10 best things to do in Blaenau Ffestiniog

My first foray into North Wales was in the early 1980s, on a family holiday. We started out on a gorgeous sunny morning, driving over the Brecon Beacons and Cambrian Mountains towards our ultimate destination near the seaside resort of Llandudno.

By the time we saw the Snowdonia National Park sign, the sky had clouded over, and by the time we reached Trawsfynydd Lake sheets of rain were sweeping towards us.

This abated for a few miles, only to resume on the run to Blaenau Ffestiniog.  The town was fifty shades of grim, every feature monochrome in the murk.

We then turned right at the roundabout to continue our journey to the north. Suddenly the clouds parted high overhead, allowing a shaft of sunlight to burst through, illuminating the rugby pitch, houses and massive slate slag heap behind for five, maybe six seconds.

I’ll always remember it as the moment when I first truly saw and understood light. It’s certainly not among the prettiest North Wales towns, but it’s one of the most dramatic and fascinating.    

The Slate Caverns are located on the road out of Blaenau towards Betws-y-Coed. They are the best of the Blaenau Ffestiniog slate mines, and have offered a deep mine tour for many years.

You travel around 500 feet underground before beginning a walking tour of the caverns. These vast underground chambers are beautifully lit, and at each a character’s voice tells you a story.

These range from quarrymen who toiled underground for 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, to the quarry’s founder. It’s a wonderfully evocative tour.

Llechwedd has upped its game hugely over the last few years, and it is now among the best things to do in North Wales.

The Caverns are also home to two new attractions, Bounce Below and Zip World, both of which we’ve written about below.

You can now explore the slate landscape around Llechwedd, something that has only recently become possible.

The Quarry Explorer takes you off road in a former military vehicle around the Blaenau Ffestiniog landscape, above Llechwedd to Maenofferen and Diffwys quarries nearby.

A Quarry Walking Tour has also been introduced in 2020 – if the Blaenau Ffestiniog weather is favourable, prepare for some heart-stopping views.  

Bounce Below was the first of the Zip World attractions to open in Blaenau Ffestiniog. It’s basically a giant underground trampoline, a series of bouncy nets strung together on different levels of one of the slate caverns. 

You can slide from one level to another down a chute in the corner of the level.

It costs £25 an hour (£20 for 7-17s) to bounce around, but to make the most of it a little strategy comes in useful. When I visited everyone went full tilt for about 10 minutes, and spent the remining 50 minutes passed out, exhausted.

Good to know: You need to bring your own long-sleeved tops and trousers.

The Ffestiniog Railway has joined forces with the Welsh Highland Railway  so that you can now travel between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Caernarfon by narrow gauge railway.

The Ffestiniog Railway runs between the coastal town of Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog, following the route of the slate from the quarries to port. It’s a beautiful journey, starting out with a journey across the Cob causeway, which gives a view of the whole Snowdonia range.

It then climbs gradually into the rugged Moelwyn mountains, past Tanygrisiau reservoir into Blaenau.

You can also get to Blaenau Ffestiniog by mainline train via Llandudno and Llandudno Junction. It runs up the picturesque Conwy Valley, one of the most enjoyable train journeys in Wales. Both lines terminate at Blaenau Ffestiniog station.

The Welsh Highland Railway is a spectacular run up the west side of Snowdonia, through the county of Gwynedd to Caernarfon, the trains terminating a short walk along the quay from Caernarfon Castle.

Whether you do the full Blaenau Ffestiniog to Caernarfon run or the Porthmadog return journey, it’s one of the best days out in North Wales.  

One of my favourite Blaenau Ffestiniog walks is the hike from Tanygrisiau to the ruined slate quarries at Cwmorthin and Rhosydd.

I visited on a beautiful spring day and didn’t see a soul all afternoon. It’s a bit of an uphill slog to Cwmorthin, a slate quarry and ruined buildings above a lake in a stunning silent valley.

The track through the valley eventually climbs a gap between the mountains, emerging at an even more inspiring site, the ruins of Rhosydd Quarry and the long-abandoned workers’ cottages.

It’s an incredible sight a place of total solitude that was once a hub of industry. The view down the valley towards Cnicht, often called the ‘Welsh Matterhorn’, is also superb.

Moelwyn Mawr and Moelwyn Bach are the two main peaks of the Moelwynion (often anglicized to Moelwyns), the range which overlooks Blaenau and the greener, gentler Vale of Ffestiniog.

These are among the least explored mountains in Snowdonia, and you’re rewarded with superlative views of Cardigan Bay and the Llyn Peninsula beaches and coast if the conditions are good.

Moelwyn means ‘bald white hill’, but the two main mountains are quite different in character. Moelwyn Bach is quite rocky in places, while Moelwyn Mawr (770 metres) is a much grassier proposition that wouldn’t be out of place in the Brecon Beacons.

Both summits can be reached from Tanygrisiau or the higher lake, Llyn Stwlan, above the dam of the same name.

Down in the town you’ll find one of the most beautiful buildings in Wales. No Welsh castles to be seen here, just a dilapidated, disused builder’s office, cobbled together from sheets of corrugated iron of various shades of red, orange, yellow and rust and tiny square glass window panels.

It is a magnificent sight, with character by the bucketload. It’s on the right-hand side as you head into Blaenau Ffestiniog on the A470 from the south. Fortunately, it is Grade II listed and has a preservation order on it.

Seasoned biking friends have told me that Antur Stiniog have some of the scariest and most exhilarating downhill rides they’ve ever done.

I prefer my descents to be a little more sedate so I’m unlikely to try, but it’s great to see them doing well for a good few years now.

Blaenau is close to some of the best places to stay in North Wales, and most of these can be reached by train and/or bus.

Unless you’re only visiting for the Zip World activities or mountain biking, the nearby village of Betws-y-Coed makes a better base to visit Snowdonia.

There are more things to do in Betws-y-Coed than Blaenau, and it’s well set up for tourism, with many Betws-y-Coed B&Bs and several hotels, not to mention a small but good selection of restaurants.

Because the quirks of North Wales geography, Betws is more suitable for reaching Snowdon and the range’s other main mountains. The drive through the Lledr Valley from Blaenau to Betws is one of the scenic highlights of the epic A470 road trip that runs the length of Wales, from Cardiff in the south to Llandudno in the north.

Blaenau Ffestiniog is also within easy reach of several of the principal castles in North Wales. The nearest is Dolwyddelan, five miles (8 km) north on the A470.

It was originally one of the castles of the Welsh princes, eventually captured by English King Edward I. It stands on a rocky bluff above the beautiful Lledr valley,

The Italianate fantasy village of Portmeirion couldn’t be more different than Blaenau. It’s one of the best villages in North Wales and one of the most beautiful villages in Europe, a ‘refuge for lost buildings’, as architect Clough Williams-Ellis described it.

You can reach it on the Ffestiniog or mainline railways, alighting at Minffordd then walking twenty minutes to the village. See our article on things to do in Portmeirion for more information.

Harlech Castle is around 15 miles (25 km) from Blaenau. It’s part of the Gwynedd Castles UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with Caernarfon, Conwy and Beaumaris.

Its setting is unsurpassable, with views to Snowdonia in one direction and over Harlech beach, one of the best beaches in North Wales, in the other.

Where To Stay In Blaenau Ffestiniog

4-star luxury – Plas Weunydd

3-star B&B – The Old Surgery

Best Guesthouse – Isallt Guest House

Best Hotel Nearby – The Grapes, Maentwrog

Blaenau Ffestiniog is unlike anywhere else in the UK and Europe. The only places like it that I’ve found anywhere in the world are high in the Andes in South America.

It has a bleak beauty to it and a fascinating story. I’m very pleased to see its contribution to the world recognised by UNESCO.

And I’d say that if you plan to explore the Welsh Slate Landscape World Heritage Site, then Blaenau is the best place to begin.

If you’re planning to explore more of the surrounding National Park, I suggest taking a look at my Things To Do In Snowdonia guide.

For more North Wales inspiration, take a look at some of my articles below:

The Best Of North Wales

North Wales Travel Guide – everything you need to know about travelling in North Wales 

Best Places To Visit in North Wales – Snowdonia, Anglesey, the Llŷn Peninsula and more

15 Best Villages In North Wales To Visit – Beddgelert, Betws-y-Coed and many more

20 Best Castles In North Wales – from the World Heritage Castles of Edward I to the mountain fortresses of the Welsh Princes 

Things To Do In Caernarfon – there’s more to this coastal town than one of the best medieval castles on the planet

Things To Do In Llandudno – the complete guide to the Queen of Welsh Seaside Resorts

The Isle of Anglesey

Llanddwyn Island – One of the most special of all Welsh islands

Anglesey beaches & coastline – Home to some of the best beaches in the UK

Best things to do on Anglesey – the largest of Welsh Islands

Llŷn Peninsula

Llŷn Peninsula beaches – from Porth Dinllaen to Portmeirion, some of the best beaches in Wales

Visiting Porthdinllaen – the stunning fishing hamlet with one of the best beach pubs in Europe

Things To Do In Aberdaron – the wondrous Land’s End of North Wales

Things To Do In Criccieth – lovely beach town with a Castle and stunning mountain views

Things To Do In Portmeirion – a touch of Portofino on the edge of Snowdonia

North East Wales

Things To Do In Llangollen – gorgeous riverside town, one of the highlights of North East Wales

More Beautiful Places to Visit in Wales

Best Seaside Towns In Wales – Llandudno, Tenby, Barmouth and many more

Landscapes in Wales – Breathtaking landscapes in Wales you must see

Rivers in Wales – Some of the most beautiful scenery in Wales

Lakes in Wales – Where you find some of the best views in Wales

Landmarks in Wales – famous places in Wales to Explore

Wales Bucket List – 40 Fantastic Places In Wales You Should Not Miss