We keep a list of favourite places on Love Our Adventures, which sometimes feels a bit redundant because honestly if I'm writing about somewhere it is because I loved it (this is Love Our Adventures after all) and therefore they are all my favourite places. That said, if I had to pick a list of my all-time favourites, Lake Vyrnwy would certainly be a top contender. It may be just a touch beyond the borders of Snowdonia but this area is no less beautiful, with dense forestry lining the hillsides of the reservoir, a late 19th-century dam and that iconic straining tower, Vyrnwy is the perfect mishmash of spectacular landscape, interesting history and industry plus it has all the makings of a memorable day out thanks to so many opportunities to adventure. I love a good quick stop as much as the next explorer and am often found planning multiple stops in a day to see as much of our outstanding isles as possible, but with the possibilities around Lake Vyrnwy for walks and activities, it's not just a full day in itself there are multiple days of adventures to be found here!
All things considered, Lake Vyrnwy's location is fairly easy to get to, and although you will need to divert away from the major roads to get here there are options that are not too harrowing, while you may lose the middle dividing lines, the roads to the south are typically wide enough for two cars (most of the time). I would argue the easier routes come up from the South, take the turning from the A458 near Llangadfan - following the brown-sign onto the B4395, this is a typically quiet and mostly wide track that will lead you all the way to the lake. Having a sat-nav running is advisable to avoid ending up down a farmer's driveway. The North roads are good if you wish to connect from towns such as Bala, these are fun and stunning roads to explore but be aware these do narrow quite quickly, so if you don't fancy some challenging country lanes you may want to pick another option. Parking is ample, with multiple lay-bys and places to stop dotted all around the lake (all marked on the map above), typically on a visit, I will drive a slow lap of the lake, stopping off at them all to soak up every viewpoint and interesting feature.
I wouldn't worry about trying to get to that one specific beauty spot at Lake Vyrnwy - from every angle, it is simply gorgeous, so just pick a place and enjoy what wonders there are to behold. As mentioned previously, I often just do a full lap of the lake, joining from the south and making my way up the east edge and around, dropping in anywhere I can safely park and this is what I recommend any first time visitor do. That said if you do pull in somewhere and think to yourself "this is a bit of alright, might just stop here", then ignore me and make the most of what you have found. Make sure you look outwards as well as in, it is easy to be captivated by the wonder that is the lake, but if you look to the hills you will find amazing viewpoints and hidden away gems that are just as memorable - if you spot a stream coming down the hillside and joining with the lake maybe take a moment to walk it and see what you might find, there is even a great waterfall at the north edge, although that is a story for another day.
As you circle around the lake, making your way down the western edge (assuming you have taken the same counter-clockwise route I would take), that iconic tower will slowly get closer and closer. A staple of Instagram feeds everywhere, this gothic revival straining tower looks like something you would find a fairytale princess trapped in. In the summer, with the sun flickering off the gentle lake waves and the trees in full foliage in the background this really is a sight to behold. The tower itself is inaccessible, but it's the outside you will want to make the most of regardless! There are several spaces where you can really appreciate the tower, with the best arguably being the small seating area in a nice green space most of the way around the lake (See our map above for the viewpoint across the lake from the tower).
Continuing our counter-clockwise shore-tour of Lake Vyrnwy, your last stop will be pretty hard to miss: the dam. It is easy to think of dams as just being a great big piece of infrastructure/industry, and your mind may instantly go to a gigantic slab of concrete with brutal concrete spillways carved into the landscape. Luckily, even Vyrnwy's dam is a beauty in its own regards - built from colossal blocks of Welsh slate and decorated with a collection of arches and towers along the top, the dam is a strong competitor to the tower for the most pretty landmark at Vyrnwy. You can access the dam from either side, and a road over the top makes completing your driving loop simple, but walking the dam is well recommended considering the staggering views out over the lake and the access down the side of the dam to stand at its foot. If you manage to visit the dam when the water is draining out the lake you are in for an amazing sight, instead of the traditional spillway off to the side lake Vyrnwy's dam drains over the top between those spectacular arches.
It wouldn't be a trip anywhere like this with me without quickly touching on the history of Lake Vyrnwy and although this is a lake in name, this reservoir has a colourful history (as reservoirs often do around Wales). The reservoir was required to help keep Liverpool supplied with water, and the valley was selected due to its size and the River Vyrnwy being perfect to naturally flood the area. Volume VI of the Montgomeryshire Collections even noted roughly one-third of the valley spent the winter underwater, meaning it was already primed to flood - it was a nearly perfect scenario, except for the one pretty big problem: the 400 or so people who lived in the valley. The town of Llanwddyn called the valley home, but the Liverpool Corporation Waterworks act granted the developers the right to forge forward in building the dam, demolishing and eventually flooding the old town. A replacement town was constructed near the dam to house the original residents and while the dam itself brought jobs and a small piece of prosperity to the town, ultimately, this is still a controversial topic for some. Considering the occupants were given little choice in the migration and the need to deliver water to growing industrial cities in England trumped any of the local's concerns, it is easy to empathise with the people who lost the town they called home.
That is an overview of Lake Vyrnwy, but is that all there is to see? Of course not! The four and a half square kilometres lake is littered with walks that all have something to offer should you have the time to explore - things that we will no doubt be diving into in the future. That said, I wanted to focus here on the lake itself because it is a perfect attraction all on its own, and you could totally spend a full day just exploring the lake and its many amazing features. Considering its great location and a multitude of things to see, it really is no surprise I consider this one of my all-time top favourite places that I keep coming back to - at the very least, Lake Vyrnwy is a once a year stop-off for me, even if it is just passing through I will pull-in for a 5 minutes respite on the lake's edge and just absorb all the wonderful and invigorating natural goodness, not bad for an artificial lake!
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