Chasing Waterfalls

Before Oli was born, Taz had started teaching me 'proper' photography. Once she arrived, a combination of brain fog and busyness kept me from picking up a DSLR again until this weekend.

We took advantage of the beautiful weather to head into Wales and explore one of the prettiest towns around; Betws-y-Coed is a beautiful village in the 'gateway to Snowdonia' and it has been popular since the Victorian era, which can be seen in much of the architecture of the town.

While the train station is in the centre of the village, and there is plenty of parking, be aware that, due to its popularity as a tourist spot, it can get very busy on sunny weekends, and many of the roads don't have wide pavements - or indeed, any pavements at all!

Upon arrival we parked near the centre, and walked through the railway arches, dipping in and out of little craft stores, ice-cream shops, and local goods providers, before popping into the Pont y Pair Inn for a delicious pub lunch - we definitely recommend this as a place for a hearty meal, as the menu looked amazing! We just had some of the lighter bites but felt very welcomed and would definitely return when we're back in the area.

After lunch, Oli enjoyed an ice cream from Cadwalladers, and we followed one of the well signposted walks across the bridge and along the river. Betws-y-Coed has a series of stunning waterfalls at its heart, and the rivers meander through pretty fields and parks. The weather was so warm that, as we neared the diagonal Miners' Bridge, we even saw people jumping off of the rocks into the deep pools beneath! The old bridge was washed away in 2020 when storm Ciara swelled and the Afon Llugwy cascaded down from the River Conwy, but the replica is still quirky and set among picturesque surroundings.

The walk itself was beautiful: the Gwydyr Forest used to be mined for zinc, and the boulders along the rocky paths often show marks of tools and previous work. It was a relatively easy walk, but twisting roots and mud might make it a bit tricky in parts for those of limited mobility, wheelchair users, or anyone with a pushchair.

Oli enjoyed running through the flowering fields while Taz and I played with the cameras, and I tried not get frustrated at my inability to remember how to actually use the thing! Now I just need to remember to actually extract them from my camera.

Betws-y-Coed is about 1hr 15min drive from Chester, and has several pay-and-display car parks around the outskirts of the village. Just don't drive too fast as you're approaching your destination as you'll blink and miss it!