Let's Have A Day Out - To Betws-y-Coed

 

Traveling inland from Llandudno, via the market town of Llanrwst on the eastern bank of the River Conwy, we come to Betws-y-Coed, which translates to 'prayer house in the wood', and is the gateway to Snowdonia and the neighbouring towns and villages. It originated around a small monastery during the sixth century and, until the rise of lead mining in the nineteenth century, was a small village with an agricultural economy. It is thought to refer to the 14th Century St. Michael's Church where the yew trees are around five centuries old and which served as the village's main church until 1873 when the growing population resulted in the building of the much larger St. Mary's Church on grounds belonging to Gwydir Castle. This magical setting has a distinctly Alpine feel enhanced by the surrounding dense Gwydyr Forest which is named after the ancient estate once owed by the Wynn Family of Gwydir Castle. In 1937, it became a National Forest Park and in 1921 it was planted with conifers for commercial use. One of its beautiful upland lakes is Llyn Elsi (Elsie Lake); a natural lake extended to a reservoir in 1908 by building a dam. This lake supplies water for Betws-y-Coed and is a popular beauty spot for walking, photography, bird watching and cycling. Breathe the fresh air; enjoy walking one of the many trails around the village, bike on a huge range of mountain biking trails or take on the challenge of hiking in the mountains and seeing the splendor of Snowdonia's natural beauty. In former mines deep beneath Snowdonia, you'll discover a world of deep blue lakes, zip wires, bridges, ladders and abseils. It's an assault course like no other. There are numerous Craft and outdoor activity shops in the village with the popular Swallow Falls nearby, considered to be one of the loveliest spots of North Wales where the Llugwy river hurls itself into a spectacular chasm. Crags and jagged rocks divide the stream into a number of foaming cascades. Now standing within the Snowdonia National Park it stands in a valley near the point where the River Llugwy and the River Lledr join the River Conwy.

 

The Gwydyr Forest Park

Neolithic people lived in the mountainous regions of the area until around 600 B.C. when the Celt people moved there. The location is where a Celtic Christian community founded a monastry in the late 6th century CE. Stone Age man also lived in the area and was responsible for the 5,000 year old Neolithic Burial Chamber at Capel Garmon, a celebrated cromlech and there are also spectacular views of the mountains of Snowdonia from here. Pont-y-Pair (the bridge of the cauldron), built-in 1468 is the oldest existing bridge in the centre of the village and is buffeted by foaming water after heavy rain. A number of sign-posted walks in the surrounding countryside start near this bridge. A mile or so away is the Miner’s Bridge, on the road to Capel Curig, where the miners crossed the river on a steep ladder to their work. Thomas Telford's iron Waterloo Bridge built in 1815, which carries the A5 across the River Conwy, bears the cast iron inscription, 'This arch was constructed in the same year the battle of Waterloo was fought.' It was opened to carry the Irish Mail road across the River Conwy and through the village. The establishment of the route brought an economic boost to the area as the village became a major coach stop between Corwen and Capel Curig and also led to improvement of the roads to Blaenau Ffestiniog and to Llanrwst and Conwy. In 1844 English landscape painter David Cox established what would become known as the Betws-y-coed artists' colony, the first group of its kind in Britain.

The Waterloo Bridge

The Sappers Suspension Bridge across the River Conwy near St. Michael’s Church dates from 1930 and replaced an earlier bridge from 1917 built as an alternative for The Stepping Stones which can still be seen from the golf course. Also worth visiting are the awesome Conwy Falls off the road to Pentrefoelas and the beautiful Fairy Glen off the A470 where the River Conwy flows through a narrow gorge. The opening of roads and railways attracted vast numbers of visitors to the area, particularly artists, poets and writers who were drawn to the clean air and wonderful scenery and as a result, Betws-y-Coed became home to Britain's first artists' colony. During this Victorian era, the village grew as a tourist destination and accommodation flourished. Hotels arranged excursions via their own horse-drawn transport and in the 1930s dedicated excursion steam trains took factory workers from Lancashire into Betws–y-Coed for a day out. The Trefriw Spa was opened to the general public and became popular with visitors in its own right. Paddle steamers docked at the Trefriw quay side until the outbreak of the 2nd World War in 1939.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2022/06/lets-have-day-out-to-southport.html