On the edge of Eryri National Park, surrounded by gorgeous waterfalls, woodland walks and the striking scenery of the Welsh countryside, there's a huge, stunning reservoir that looks like it's come straight out of a fairytale. Lake Vyrnwy is somewhere visitors "can do everything - or nothing" - somewhere people can have an action-packed day of walking, hiking and cycling, or fully step-away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and just relax.
For those who love nothing more than switching off on a weekend or day off from work, Lake Vyrnwy is the perfect spot for an autumnal walk or picnic with loved ones, with the calming view of the reservoir and the Gothic-style 'straining tower' - which makes an impressive backdrop to your selfies! Or, if you're looking for a spot to get out and about in nature, you can cycle all the way around the reservoir, enjoy woodland walks, or hike up the hills to the nearby beautiful waterfalls.
The 12-mile road around the lake is flat – so it’s the perfect place to bring your bike for a ride while you take in the breathtaking scenery of the reservoir, dam and hills and moorland. If you don’t have your own bike, it’s no problem - as bike hire is available locally from Artisans Craft and Coffee Shop, based at the Old Sawmill at Lake Vyrnwy (satnav: SY10 0NA) until 1pm in the winter (2pm in the summer). You can hire the bikes all morning and into the afternoon, you just need to return them by 3pm (4pm in the summer).
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Lake Vrynwy is also an excellent place to start a trail or hike through the rolling countryside. Among the official routes, the Grwn-oer Trail (1-2 miles/3.2km) takes walkers from Lake Vrynwy through the Grwn-oer woods, along a minor road and into a forest – where they’ll reach a clearing and be greeted by a gorgeous panoramic view of the lake, dam and surrounding scenery, whilst the Ty Uchaf Walk (5 miles/7.8km) starts from the Lakeside Hide, or just after the ‘Lakeview Tearoom’, and takes visitors along a path of gradual climbs with impressive views down onto the lake and across the hills, moorland and forest, complemented by the “sights and sounds of mountain streams”.
One of the most well-known trails, however, is the Rhiwargor Trail (2 miles/3.2km) which will take you from the lake through the valley to the Rhiwargor Waterfall, also known as Pistyll Rhyd-Y-Meinciau, with magnificent views of the surrounding hills walking up to the waterfall and on the journey down. A visit to Rhiwargor Waterfall should certainly be on your to do list and the views, on a clear day at least, are definitely worth the one-hour (ish) walk there.
The walk from Lake Vyrnwy to Rhiwargor Waterfall is rated locally as an intermediate level walk - so it's best to pack your trainers and keep an eye on little ones as you traverse the paths and trees! Alternatively, there’s a car-park near the waterfall and it’s just a six-minute drive from Lake Vrynwy – so that’s definitely worth thinking about. From the carpark, there’s still a (short) walk to the waterfall but it’s mostly flat "with only small ascents" – so it’s certainly doable for families with young ones or those who can manage a walk but can’t quite hike.
To get to the falls from the carpark, simply follow the course of the stream and cross a wooden bridge and you're there! And if you want to explore a little bit further, there's some beautiful pools of water to see if you walk up the left-hand side of the falls. You can see more walking trails from Lake Vyrnwy on its website here.
If countryside walks aren’t your thing then perhaps you’d enjoy bird watching at Lake Vyrnwy? There are three RSPB bird hides around the lake and an RSPB shop to visit too. Or, with a permit (available from the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel) you can actually go fishing in the lake.
After that, there’s also an impressive sculpture park at Lake Vyrnwy with a collection of wooden sculptures to find and explore – a perfect activity for the whole family! And in the summer, you can hire canoes, kayaks, small boats and stand-up paddleboards from Bethania Adventure centre nearby, which also offers archery and team-building sessions and activities for school and youth groups each year. Don't forget the tourist information centre and a few independent craft, souvenir shops and tea-rooms and cafes dotted around Lake Vyrnwy which are well worth a visit.
Against the unparalleled backdrop of the trees, valleys and mountains, another thing at the beauty spot stands out – the straining tower. Lake Vyrnwy supplies Liverpool with water and the straining tower plays an important part in the process. "The straining tower at Vyrnwy is an imposing castle-like structure - a total of 48 metres high, standing in about 15 metres of water - which stands by the lake quite close to the dam," StayinWales.co.uk explains. With this in mind, the straining tower is fully operational so unfortunately, you’re not able to go inside – but it’s an impressive structure to admire from afar nonetheless.
However, amongst all the beauty, Lake Vyrnwy also holds a sobering role in Welsh history that it's important to sit and soak in. Construction of the Vyrnwy Dam was a major project which involved hundreds of men and claimed dozens of lives. Memorials close to the scene, and near the drowned village of Llanwddyn, mark their sacrifice. You can read more about that here.
Finally, after a day of walking, cycling, hiking, bird-watching, tea-drinking – or just relaxing in nature - there's no reason to rush home, as there's a stunning hotel and spa overlooking the reservoir - with a beautiful restaurant and two lovely bars to enjoy,
Lake Vyrnwy Hotel & Spa's Tower Restaurant welcomes guests and non-guests and serves high-quality lunches, dinners and tapas dishes, whilst The Tavern and Tower Bar are the ideal places to sit back and marvel at the amazing views with a glass of wine or a pint after a long day.
