Parking
Ysbyty Ifan car park, grid reference SH842488. Public parking is available on both sides of the bridge in the village; public toilets are east of the bridge.
Overview
About Ysbyty Ifan and Cwm Eidda Walk
Why go
- Quiet upland views and historic drovers' road
- Bridges, farms and woodland make the loop varied
Heads up
- Boggy, rough ground with gates and stiles
- Route-finding across open moorland can be fiddly
Quiet upland walking with views over Dyffryn Conwy and out toward the Carneddau, small stone bridges over the Afon Eidda, and working hill farms rather than tourist infrastructure. This is not a summit day, and the reward is the sense of space and the historical texture of a road once used to move livestock across the hills. Photography works best in the low, angled light of early morning or the last hours of the afternoon, when the moorland ridges and valley below separate out; the woodland section holds soft light better in the middle of the day.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe payoffMap & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Eryri Tour Guide
Your drive to Ysbyty Ifan and Cwm Eidda Walk, 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
The Drovers' Road0:00 / 0:28
“A quiet track above Ysbyty Ifan used to be a busy road, just without engines. Drovers walked livestock along it from as far away as the Llŷn Peninsula, heading for markets in England.”
Plays on the road 0.9 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Eryri Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- What the Wet Moor Holds
- The Hospice in Ysbyty Ifan
- The Road to the Dublin Boat
- The Bird That Walks Underwater
- 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 Ysbyty Ifan and Cwm Eidda Walk
The route in shortA circular walk of about 8 km (5 miles) from Ysbyty Ifan village, climbing out of the Conwy…
A circular walk of about 8 km (5 miles) from Ysbyty Ifan village, climbing out of the Conwy valley onto the upland pastures and moorland of Cwm Eidda before dropping back through woodland to the start. Allow 3 to 4 hours at a practical pace with stops for photos, gates and boot-scraping. Cumulative climbing is in the region of 280 to 300 m, spread over several steady pulls rather than one long ascent.
SequenceStart at the village car park, crossing the village access roads to pick up the old drovers'…
- Start at the village car park, crossing the village access roads to pick up the old drovers' road out of Ysbyty Ifan.
- Follow rough farm and moorland tracks into Cwm Eidda, crossing the Afon Eidda at Pont Rhyd-yr-Halen and later at Pont Blaen-Eidda.
- Pass the upland farms of Eidda Fawr and Pen-y-Bryn, with open ground and long views on the higher sections.
- Descend through the mixed deciduous woodland of Coed y Fron and return to the village and car park.
Terrain and difficultySurfaces run from village lanes and short stretches of tarmac to rough farm tracks and open…
Surfaces run from village lanes and short stretches of tarmac to rough farm tracks and open moorland. Expect uneven ground, steep pitches, boggy patches, and a number of gates and stiles. Rated moderate in good conditions and noticeably harder after rain, when the wet ground and rough tracks slow progress. The real friction is route-finding across open ground where the line is not always obvious underfoot, so carry a map and know how to use it. Waterproof boots are worth it in most seasons. The walk is not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.
Crowds and characterThis is an off-the-beaten-track route.
This is an off-the-beaten-track route. Even on fine weekends you may see only farm traffic and a few other walkers, which is much of the appeal. If you want a slightly longer alternative in the same area, the Ty'n y Coed Uchaf and Cwm Eidda walk covers similar country.
Dogs, livestock and parkingDogs are welcome on leads.
Dogs are welcome on leads. The route crosses working farmland and open moorland, so keep dogs under close control near livestock and shut every gate behind you. Park at the Ysbyty Ifan car park (grid reference SH842488); there is public parking on both sides of the bridge in the village, with public toilets east of the bridge.
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.
