If there is one thing we truly love at Love Our Adventures it is a good waterfall, so it seems weird to admit that we managed to overlook the frankly spectacular waterfall at Conwy Falls. This beautiful little group of falls is a real gem and so easy to reach and see that you'd be really missing out if you didn't take the opportunity to check them out. Drop by for a quick stop, grab a bite to eat at the adjacent café and, for those who can spare the time, take a stroll beyond the limits of the falls out along the various trails that litter the area - it is a perfect little stop-off that has a huge number of opportunities in the local area to extend it, so let us take a look...
Conwy Falls is, perhaps a little counterintuitively, south of Betws-y-Coed at the Conwy Falls Café; the waterfall is named for its position along the River Conwy and not its proximity to the town of the same name. Luckily, this couldn't be much simpler of a journey as it trades in the typical Welsh narrow roads and lanes you may expect for wide A-roads that are easily navigable. To reach the car park just head south from Betws-y-Coed or west from Cerrigydrudion along the A5 (the road curves from north to west as it heads out of Snowdonia) - take your time on the meandering road and keep an eye out for the brown signs of Rhaeadr y Graig Lwyd (Conwy Falls) and Tŷ Mawr. Turn where the signs dictate (right if heading out of Betws-y-Coed, left otherwise) and then immediately pull onto the car park on the right at the front of the café to be at the start of today's journey. As this is just a stone's throw from the town of Betws-y-Coed, getting here without a vehicle is also pretty easy. You can potentially walk here from the town, while the road doesn't have a footpath the full way, there are walking routes down in the valley by the Afon Conwy that could make for a serene stroll to your destination. Alternatively, there are bus stops right outside the café with potential routes all the way from Llandudno to bring you here.
Before we get into the walk I want to talk about the difficulty above - we have labelled this as an intermediate and for most of the circular this is absolutely accessible to all, a few rough surfaces to cross but generally fine. However, if you wish to see the best views of the falls, as we discuss later on, it will require a scramble down over rocks or around the back down a muddy slope. Both of these options stem from the 'Main viewing area' on the map above so you can decide whether you want to take the risk to descend or not once you arrive, but even if you opt not to you can still enjoy some spectacular views from the fenced-off viewing areas.
The walk starts out from the car park and past the café on the right, when we visited the tour group for Go Below were preparing to depart, so consider extending your visit to today's waterfall with an underground adventure! The route is fairly straightforward, continue up the hill and pass the honesty booth while paying the toll (which you can check here) and you will be on a clear and simple to follow circular walk. There are routes that offshoot from the main waterfall path but the majority of these were clearly blocked off - just keep the fence with the water beyond it on your left while following the sound of the rushing torrent. The paths alternate between narrow muddy tracks to wide-open spaces, with some areas of knotted tree roots and haphazard stones that can pose a challenge but nothing that should cause any real issues for the majority of walkers. Just take your time, and you'll be fine. There is a couple of viewpoints along the route that open up and offer some of the more interesting views of various cascades along the river, but it will be the last viewpoint that we need to reach to really appreciate these spectacular falls.
I'd refer you to the map to see where the 'main' viewpoint is, but believe me, when you arrive at the main attraction of Conwy Falls you will definitely know it. The path once again opens up and you can make your way around the slightly rough terrain to an unquestionably amazing pair of waterfalls; even one of the drops at Conwy Falls would have been worth it, so to arrive and find two is such a bonus! My personal favourite part is the little cave off to the right of the falls themselves, adding an air of mystique to the whole thing. This really is a tucked-away gem that took us by complete surprise on our first visit, and while the upper viewpoint is remarkable in its own regard if you can make the descent you really should...
As I saw it there were two viable routes to descend down to the falls, the first is in front of you as you enjoy the view - you can take a few 'steps' down towards the falls and get a great view, but the last couple of steps are more substantial and would require a little more of a scramble to get both up and down. Alternatively, there is a path down the back where a muddy and steep route will circle around onto the rocky shores of the river below. We opted to take the first option, as it seemed the safest and definitely easiest when it would come to the return journey, any difficulties were well worth it as the end result photos show! You really end up being up close and personal with the falls and how far you choose to progress is entirely up to you, but I whole-heartedly recommend to all those that are able - if you can make this little addition to this walk, then go for it.
The return walk starts out like most of the hillside paths you have been following so far, before circling around through some woodland and a narrow path through dense undergrowth (your mileage may vary depending on the season) before eventually topping the hill alongside the sitting area/pergola you passed at the beginning. From here, you are within eyeshot of the start of this great little walk! It is a great little stop, something that can be seen in its entirety in a 10-minute walk, or made longer depending on how willing you are to tackle the challenging terrain here. We really did love our time here and would recommend all visitors to the area take a little time out of one of your days to take in this wondrous spot. If you are looking to extend your visit with some other places in the area, then boy does Betws-y-Coed have you covered for waterfalls - just check out Fairy Falls, Swallow Falls and Fairy Glen all great quick stops within a stones-throw of your current location. It is a breathtaking section of Snowdonia and one I just keep coming back to and now we have one extra reason to pop in in the form of another spectacular waterfall - Conwy Falls should be on your "to visit" list soon!
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