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The Village

Trefriw itself is a gem, unspoiled by commercialism and still truly a village. Visitors are warmly welcomed in local shops, cafes and pubs, and those who return frequently to guest houses and the caravan site soon form lasting friendships. You will hear Welsh spoken as a matter of course, but please never feel that it is some sort of secret code. It is the everyday language of many homes in this area and it rises naturally to the tongue when chatting with someone familiar. Bilingual people often aren't conscious of which language they are speaking!

 

 

Trefriw has a long history, and Llywelyn the Great is known to have had a court here in the twelfth century. Its site is suspected to be under the coal yard behind the Fairy Falls Hotel.

  
 

A stroll up the hill amongst its houses is interesting. It has lanes, rather than streets, and the steep gradient means the houses are perched on platforms of rock. This makes for interesting ad hoc architecture and "nooks and crannies". The oldest cottages are solid and dumpy, built of boulders; then there are the Victorian villas, often built as boarding houses for travelling gentry or country dwellings for well-off families.

 

     

From the same period, there are the elaborate Welsh Chapels, reflecting the strong dominance of nonconformist denominations in the late nineteenth century.

  
 
 

Activities Not to be Missed

The Woollen Mill; see its own section on this website.

  
 

The Waterfall: take the road uphill opposite The Fairy Falls Hotel and turn left into the first narrow alley that you come to. This path follows the Crafnant River for about 200 metres and brings you to a series of bridges, giving you a choice of route. If you keep to the right hand side of the river, you will return to the road further up.

The Banks of the River Conwy: There are paths along the dykes with fine views of the hills and a chance of seeing sand martins and kingfishers.

A five minute drive away are the "Mares'Tails" twin waterfalls on a tributary of the River Conwy near Llanrwst.

 

  
 

Walks from Trefriw to the Lakes: It is possible to drive up to Llyn (Lake) Crafnant and Llyn Geirionydd, and there are big car parks at each lake, but it is worthwhile enjoying a route on foot through the woods and fields.

The route by road from Trefriw to Llyn Geirionnydd brings you to the hamlet of Llanrhychwyn, famous for its 12th Century Church, used by Llywelyn the Great and his wife Joan (Siwan) the daughter of bad King John of England. it is well worth a visit.

See the website Trefriw Trails for details of trails around Trefriw

 

 
 

Coed Creigiau: Tracks and trails lead uphill through this very attractive woodland. Take the road uphill opposite The Fairy Falls Hotel and turn third right, signposted "Mynwent / Cemetery". The track into the forest is on the right after the third house.

The road passes to the left of the woodland and in about three miles reaches Llyn Cowlyd, a wild and atmospheric lake/ reservoir. Views all the way are wonderful.

 

  
 

Fishing: Rod licences are available in Llanrwst for the River Conwy and the River Crafnant, where it is possible to catch wild brown trout. See the Llyn Crafnant section of this website for details of the out-of-this-world fishing location at Cynllwyd Mawr, where there is also a cafe and tea garden in stunning surroundings.

 

 

  
  Wining and Dining: Value is the motto here in Trefriw. You would have to pay a week's wages in the City Centres for the craft and loving care given by Trefriw's chefs to their work. Wherever you are staying, pay a visit to Carol in the newly decorated tea-rooms at Llys Caradog, or take light refreshments in the relaxed atmosphere of the Woollen Mill Cafe. Excellent lunches and dinners are available at The Fairy Falls, The Hafod House and The Old Ship, all very distinctive and special in their ambience.  
 
 

Within Walking Distance:

In the hills behind Trefriw, a number of sites connected with the Slate and Lead Industries have been made safe, and there are interesting information placards to help you tour these old quarries and workings. It makes for an interesting afternoon's walk.

  

 

  Across a footbridge over the Conwy, or five minutes by car, is the market town of Llanrwst, where there is a good range of local shops and banking facilities, including automatic cash dispensers.

From Llanrwst, you can catch a train to the Conwy Valley Line, one of the prettiest in Wales, and connect at Blanenau Ffestiniog with the famous Ffestiniog Railway.

On the outskirts of Llanrwst, over the Inigo Jones Bridge, you can visit Gwydyr Castle, a fascinating ancient building with a chequered history. About six years ago, this was rescued from a bid to export it to Japan, and is in the process of restoration to its former glory.

 
 
 

A Short Drive Away:

Betws y Coed with its Craft and Mountain Equipment Shops, Motor and Railway Museums; The World Heritage Site at Conwy, where there are so many things to see; the RSPB Bird Reserve across the river; and, of course, the resorts of Llandudno and Colwyn Bay.

  
 

Conwy Castle

Conwy Estuary  
 

 

Castles and Quarries: Some of the castles in our part of Wales are famous world-wide but there are many, of every date and in every possible state of preservation, to be discovered - from lonely haunting Dolwyddelan to sumptuous Penrhyn.

The industrial heritage is less well-known, but equally fascinating and everywhere there are the relics of the search for slate, copper and lead.

Mountains and Coast: For visitors from such vast continents as North America and Australia, it is difficult to believe the sheer variety of scenery on offer here. There is the wide heath where skylarks fill the air with song, the ancient crags where the ravens ride the air currents, deep gorges, wide valley flood plains greener than a pool table, high upland tracks where you meet nobody all day and the top of Snowdon where crowds wait in the cafe for the train down to the valley floor.

 

 
 

 
 

The coast is similarly diverse, with marina, busy resorts, quiet sandy beaches, lonely drifts of pebbles where dunlin potter at the water's edge, and dramatic cliffs with outcrops of dark rock where seals come to sunbathe.

 
 

 
 

The world-famous Bodnant Gardens are seven miles north from Trefriw, on the road to the coast.

 

All this can be visited with ease from Trefriw. Advice on attractions and routes can be had from your hosts at any of the hotels, guest houses, caravan parks or shops.

 

 

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