The historic riverside village of Pentrefoelas is an ideal starting point for walks with its cafes, pubs and public toilets.
The route climbs slowly onto open moorland, giving superb views of Snowdonia then descends along quiet lanes and old tracks back to the village.
Start: Walkers are asked to use the large car park behind the ‘Foelas Arms’ but there is also car parking, public toilets, and a picnic area beside the river opposite the pub.
Distance: 8.5km/51/4 miles
Grid ref: 872 516 (Landranger 116, Explorer OL18).
The walk
1. From the car park at the back of the ‘Foelas Arms’ turn left onto the road and after a few metres, take the footpath on the right through a kissing gate, between houses and into a field.
One of these fields behind the houses was the site of the large Pentrefoelas Eisteddfod that was held from 1919 until 1925. They drew thousands from across Wales and were second only to the National Eisteddfod in importance. It grew rapidly, attracting over 20,000 in its final year, but ended due to a lack of financial backing and the problems of dealing with such large crowds.
Walk up the left-hand side of the field, following the stonewall.
Go through a kissing gate and continue along the left-hand edge of next field and
through a metal gate. Continue ahead across the field and through a gate into woodland. Follow the track between farm buildings then through a gate.
Cross a farm track and continue on the clear path through woodland, passing a pond on the left. At the woodland edge go through the gate ahead and continue in the same direction across the field, following the left-hand hedge. Go through a kissing gate onto a tarmac lane and turn right along the lane, ignoring the footpath on the left. Continue along the slane to a cattle grid.
2. Take the track on the left immediately after the cattle grid and continue uphill on this clear path through fields, keeping close to left-hand field boundary and going through three gates. Turn right after the third gate beside a finger post, with the Mynydd Hiraethog waymarker.
It is worth pausing in this area to take in the views over Snowdonia.
Continue walking in same direction for just over 1km with stonewall/fence on the right and going through several gates.
Go through another gate to continue down a sunken track with walls on both sides. Partway down the track turn left through a gate beside a waymarker post (propped up at time of writing!) and follow the clear path along the left-hand edge of fields.
Go through a gate by a farm to join a lane then continue down the lane to the main road. Turn right along the main road (take care), walking downhill. After 250m turn left along a tarmac lane and follow this for approximately 750m.
3. Cross a cattle grid and then turn right onto a narrow lane and follow this downhill. Cross a stream via the ford or footbridge and continue uphill on this lane to a road junction. Turn right onto the wider road. Where this road bends right continue ahead on the track opposite (signed bridleway). Go through a gate, passing a cottage on the left, and follow the grassy track ahead with a stone wall on the left.
Go through two gates and finally a third gate into the yard of ‘Cefn Garw’. Turn left across the yard and through another gate into a field. Walk ahead downhill through fields, along the right-hand field edge, with woodland on the right. Carefully cross a stile at the bottom of the field onto the A5.
Cross the road with great care (can be very busy) and take the path opposite down to a footbridge. Cross the bridge and walk up the field towards farm buildings. Turn right through a gate just before the farm then immediate left, passing the farmhouse on the left. Go through another gate and turn left at track junction, then follow the farm drive to the road.
4. At the road junction take the minor road opposite and follow this for about 500m to a cross roads. Turn right here and after about 600m bear right onto a drive, signed Plas Iolyn.
Go past Plas Iolyn on the left. Just beyond the out-buildings cross a ladder stile into a field and follow waymarked path down the right-hand edge of one field and the left-hand edge of the next, gradually descending. At farm buildings keep wall on left and go through a gate and over a stile to continue downhill to the road on the clear path.
At the road turn right then left at the next junction and walk back into Pentrefoelas village. Cross A5 and continue on the minor road opposite, passing the Foelas Arms on the left, to return to the car park.
Pentrefoelas was an important staging point for drovers moving cattle from west Wales to market in England. Four annual fairs were held until the 1920s where cattle and sheep were sold and workers hired.
The Foelas Estate still own most of the surrounding land and much of the village was built by the estate in local stone, including a corn mill and workshops.