southcotswoldramblers.org.uk Snowdonia 2011 Day 4 Swallow Falls walk

Holiday Photos Day 1 Betws-y-Coed Day 2 Beddgelert Day 3 Snowdon Day 3 Llyn-y-Parc >>Day 4 Swallow Falls<< The last supper Day 5 Fairy Glen
		Today we walk from the hotel and head up the Llugwy River on the opposite bank .
		Following a walkway .
		And bridges .
		Past Miners Bridge .
		Must have been raining .
		On we go through meadows .
		And woodland edges .
		Pausing to catch up .
		A variety of expressions .
		We continue along the valley over streams and past waterfalls .
		Sometimes climbing .
		Quite a rugged path .
		With a steep drop .
		John takes it all in his stride .
		Ladder stiles very popular in this area .
		Views across to the distant mountains .
		Our footpath crossing bracken covered slopes .
		Crossing another stream .
		Till we get our first sight of Swallow Falls .
		Seats and a viewing area for coffee .
		And a chance for the more photogenic among us to pose with the falls in the background .
		An admiring crowd .
		Is he still at it? .
		Oh dear, so is he! .
		We continue on our way .
		Following the river .
		Another ladder stile .
		A pleasant path through mature trees .
		Leads us to a road bridge .
Up onto the A5 .
A welcome resting spot .
And another chance for a photo .
Or two .
The Ugly House is on the side of the A5 .
We pause here before a short walk along the main road .
First Vennae has to investigate .
We pass a group of sheep relaxing in their field .
A steep climb follows up the other side of the valley - some of our number having headed back .
We walk through a remote hill farm .
Eventually coming to an old slate quarry .
We climb steeply through the old workings .
With views opening up across the valley .
Until we reach the monument on the side of Llyn Elsi .
The lake stretches out in front of us .
But we now follow the black footprints .
Down a forest track and back to Betws-y-Coed
Photos and captions from Richard and Mike

As you can see, as well as getting to know the South Cotswolds, we arrange the occasional walking holiday. We try to keep fit and succeed in having a good old chat. If you are interested in coming with us, see our Led Walks Programme and ring the leader if you have any questions about a particular walk. After two or three walks we hope you will then want to join the group as part of the Ramblers.