.
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.
