Beddgelert is one of the most visited villages in Eryri, but it belongs to the evening. After the day-trip coaches have left and the car parks have emptied, the village — the confluence of the Glaslyn and the Colwyn, stone bridges over clear water, wooded hills above — becomes something different: quiet, inhabited, genuinely beautiful. This is Experience #31 of the Snowdonia 100.
The Village
Beddgelert occupies one of the finest positions in Eryri: the junction of two valleys, surrounded on all sides by mountains, the rivers running clear through the village centre. The buildings are mainly Victorian and Edwardian stone, the village shaped by its long role as a tourist destination — it has been visited since the late 18th century. But in the evening, when the visitors are gone, the village is what it always was: a settlement in a mountain valley, practical and beautiful in equal measure.
Where to Eat and Stay
| Tanronnen Inn | Restaurant and pub, reliable food, riverside setting |
| Glaslyn Ice Cream | Open most of the year, outstanding quality |
| Sygun Copper Mine | Day attraction 1km east — worth the detour |
| Accommodation | Several excellent B&Bs and the Beddgelert YHA |
The Evening Walk
After dinner, cross both bridges and walk south along the Aberglaslyn gorge path for fifteen minutes, then return. In the fading light, with the gorge darkening and the river loud below the path, the quality of the evening is at its most apparent. The confluence in the village centre, with the last light on the hills above, is one of those places where Eryri shows its best.
Experience #31 of 100 — Places category.
Independently written — Snowdon.com