{"id":13,"date":"2014-06-09T19:53:13","date_gmt":"2014-06-09T19:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hafodyr.co.uk\/?page_id=13"},"modified":"2016-10-19T20:00:22","modified_gmt":"2016-10-19T20:00:22","slug":"walks","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.hafodyr.co.uk\/?page_id=13","title":{"rendered":"Walks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hafod is located in a beautifully quiet and unspoilt corner of Snowdonia. \u00a0You may of course want to drive up past Betws-y-Coed and Capel Curig to the high mountains: \u00a0Moel Siabod; the Snowdon horseshoe; the Glyders, Y Garn and the Devil’s Kitchen, Tryfan; the Carneddau.<\/p>\n

We find though that it is equally satisfying to explore the local area around the house, which you can do by yourselves without finding a hundred other people at every viewpoint.<\/p>\n

On the far side of the road, the ground rises slowly towards Llyn Conwy, about a mile away. \u00a0Follow the Land-Rover track until it peters out, then head uphill. \u00a0 There is a track on the map but you need a lot of imagination to recognise it (passing to left of tree in photo below):<\/p>\n

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These occasional self-seeded Christmas trees are useful way-marks amidst the heather!<\/p>\n

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Behind the house, the stream draining the highlands forms a waterfall over a spectacular, overhanging volcanic sill (or dyke) and follows a gorge onwards down the valley. \u00a0Seasoned scramblers with good boots can go down the steep slopes beside the waterfall and, in dry weather, picnic beside it or dip in the pools – I have even stood under it with a stopwatch and large bucket to measure the flow rate (4 litres\/second!). \u00a0In wet weather though, this section is an awesome, 5 foot deep mass of foam and surging waters at the bottom of a steep and slippery slope.<\/p>\n

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after about 150 yards, the gorge joins\u00a0the stream that runs through the garden, with a pair of ledges between them: beyond the confluence, a waterfall shoots out into the void –\u00a0reminiscent\u00a0of the scene for Sherlock Holmes’ final battle with Moriarty<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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There follows an even more<\/em> private section of river that can only be reached by walking down the top of the ridge, then scrambling up beside the river, from pool to pool.<\/p>\n

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The surrounding area is part of the Migneint-Arenig-Dduallt<\/a>\u00a0Special Area of Conservation, home to hundreds of species of mammals, birds, insects and plants. \u00a0 Our neighbours 4 miles away at the Pont yr Avon Gam cafe \u00a0have had polecats looking in through their windows – and we love seeing our local stoat in its winter coat. \u00a0Up on the top of the moors you may be lucky enough to see Hen Harriers; around the house, the usual bird is a Meadow Pipit.<\/p>\n