Rhaeadr (waterfall) Cynfal

One of the best things that I have on my phone is my Snowdonia App. I found it on this website: snowdonia app and it is extremely useful. It details dozens of walks around Snowdonia suitable for all abilities, from the Hard Mountain Walk to Accessible Walks. You can take it for a 9mile walk up Snowdon or a fifth of a mile along a beach. I have decided to work my way through them, getting more adventurous as the fitness levels slowly improve.

So todays plan was the Moderate Leisure Walk to Rhaeadr Cynfal. A 3 mile circular hike from Llan Ffestiniog.

Early start again, and managed to catch a gorgeous sunrise just the other side of Bala.



That is going to be the main downfall to the start of summer, the sunrises are going to be ridiculously early!

The App is fantastic as it tells you each step of the hike, which paths to follow, which gates to go through plus gives some interesting information about your surroundings. When you have as little sense of direction as I do, every bit of info helps.

The walk started off by taking me through a field of rather gorgeous black sheep. Its a little unsettling to have a whole flock of sheep stop what they are doing and watch you pass by. I found myself apologising for disturbing them and I must admit its not the first one sided conversation I've had with sheep on these crazy outings of mine and I am sure it won't be the last!

So I am then directed through very dense forest and you can hear the waterfall long before you see it.

You walk down some steps right to the base of the fall, and although its not huge, it is very powerful and incredibly loud.

The walk then takes you through some wonderful deep woodland. It warns you that the walk might be a bit wet here, and its not kidding. After sinking ankle deep in mud, the remainder of the walk was accompanied by lovely squelching noises!

Anyway, out of the wood and the scene opens up and you get some amazing views of the snow capped Moelwynion. The hike takes you to the pylon you see in the middle of the picture below and up to the field with sheep on the right of it. A lot of uphill hiking. Must improve my fitness levels!

This then completes the circle and takes you back to Llan Ffestiniog.

After getting back to the car I decided have a closer look at the mountain and it is spectacular. Built in front of it is the dam constructed by the Ffestiniog Power Station and it just looks unreal to have a dam near the top of a mountain.

Lessons Learned: When the guidebook says muddy, believe it.

Talk to the sheep, they are very good listeners and they might be the only creatures within earshot for several miles!