It\u2019s an extensive, rolling upland of wooded knolls, lakes and pastures which is famous for some of Wales\u2019s most important oak woodlands as well as its towering Douglas Fir and\u00a0 Norway spruce trees. All shades of green, gold and red await you at this time of year thanks to the forest\u2019s mix of conifer and deciduous trees. You\u2019ll also find cascading waterfalls, crystal clear lakes, awe inspiring mountain vistas and forgotten river valleys. Take time to breathe deep and fill your lungs with that beautifully clean Snowdonia air.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.menaiholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/media\/6080453618_4e267db9ef_o.jpg?width=500&height=283.0729166666667\")
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There\u2019s plenty of room to feel like you have Gwydir Forest to yourself. But if you want to seek them out you\u2019ll find a wide range of activities like mountain biking and horse riding and even some organised group walks. Keep your eyes peeled for a good diversity of wildlife, including buzzards, peregrines, black grouse, and lesser horseshoe bats. If you\u2019re lucky (very lucky) you might even spot the elusive pine marten.<\/p>\n
Tracks, old miners\u2019 paths, cycle trails and long-established walks make this forest an absolute delight to explore on foot, on two wheels or in the saddle.<\/p>\n
Activities at Gwydir Forest<\/h2>\n
Walk to the Swallow Falls. A waymarked walk of around 6 miles will guide you to this area of outstanding natural beauty. It\u2019s where the river Llugwy flows through a narrow chasm creating a spectacular Snowdonian waterfall<\/a> against a beautiful background of beech, conifer and birch trees. Start at the car park at Llyn Sarnau, near Betws y Coed.<\/p>\n Follow the Llwybr y Ceirw Sculture Trail. The trail is inspired by the medieval history of the town of Llanrwst. One of the sculptures pays homage to Wales\u2019s real-life Robin Hood figure \u2013 Dafydd ap Siencyn \u2013 who lived in the forest overlooking the town with his army of followers. A signposted path leads almost directly up from the Sawbench car park (also the start of infamous Marin Mountain Bike Trail) to the Caerdroia Labyrinth site in the heart of the Gwydyr Forest. More information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Visit Gwydir castle<\/a>. This fine Tudor house features beautifully tended Grade I listed\u00a0Renaissance gardens<\/a> with spectacular yew and cedar trees. There are ten acres to wander around, and parts of the house are open to visitors too, including the magnificent 1640s panelled dining room. It is open from 1st April \u2013 31st October, 10am \u2013 4pm. Closed on Mondays and Saturdays. Entry is \u00a36 for adults and \u00a33 for children.<\/p>\n Tackle the infamous Marin mountain bike trail. The Red Graded (difficult) Marin Trail is a challenging but intensely rewarding mountain bike trail. Big climbs, big descents, brilliant single track and beautiful scenery make it a trail to remember. Most, but not all, of the climbs are on forest roads and tracks giving you time to take in the views of the mountains of Snowdonia. All of the descents are on single track. More info here<\/a>.<\/p>\n We have some fabulous holiday cottages near the Gwydir Forest. Why not make the most of a break and book a week? If you’d prefer a weekend stay, we can also offer short breaks throughout the autumn, spring and winter months and last minute during the summer. So, what are you waiting for? Take a look at our holiday accommodation in the Conwy Valley right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gwydir Forest: Home to lakes, mountains and castles in the heart of Snowdonia The Gwydir Forest, near Llanrwst in the Conwy Valley, is a beautiful and intriguing place to explore during the glorious autumn months. As well as its beautiful mountain and valley vistas, and magnificent foliage, it\u2019s an atmospheric place to explore with an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attractions","location-conwy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.menaiholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.menaiholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.menaiholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.menaiholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.menaiholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=703"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.menaiholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5589,"href":"https:\/\/www.menaiholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703\/revisions\/5589"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.menaiholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.menaiholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.menaiholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.menaiholidays.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Where to stay?<\/h2>\n