You can get here by British Rail down the scenic Conwy Valley line - check the timetable and there is a regular bus service between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Betws y Coed. The local café serves up food and there are also toilets in the village at the station.
Directions
follow the road westwards and then south into the lovely enclosed valley of Cwm Penamnen. Go to the far end where you'll find the mound on which the ancient castle stood.
Half way down the valley you'll find a sign for a steep path up through the forest and onto the ridge. Spectacular views from here. Go down the slope towards the river and follow the path through the oak woods back to the village.
Legends
A beautiful place with a beautiful name. Legend has it that a young woman called Elan, famed for her looks, wished her name and reputation to live forever. She declared: "Not for nothing am I able to immortalise my name. If there is not any other land prettier than this, henceforth my name shall be upon it." Her name still remains, and so too does the lovely scenery. Derek thoroughly enjoyed his visit to the meadows of Elan.
This is a delightful walk where you are never far away from the sound of rushing water. When Derek and Twm took this stroll they had to contend with heavy rain as well - you can hear the sound of the raindrops on their waterproofs, and the splashes of the puddles underfoot.
Wildlife
With water very much on our minds, it's unsurprising that Twm began by focusing on stories associated with water-loving plants and animals. As we left the station car park and crossed the bridge over the Cwm Penamnen River, Derek and Twm paused by a willow tree, the source of the painkilling drug Salicylic acid found in Aspirin.
Nearby, a willow warbler, referred to by Twm as a little brown job, reminded him of a legend sent to him from the National Museum of Zimbabwe Harare. There's a reason for the visual insignificance of this small bird. By abusing the generosity of the King Lion and challenging his authority, the willow-warbler was condemned to a life of uninspiring plumage, and a melancholic song.
History
The walk heads up a lovely enclosed valley, following the line of Sarn Helen, a Roman Road. With woodland to our left it was easy to imagine how this area had been used as a hiding place for rogues who wished to escape the law of the land back in the times of Llewelyn the Great.
When Meredydd Ap Ieuan later took over the area, he pledged to get rid of the brigands, in exchange for ownership of the land. During his control, however, the incidence of
cattle-raiding actually increased.
Derek's walk took us to the end of the Roman Road, and we then retraced our steps back to the station car park. If you would like a longer walk, however, it is possible to follow a footpath through the woods at Tan-y-Bwlch, and then cut across the Lledr Valley back to Dolwyddelan. This is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the rugged grandeur of Moel Siabod.
This is an easy walk, so we didnt really need our heavy duty walking boots. But we certainly needed our umbrellas!
Why not visit Dolwyddelan Castle while you are there?
(This walk was part of the original Radio Wales Weatherman Walking programme, from Series 2 in 2003)
