Three times a year, usually on one evening in three consecutive weeks in June, an official batcount takes place, and many who are staying here at the time are pleased to join in and learn more about these fascinating creatures. We have what is probably the largest pipistrelle roost in the country, but more exciting even than that is the roost of the comparatively rare lesser horseshoe bats which has been steadily growing and numbered 444 at the last count. It is because of this roost that we are a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Birdwatching top map

Since we started keeping records in 1990 of the species spotted in or from the grounds, we have reached over 60, and these include hawfinches, goshawks, cormorants and even a peregrine falcon. 'A bird-hide in itself' is how one guest described the cottage he was staying in. But if you do want to go further afield there is the Wildlife Observation Centre in the old signal box at Penmaenpool a mile to our west, and the Garth Gell Bird Reserve opposite. Then there are the RSPB Nature Reserves and hides at Ynys Hir (S off the A487 near Eglwys Fach on the south side of the Dovey estuary), and at Lake Vyrnwy (E), and also the kite feeding station at Ponterwyd (furthest S). As well as www.rspb.org.uk see www.kitecountry.co.uk

Canoeing and White Water Rafting top map

Just one mile inland of the head of the Mawddach estuary, 9 miles from the sea, 18 miles from Bala (NE) and 22 from the dam-released river Tryweryn (just beyond Bala) with its whitewater rafting and its world championship canoe slalom course, we stand ideally situated for a choice of sea, estuary or river canoeing. The Dysynni valley and Broadwater near Tywyn (SW) also offer good opportunities. The services of Fairbourne Adventure (01341 250800) when not booked for school parties are available as are those of the Bala Adventure and Water Sports Centre (www.balaadventureandwatersportscentre.co.uk) and Canolfan Tryweryn the National White Water Centre (www.welsh-canoeing.org.uk)

Castle, house and garden viewing top map

Among a whole number of interesting places to visit there are:

- the National Trust properties of Powis Castle, Penrhyn Castle, Erddig, Chirk Castle, and Plas Newydd;

- the castles (www.castlewales.com) of Castel y Bere (at Lanfihangel-y-pennant SW), Aberystwyth (SSW), Harlech (NW), Criccieth, Caernarfon, Conway, Beaumaris and Ruthin;

- the famed Bodnant Gardens near Conway;

- Sir Clough Williams-Ellis's exotic Italianate village of Portmeirion (NNW), near Porthmadog.

On a far more modest scale we are very happy to show anyone interested around the original private part of Brynygwin which has a number of interesting historical, architectural and literary features of its own.

Fishing top map

We have our own private 200 meter stretch of fishing on the River Wnion just below the house. This gives access to two pools, the Orchard Pool and the Crock Pool, both of them tree-shaded back-washes from the river's strong glide and both well-favoured by both brown and sea trout, and by salmon.

In addition we supply one free ready-paid permit to fish the Dolgellau Angling Association's 13 miles of riverbank on the Mawddach and Wnion and their Llyn Cynwch Lake on the scenic Precipice Walk (see www.dolgellau.org.uk). Other nearby lakes to fish, also marked on our map, are Cregennen Lakes (SW by the 'g' of Arthog), Talyllyn Lake (due S), Trawsfynydd Lake (due N) and Bala Lake (NE). A delightful lake (just under the 'e' of Islawr-dref close SW on our map and furthest SSW on the 1-mile-out-map), is Llyn Gwernan at the foot of the famous Fox's path up Cadair. It has natural wild brown trout, is stocked with rainbow trout, and is open for fishing all year. The hotel there hires out a 2-person boat to fish on the lake in idyllic surroundings for £17.50 per person for the day.

www.fishing-in-wales.co.uk/angling/mawddach/index.htm will give useful information, and clicking there on the Mawddach Trust shows details of the hatchery (www.fishing-in-wales.co.uk/angling/mawddach/mawdd4.htm) which is fascinating to visit and is just 700 yards from Brynygwin. Useful information can also be found at http://where-to-fish.com under Dolgellau, Wnion, Mawddach, Barmouth, Ganllwyd, Talyllyn, Dysynni, Bala.

If people rather than websites are your preferred source of information, then Marshall Davies or Glyn Evans will be pleased to speak to you. Marshall Davies (01341 422706) is secretary of the Dolgellau Angling Association, and Glyn Evans (01341 423242, best before 9 a.m., or between 5 and 7 p.m.) is the dedicated and successful local fisherman who has developed our own 200 meter fishing beat on the River Wnion and can, by arrangement, act as gillie on any of the local waters.

With Cardigan Bay close by, there is a wealth of sea-fishing available, both ashore and afloat. Boat angling trips may be arranged at Aberdyfi, Barmouth and Aberystwyth - follow the link below for contacts. Angling boats, equipped with modern navigation equipment and full safety kit, work the offshore sandbanks up to 20 miles out for rays and tope. Porbeagle shark are occasional but spectacular summer visitors. Gurnards, dabs, dogfish, huss and whiting provide the variety. The inshore reefs of Sarn Cynfelyn, Sarn-Y-Bwch and Sarn Badrig are famous for their black bream fishing and also hold small pollack, ling and codling, with conger eels occasionally turning up. Mackerel are common most years from about mid-June onwards.

For the landlubber, the miles of sandy beaches from Aberdyfi to Tonfannau and Fairbourne to Porthmadog provide good surf fishing for bass, which are also caught in the Dyfi and Mawddach estuaries along with flounder. Thornback ray and turbot are occasionally caught from the beaches and either is a noteworthy catch. Bass under 3lbs in weight (slightly over the legal size limit) should be returned alive. The best months for shore bass fishing are May-June and September-October. Mackerel are caught from the beaches in July-August, while from November onwards whiting show up, particularly at night. The two hours either side of low water are often productive for shore fishing, and the best baits are peeler crab, razorfish and sand-eel, available locally (find your own or purchase). For sea angling information, www.sea-fishing.com is a good first port of call, with a directory of local charter boats and advice on fishing local shore marks. Our own local expert for shore and estuary fishing is Ian Davie who, subject to availability and arrangement, would be happy to act as gillie.  He can be contacted on 01341 423308.

Forest Pursuits top map

The Coed Y Brenin Forest (N) comes down to within 5 miles of us and caters for a huge range of interests and hobbies. Explore it at www.parcnet.com.

Golf top map

Dolgellau, with its own picturesque 9-hole course looking down the length of the Mawddach estuary, is strategically positioned for the other golf courses also in the area. Dolgellau lies between Bala's 9-hole course (NE) overlooking the lake and the three 18-hole seaside golf courses at Aberdovey (SW), at Borth (Championship) the opposite side of the Dovey estuary mouth, and at Harlech (NW) where the Royal St. David's Championship course enjoys grand views over the Lleyn Peninsula and northwards to Snowdon.

Hill-walking top map

Our map at its 1:1 setting, shows us positioned exactly half-way between the mighty Cadair Idris (S) (see www.dolgellau.org.uk for some striking pictures) with its commanding 8-mile-long 9-peaked ridge and Y Garn (N) of which Peter Hermon in his excellent 2-volume 'Hillwalking in Wales' so rightly says that "its relative isolation ensures superlative views". Brynygwin's own walksheets can take you to the top of both these splendid mountains from your doorstep (and back again - by a different route, of course!).

Y Garn is the focal point in the composite picture below taken from Brynygwin’s garden, and, at 2063 feet, it is the central grandstand for Southern Snowdonia. Diffwys (2462 feet), the second highest and the southernmost of the Rhinogs, too is there, camera-shy in the picture but plain to the real eye, just left of the dark pillar tree toward the left of the picture. Ancient and well-preserved tracks give access on all but its precipitous eastern slope. Moving round, Foel Ispri is hidden behind the twin Scots pines -- it once witnessed much mining activity and now offers superb views from its New Precipice Walk.

Round from Y Garn comes Bryniau Glo (the Glowing Hills -- they glow with heather) and, facing Bryniau Glo across the Mawddach Valley and hidden in the picture behind the distant stand of evergreen conifers to the right of the garden’s very large fir tree, is Foel Faner which is encircled by the famous Precipice Walk and was an ancient hill fort. Foel Offrwm, nearly opposite us, comes next -- squat and sturdy-looking, it presides over the timeless mountain village of Llanfachreth tucked away across a deep valley behind it. It too was a hill fort, but larger and probably much earlier. Its substantial ruins are of a size and construction similar to those of Craig Aderyn or the Bird Rock (the unique 8-mile-inland home of nesting cormorants in the Dysynni valley south of Cadair) and suggest a date in the 4th century B.C. Foel Offrwm was used by the Druids for human sacrifice -- hence its name which means ‘Hill of Offering’. Finally, to the extreme right of the picture, behind the winter-bare branches of a maple tree, the Arans blend their twin snow-covered peaks (Benllyn at 2901 feet and Fawddwy at 2969 feet) with the clouds in the sky 10 miles away near Bala (see photo from one of Flat 2’s top bedrooms).

Which of these eight mountain/hill tops you see at any given time and how they look depends as much on which property and even which room you are in as it does on the weather! Variety is the spice of life!  

A little further afield you can see on our map, to the west, the ridge called Llawlech (W) which stretches down toward Barmouth. It forms the southern boundary of 'the Harlech dome' which encircles numerous scenic lakes and lakelets interlinked by lanes and tracks that overlook the stunning Lleyn Peninsula and thread their way past stone circles, burial mounds, standing stones and the like. The Rhinogs (N) including Y Llethr, Rhinog Fach and Rhinog Fawr, stretch up from Diffwys northwards (a total of 11 peaks along 10 miles). To our south beyond Cadair are the greener, more rounded Tarrens (S), and closer north-east the highly rewarding Rhobell Fawr (NE) and Dduallt (NE). The liberal sprinkling of beckoning mountain tops continues wider out with the Moelwyns (N) including Cnicht (N, 'the Matterhorn' of Wales) in the north and the Arenigs (NNE), so beloved by the artists James Dickson Innes and his friend Augustus John, in the north-north-east.

Mountain-biking top map

The Coed y Brenin Forest (N) (visiwww.mtbwales.co.uk, www.mbwales.com,  www.parcnet.com or www.forestry.gov.uk/cycling where you enter Coed y Brenin in the Name of Forest search box) with its highly-regarded graded routes is just 5 miles away, and can be reached by bike using, for all but one mile, a quiet farm lane marked in brown on the map and just above the east side of the Mawddach river.
There are five trails which are fully described, with excellent maps, at http://www.parcnet.com . In order of length the trails are:

The more relaxing Mawddach Trail which now extends all the way from Dolgellau to Barmouth is reached just 700 yards away from us where the green dot-and-dash (pre-Beeching rail) route is shown on the 1-mile-out-map. This is part of the 'Greenway of Wales', the Sustrans National Cycle Route 8. This Trail is hugely enjoyable in its own right, especially perhaps when it takes you across the estuary-mouth beside the rail-track on the Barmouth Viaduct. It is also plain useful for off-road access (either side of the estuary thanks to the successful and sympathetic restoration of the Penmaenpool toll-bridge) to the spoiling choice of tributary valley lanes leading up from the estuary floor to mid-level traders' tracks and drovers' roads with their breath-taking open vistas.

Scenic mid-level 'green lanes' (traders and drovers had an eye for scenery as well as convenience when they chose their routes) criss-cross the area, and of course there are routes up Cadair Idris (S) and around it. Diffwys (NW under the Scots pine branch on the left of the picture of Brynygwin's garden above), is the southernmost and second-highest of all the peaks in the Rhinog range of mountains stretching northwards up to Trawsfynydd Lake. Diffwys, like Cadair, is bike-friendly with ancient and well-preserved track access on both its northern and southern slopes. Its long bike-able tail (the Llawlech ridge) stretches down toward Barmouth and forms the southern boundary of 'the Harlech dome' which encircles numerous scenic lakes and lakelets interlinked by lanes and tracks that overlook the stunning Lleyn Peninsula and thread their way past stone circles, burial mounds, standing stones and the like.

Lock-up cover for bikes and wash-down facilities are provided at Brynygwin, as are a large number of route maps and guidesheets.

One route that can be particularly recommended takes you direct from Brynygwin, across the Penmaenpool toll bridge, up from Bontddu village to the old London-Harlech coach road (which features a still clearly inscribed mile-stone and elsewhere an exposed wind-tilted marker stone), over the Llawlech ridge (with optional high-level detour to the summit of Diffwys and its breath-taking views over Cardigan Bay, the Lleyn Peninsula and the whole of Southern Snowdonia), across two old pack-horse bridges (Pont Scethin and Pont Fadog), past a memorial to a lady who 'even as late as her eighty-fourth year, despite dim sight and stiffening joints, still loved to walk this way' (the inscription concludes suitably with the words 'Courage traveller'!), past a stone age burial chamber (a chambered long cairn) and then an old drovers' shoeing inn, back across the Llawlech ridge through a gated pass called Bwlch y Rhiwgyr (which means The Drovers' Pass), down the steep Panorama Walk lane to Barmouth, across the estuary-mouth viaduct, and back all along the estuary edge on the Mawddach Trail which folllows the line of the old railway and, one mile from home, passes the welcoming (and by now surely welcome!) George III pub at Penmaenpool. Whow!!! More, including pictures on this 25 mile route, can be found at http://www.nwmba.demon.co.uk/pages/riding.html
Maps of this and of other dream routes are provided for guests to take and follow.

Here, there is no need to confine yourself to nearby routes.  The following shows us to be strategically centred for going out further afield in various directions to other prime mountain-biking centres listed below in order of distance away:

South 14 miles away, between Corris and Machynlleth, is the new exciting CLI-MACHX route. As described at www.dyfimountainbiking.org.uk. 'The Cli-Machz is a new trail for 2005 and is sited in the Dyfi forest; home of the Berghaus Dyfi Enduro. It's a 15km round trip, with 9km of built single track with compressions and whoops, rock slab drop offs and some beautiful flowing turns. The last descent is the longest in Wales and features rocky jumps. The finale is a sequence of 8 huge berms following quickly after eachother. Hit them high enough and fast enough and they ride really well, but don't look down!

South 17 miles away, at Machynlleth are three exciting new routes: Mach 3 (19 miles) Mach 2 (14 miles) and Mach 1 (10 miles). See www.dyfimountainbiking.org.uk and www.mbwales.com

East 20 miles away is the Lake Vyrnwy route (16 miles).  See www.mtbwales.co.uk

South 30 miles away, just west of Aberystwyth are the very scenic Nant yr Arian routes (Summit 16km, Sydyfrin 35km, and Pendam 6 miles). See www.mbwales.com

North 35 miles away, and just east of Betws y Coed in the Gwydyr Forest, is the 'big climb', 'big descent', 'awesomely scenic' Marin trail (25km). See www.mbwales.com, www.parcnet.com or www.forestry.gov.uk/cycling where you enter "Gwydyr" in the "Name of Forest" search box.

Riding top map

Abergwynant Pony Trekking Centre (W) is just 3 miles away to the west on our south side of the Mawddach Estuary. Treks are accompanied by qualified staff and run on several different routes which can be along the estuary edge or up into the foothills of Cadair. There are also a number of other riding stables near the coast about which we provide details.

Rock-climbing top map

Barmouth slabs near where the Panorama Walk is marked (W) are a favourite for practice and for learning, and they are just a convenient 10 miles from here, with expert tuition available in the area. Cadair (S), of course, presents plenty of challenge for the experienced climber , while for those wishing to learn or develop skills there are qualified instructors and guides in the area - details available on request.

It was on Cadair in the late 1800s that a young man, living at Barmouth, started the 'revolution' of climbing for pleasure. Owen Glynne Jones made his first ascents up the crags of Cadair without boots or equipment. He later published 'Rock Climbing in the Lake District' and was working on a second volume on climbing in North Wales when he was tragically killed in the Alps.


Sailing and Windsurfing top map

Bala Lake (NE), the largest natural sheet of water in Wales, 4 miles long and just 18 miles away, offers several launching points, expert tuition and hire (www.balaadventureandwatersportscentre.co.uk).
Barmouth (W), Aberdovey (SW), Llanbedr (NW) and Porthmadog (NNW) all offer picturesque harbours and facilities for a variety of marine sports.

The relationship between sail and the Mawddach has been a long one. Until the arrival of the railways sail was the means of transport and of travel, and the Mawddach estuary was a hive of boatbuilding activity driven by trade in wool centred on Dolgellau and in timber and oak bark from the woodlands fringing the estuary edge.
The relationship now has changed from that of business to one of pleasure and endeavour. It was Major 'Bill' Tilman who put sailing firmly back on the map of this area. He is remembered with pride and affection in Barmouth where a commemorative plaque marks his house at Bod Owen along the Dolgellau road. As well as various climbing expeditions, he made numerous sailing trips to the Arctic and Antarctic, and was the inspiration and first President of the Three Peaks Yacht Race which starts from Barmouth every year in June. Soon after the first race, at the age of 79, he set off for Antartica to climb a mountain. On the final leg of his journey from South America his vessel disappeared and he was never seen again.

Skiing, Snowboarding and Sledging top map

Facing the rugged Rhinog range of mountains from just east of the A470 near Bronaber (N), and a quick 10 miles away, is the Rhiw Goch dry ski centre with long wide main steep gradient run to challenge the experienced and 2 nursery slopes for novice and for intermediate skier.

On our own site one of the fields to either side of us has an ideal gradient for family sledging when snow obliges.

Swimming top map

Get clever or strike lucky with your weather, and you could be laughing all the short way (8 miles the nearest) to the beach of your choosing and of your dreams. All of them are gently shelving, fine-sanded, golden, uncrowded and clean. Look in the west for Fairbourne (no trace of commercialism), Barmouth (a mile-long promenade), northwards Talybont (deep sand-dunes), Harlech (sand-dunes and magnificent views of Snowdon and the Lleyn Peninsula), and the extensive Black Rock sands (just off our map top W corner), and look in the south for Tywyn (a groyned beach on a spectacular circular car route). Tywyn and Harlech also boast indoor swimming pools.

Train-riding top map

You can see by the rail-track markings on the map how conveniently placed we are for the greatest possible choice of narrow-gauge railways. Look on the coast to see how, on the north-south grid, we lie about half-way between the Vale of Rheidol Aberystwyth-Devil's Bridge railway furthest south and the Porthmadog-Ffestiniog railway (www.festrail.co.uk) furthest north, with the Tywyn-Talyllyn (www.talyllyn.co.uk) and Fairbourne (http://131.103.207.6/fairbourne.htm) (www.fairbourne-railway.co.uk) railways in between. Then you can see how our average distance from these railways that start on the coast to the west is about equal to our distance from the railway running alongside Bala Lake (NE) (www.bala-lake-railway.co.uk). In addition, beyond the range of our map there are the Welsh Highland, (www.whr.co.uk), the Welshpool-Llanfair Caereinion and the Llangollen-Carrog railways.

As well as all the above narrow gauge railways, there are are two specialist cliff railways, both providing the access to remarkable projects: Machynlleth’s Centre for Alternative Technology (Europe’s unique water-balanced cliff railway – see Virtual Tour at www.cat.org.uk) and Aberystwyth’s Camera Obscura (Britain’s longest electric cliff railway – see http://131.103.207.6/cliffrwy.htm).

Walking Allsorts top map
Over 30 Brynygwin walksheets, not published but printed on individual sheets and waterproofed for the use of guests in all weathers, take you into the heart of this unspoiled and uncrowded countryside. Even within themselves the walks vary hugely in character. They vary too in length from 3 to 16 miles, and most can start you off from the doorstep. There are walks for all weathers so that you can suit the level of walk to the cloud level, and there are walks to any of three waterfalls in the Coed-y-Benin Forest that become thunderously impressive after heavy rain, two of them at the confluence of the rivers Gain and Mawddach in the heart of the forest, and the other just above the forest village of Ganllwyd in a National Trust open space area of exceptional beauty.

In another of these National Trust areas are the twin Cregennen Lakes (SW) which shine like gems in their mountain setting (just after the 'g' of Arthog). The hill above it (Pared-y-cefnhir or Wall of the Long Ridge) rewards an energetic short scramble up it with one of the best views imaginable, not to mention the tumbled remains of a large iron age hill-fort. Several of the Brynygwin walks take you there, as they do to another favourite, the New Precipice Walk (N by the 'L' of Llanelltyd) as notable for its historical associations with gold-mining as for its breath-taking vistas.

Because we are down near the floor of the valley, there is no discouraging uphill work to do at the end; and because we are positioned just inland of the head of the estuary, the walks are able to radiate out from the property in all directions, and down both sides of the estuary. Particularly convenient is our close access up into the foothills of Cadair Idris (S) by the footpaths that follow on from the end of the driveway marked yellow on the 1-mile-out-map 400 yards to our east.

Walks that have justly become by-words for beauty in the area are the Precipice Walk (N, not as scary as it sounds!), the Torrent Walk (E), and the Panorama Walk (W). You will find all three of these marked on our map (at its 1 to 1 setting, and dragged a little for the Panorama Walk which commands the view shown half-way down the Surroundings page). In addition, there are, in the season, many advertised guided walks on which the guide imparts his or her local knowledge, not just of the route, but of the local and natural history pointed up on the way.

The Mawddach Trail which now extends all the way from Dolgellau to Barmouth is reached just 700 yards away from us where the green dot-and-dash (pre-Beeching rail) route is shown on the 1-mile-out-map. This Trail is hugely enjoyable in its own right, especially perhaps when it takes you across the estuary-mouth beside the rail-track on the Barmouth Viaduct. It is also plain useful for access (either side of the estuary thanks to the successful and sympathetic restoration of the Penmaenpool toll-bridge) to the spoiling choice of tributary valley paths leading up from the estuary floor to mid-level traders' tracks and drovers' roads with their breath-taking open vistas.

Surrounded by such a choice it is small wonder that cars have been known to be grounded here all week, and of course it is ideal for those with no car at all.