Approximately 4 miles.
Easy terrain
Map: Explorer OL (Snowdon and Conwy Valley) Neither use nor ornament to me I'm afraid (sorry Dad)
More photos of the walk here..
http://my.opera.com/pendragonnw/albums/ I have been meaning to go on this walk for the last three weeks but due to work and mostly weather I have had to wait until today. The Betws Bridges walk was featured in the Daily Post not so long ago and I can honestly say it's absolutely worth doing, you won't be disappointed I promise.
Jj and I set off for the 1:30pm bus from Conwy. It took approximately 50 mins to get there. The weather was fine although it was threatening rain and it was a tad cold.
The walk starts outside the Information centre which is just around the corner from where you get off the bus. Your turn right and through a gate which says private road. Pic 1
From here you walk along a really muddy path and I mean muddy but the views of the Llygwy river more than make up for it. This really is a beautiful place all you can hear is the river rushing along and the birds singing. As I walked along I took photos of the river and the old moss covered walls.
Taking photos with Jj on a leash is much like doing the egg and spoon race with a ferret tied to your leg. Most ended up blurry as she yanked away and stopped to sniff absolutely everything and so the walk was taking a lot longer that I had anticipated.
You now approach the railway bridge (pic 2) and the path takes you around the golf course on your right. Not far along is where the Llygwy meets the Conwy river. You can see the trees which line the river bank are all bent over giving you some idea of the rivers ferocity when swelled by rain. Apparently the average rainfall collected in the Llygwy is the highest recorded in England and Wales.
Follow the path round to your right, you are now walking along side the Conwy river, through a gate and along the edge of the golf course. A little further along this path you will see large stepping stones, This is the oldest crossing on the Conwy river and was used until a woman drowned in 1912. (pic 3)
On the other side of the golf course is a gate which takes you passed the golf club. When you get to the road turn left and you come to St Michaels church built in the 14th century. Leaning practicaly right around thre church are a number of large slate and stone head stones, some of which date back to the 1700s.
As you come out of the main entrance to St Michaels turn to your left. Here you will see the Sappers suspension bridge. This bridge spans the Conwy river and it was built by the army in the 1930s as a means to get to the army camp on the opposite side. There was originally a wooden bridge here but it got washed away in storms. (pic 4)
Cross Sappers bridge and walk up through the field and follow the track up to the main road, turn to your right and follow the main road down to Waterloo bridge.
This cast iron bridge is one of only seven of its kind and was built in 1815 another one of Thomas Telfords engineering feats. Thistles, shamrocks, leeks and roses adorn the arch of the bridge. The steel inscription over the arch reads "This arch was constructed in the same year the battle of Waterloo was fought" although the bridge was finally completed just after 1815.
Cross the bridge and follow the main road round and back into the village. Walk to the other end of the village and you will arrive at the stone built Pont Y Pair (bridge of the Cauldron). When you look over the edge and see the swirling waters you can see how it got its name.
There is another Minors bridge about a mile away if you follow the path along the river but by the time we reached here the light was fading and I didn't want to chance it.