We are lovers of all things natural, but we both have a place in our hearts for the meticulously manicured aesthetic of a well-groomed garden. Between the magical and wonderous outdoor spaces from some of our favourite movies and the grounds of some of the best manor houses and palaces, the jewel in the crown of a great garden will always be a maze, and more specifically a hedge maze. There is just something so special about a hedge maze, the idea of getting lost within and what wonders you will find - something akin to entering the Labyrinth from the '86 movie of the same name. So when we discovered Conwy Valley Maze positioned centrally in Snowdonia, we knew we would be pencilling in a visit and can happily report that we recommend anyone go check it out!
Conwy Valley Maze is just off of the main run between Betws-y-Coed and Conwy on the A470, near Llanrwst, cross the river at your earliest convenience and follow the B5106 and the entrance will be through the gates on the opposite side of the road to the river - there is enough space for a handful of cars to park adjacent to the building where you will enter the maze. Public transport to the area includes grabbing the train into Llanrwst, but due to the long walk (Conwy Valley Maze sits roughly equidistant between two crossings on the River Conwy) required I would recommend trying to hop a bus, or coupling this stop with a through walk in the area.
Upon arrival at Conwy Valley Maze, we were greeted warmly by the folks in charge, who gave us an overview of the area (including showing us a literal overview of the maze) plus a checklist of all of the things we might be able to find as we explore. With that, we were underway - passing through the entrance to the maze just to the side of the reception building. The maze is laid out so you will enter and exit at the same place, with the entrance throwing you into the maze's twisting path and the exit being a path that circles around the lower edge - a nice design touch, as it means there is no mistaking when you are heading to the exit.
Dotted around Conwy Valley Maze is a handful of art installations of all shapes and sizes, with the aforementioned checklist highlighting a selection of some of the more challenging-to-find statues, areas and ornaments. We initially started out by exploring freely, picking random pathways to follow and to see what we could find. The open spaces within the maze offer some nice variety within the maze, with great places to sit with a picnic and relax as you explore. Typically with a place like this, I would give a map of the walk or a map of the landmarks within, but as this is a place designed around adventuring blindly it would go against the spirit of the place to spoil where things are!
The checklist really made our visit to Conwy Valley Maze, the maze itself is a decent size but if you were to explore it explicitly for the sake of finding the exit you could easily accidentally get out within 10 minutes (of course, if you are in search of a quick stop between other adventures then by all means!). Instead, use the checklist to explore every nook and cranny within the hedges, repeatedly backtracking in hopes of checking off each and every item on the list. It is a great way to really get the most out of the garden maze and a really nice touch by the owners. Ontop of this, the gardens were wonderfully alive, not only full of birdsong but there were so many dragonflies flittering about in our visit that we even took some time to snap some photos!
Our visit to Conwy Valley Maze was towards the end of the summer and things were naturally quieter (and they were close to switching to the limited opening hours that they operate through the colder seasons, so check before you go), it seems like a great place to bring the family to give kids of all ages something fun to do and one we recommend to just about everyone. We visited Conwy Valley Maze in the morning and that left us free to tack on a few extra adventures as the day progressed, and with its great position between Conwy and Betws-y-Coed there is no shortage of things for you to do in the area, so make sure you take a trip to this magical garden maze!
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