Coed-y-Brenin – the King's Forest

If ever there’s a case for walking in the rain, this is it. There are trees for shelter, two bounding rivers and two waterfalls which look their best during heavy rain. The two rivers are the Mawddach, a great river that flows out to sea at Barmouth, and its tributary, the Gain. The trees are those of Coed-y-Brenin – the King’s Forest.

Going for gold

Gold has been mined throughout Wales for centuries, and there were large finds of good-quality gold in the mid-19th century, when Dolgellau became another Klondike. The rush was on. Morgan Pritchard owned the mining rights to the Mawddach and Cain areas and he started the gold mines at Gwynfynydd. Though hopes were high, the mine didn’t really produce profitable lodes and work all but stopped in 1914, with only sporadic reopenings to produce rings for royal weddings.

A new rush

As you walk around the forest, you will probably see lots of mountain bikes. You’ll certainly cross a number of mountain bike trails. In the late 1990s, Coed-y-Brenin pioneered the development of such purpose-built trails, and the project was so successful in rejuvenating tourism in the area that the model was then adopted all over Britain. Despite all this competition, Coed-y-Brenin remains one of Britain’s top mountain bike centres.

Water, water everywhere

This walk is jewelled with two impressive waterfalls. The first, Pistyll Cain, plummets an impressive 148ft (45m) into a deep, dark pool, just moments before the gushing Afon Gain joins the Afon Mawddach. A short detour from the main path offers great views of it. The second set of cascades, known as Rhaeadr Mawddach, aren’t quite as gracefully shaped, as high, nor in such pleasant surroundings as Pistyll y Cain, but they’re nevertheless impressive.

Turn right out of the car park. The tarmac becomes a flinted forestry track, with the Afon Mawddach below on your right. The track passes beneath the Mostyn cottages, originally built for workers from the mines. Just beyond them you’ll come to the Ferndale complex – now holiday cottages, but once the workshops and blasting plant.

Take the track on the left just above these and, ignoring a left fork, follow it easily to a bridge that crosses the Afon Gain, close to its confluence with the Mawddach.

On the other side, detour left along the rough path that takes a closer look at the falls, and then return to the main track, where you soon turn left to the old mine’s mill buildings. Years ago this would have been a hive of activity, but it’s all a bit run down now. At the end of the mill area you’re directly above the waterfalls of Rhaeadr Mawddach. Continue to where a restored bridge spans the river on your right.

Don’t cross it, but double back left on a path climbing steeply up by a plantation, signed ‘Council Road’. Note the bike route on the right at the start of this path. Continue up and watch out for a recrossing of the bike route. After this, keep straight ahead where a footpath comes in from the left by a whitetopped post (No. 30).

Continue upwards, along the edge of the forest, and go through a gap in a wall. Now continue on an enclosed path that leads through high pastures in an area that was once the main Gwyn-fynydd Mine. This becomes a lane as it passes above the farmhouse of Ty Mawr. You’re high on the hillside now, and there’s a view over the treetops and across the meandering Mawddach to two shapely mountains, Rhobell Fawr and Dduallt.

Turn right on meeting a quiet lane and follow it almost to Bedd-y-Coedwr farm. A footpath signpost points the way downhill on a faint path above a stream. The path bears right, passing through bracken and birch and becoming rough and overgrown in places as it descends to an old mine level just above the Mawddach. Follow the mine track past decaying buildings to reach the outward route by Rhaeadr Mawddach (Waypoint 4). Retrace your footsteps to the car park.