Rhaeadr Cynfal Waterfall Walk

An out-and-back walk from Llan Ffestiniog village down into Ceunant Cynfal National Nature Reserve to Rhaeadr Cynfal and back the same way. The official distance is 1.4 miles (2.2 km) there and back with about 300 feet (90 m) of climb and roughly an hour on the ground. It is graded Strenuous, and that grade is about terrain and steepness rather than length.

Pick up the public footpath from the village, signposted to Cynfal Falls, and follow it to the reserve entrance. From there the path drops into the ravine and works along the gorge to the documented waterfall and viewing area, where a restored Victorian viewing platform looks out over the falls. That platform is the payoff and the turnaround point. Return by the same corridor, which means the climb back out is all in the second half.

The ground is rugged, with rocky outcrops, cliffs and crags close to the line of the path. Rock surfaces are extremely slippery when wet, and the woodland here is humid and damp by nature, so expect greasy footing rather than dry rock. Some sections of path are unprotected beside sheer drops, so keep children and dogs close and do not step off the path for a better angle. There is no mobile phone reception in the gorge, so tell someone your plan.

The trail is not waymarked, so follow the village signposting to the falls and then the obvious path corridor through the reserve. There is no car park at the reserve itself, so park considerately in Llan Ffestiniog and walk out from the village.

This is a deep ravine cut through ancient oak woodland, and the interest is as much underfoot as overhead. Glacial meltwater shaped the hanging valleys, potholes, slots and arches, including the rock feature known as Huw Llwyd's Pulpit. The reserve holds 154 mosses and liverworts plus abundant lichens, among them rare bun moss and disc granular lichen. Summer brings redstart, wood warbler and pied flycatcher, and lesser horseshoe bats may be seen feeding on summer and early-autumn evenings.

This is a public footpath, so dogs are allowed under close control. Use a short lead near livestock or wildlife, and bear in mind the drops and slick rock when deciding how much slack to give.