Last weekend Laura and I visited Dolgellau which is located in the southern part of Snowdonia National Park. We stayed in an excellent B&B (http://www.dolgellau-bed-and-breakfast.co.uk/) owned by Mo & Alex - Mo being an old colleague of mine from my last school.
Before we even arrived at Dolgellau we had been charmed by the beautiful scenery on the drive in the National Park, one part of the A470/A458 in particular must be one of the most spectacular roads in Britain. Upon arrival we didn't stand on ceremony and we were down one of the local pubs within ten minutes. Dolgellau itself is a lovely little town with a lot of character. It's small enough to stroll around and large enough to have most needs satisfied.
On Saturday we decided to see some of the popular scenery and Mo provided us with a map and her local knowledge to help us on our way.
The Precipice Walk
http://www.eryri-npa.gov.uk/visiting/walking/Moderate-Leisure-Walks/precipice-walk
This three mile 'moderate' walk is one of the most popular in Dolgellau. After an initial walk up a hill the walk takes you around a hill at approximately 800m above sea level. It was beautiful.
Cregennan Lakes
In the afternoon we drove to Cregennen Lakes after Mo's recommendation. I'm so pleased she did, it was stunning.
The first great view was of Barmouth.
Then it was all about the lakes. I took a stroll up the hill on the left of the next picture.
The Blue Lake
Mo suggested we visit the Blue Lake which is in fact a lake in an old quarry. Local knowledge is key for this adventure though as there is little in the way of signposts or directions. Our instructions started with "Look for a road called Fford opposite a telephone box"
The walk up the hill is interesting particularly when you reach the landscape of slate and old rusting equipment. The views of Barmouth are also pretty good.
The last leg to get to the blue lake required passing through some old tunnels that still had the rails in them.
So, Dolgellau is another highly recommended destination in the UK.
