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Snowdonia.
Between breathtaking landscapes, open countryside, golden beaches, mountains, lakes and forests, you'll find unspoilt villages nestled in the valleys, seaside resorts and fortressed towns. There's no better place to get away from it all than Snowdonia, to relax, explore and enjoy.

All within easy reach of Hwylfa Groes Cottage you'll find plenty to see and do. With excellent road, rail and bus routes serving Snowdonia, and the beach, woodland and Rhinog Mountains all easily accessible by foot.

Walking/Climbing
With a vast number of walks to be enjoyed around Talybont and of course Snowdonia itself, from gentle walks through the woodland and Rhinogs following the old Drover's route and along the stunning Mawddach estuary to walks for the more experienced around Snowdonia, there is something for all the family to enjoy. The Barmouth festival of walking takes place Sept 19th - 27th 2009.
Snowdonia is of course renowned for it's climbing. Plas-y-Brenin at Capel Curig offers an extensive range of outdoor pursuit activities and taster courses for the novice to performance and advanced courses for the seasoned climber are available.

Cycling
Famous for its cycling Snowdonia is home to many Mountain biking centres including Coed-y-Brenin and other forest trails. More leisurely cycling can be taken from the cottage along the cycle routes towards Barmouth and across the beautiful Mawddach Estuary Railway Bridge where the stunning Mawdacch trail following the old railway line (flat and suitable for all the family) meanders it's way to the town of Dolgellau, The King George III Inn can be found along the route where good meals or just a refreshing drink awaits. Bike hire is available in Barmouth.

Fishing
There is good access to fishing both in the local area and in Snowdonia with sea fishing trips available from Barmouth harbour and angling is very popular from the Barmouth Railway Bridge to the Mawddach Channel. The numerous lakes and rivers around Snowdonia offer trout and coarse fishing, aswell as excellent sea fishing along the Cambrian Coastline. Excellent trout fishing can be found at Creggannan Lakes near Dolgellau, 2 natural lakes of 13 and 27 acres acres owned by the National Trust.

Birdwatching
Superb RSPB nature reserve at the Mawddach Valley - Coed Garth Gell where there are two circular routes around the reserve - 1.25 miles and 1.5 miles. Nestled in the spectacular Mawddach Valley, Coed Garth Gell is a woodland and heathland nature reserve. The visitor trails weave through beautiful oak woodland with a fast-flowing river in the valley bottom.

Golf
The championship course of Royal St. Davids at Harlech is just 5 miles away with numerous other golf courses around the stunning landscape of Snowdonia including Porthmadog and Criccieth.

Castles and Gardens
The stunning castles and fortresses include those of Edward I at Harlech , Conwy and Caernarfon, aswell as the castles in Criccieth and Lanberis, all awe-inspiring and well worth a visit.
The gardens of Snowdonia are equally stunning and unique from the eccentricity of the gardens and architecture of Clough Williams-Ellis at Portmeirion (1/2 hr away) with it's numerous gift shops, cafes and restaurants and splendid walks to the grandeur of Bodnant Gardens near Conwy with formal and informal garden landscapes in acres of grounds with a gift shop, garden centre and restaurant, currently showing on BBC 2 - a garden in Snowdonia.

Other activities, events and places to visit :
Horseriding, swimming , The Cambrian Steam Railway, theatres, art exhibitions, seasonal fairs, festivals and local events. Good local shopping and gift shops and a twice weekly market in Barmouth. Plenty of restaurants, cafes and takeaways in and around the area.

See below for a small selection places to visit. The cottage also contains a selection of brochures and leaflets of local attractions and activities

EVENTS 2010: For a list of events taking place throughout the year please click here