Beddgelert Forest, near Beddgelert
Huge forest in the heart of Eryri (Snowdonia)...
Coed y Brenin Forest Park - Pandy, near Dolgellau
What's here
Welcome
Experience trees from all over the world and discover fascinating facts about them in the forest garden.
Pandy car park is the starting point for a circular walking trail through the forest garden.
A shorter accessible trail through the lower part of the forest garden starts from the Forest Garden car park.
Walking trail
The walking trail is waymarked from start to finish.
Look out for the information panel at the start of the trail.
Find out about walking trail grades.
Forest Garden Discovery Trail
- Grade: Easy
- Distance: ½ mile, 0.6 kilometres
- Trail information: The garden is criss-crossed with a series of 1m wide formal and informal paths, some steep and uneven. There are no steps or stiles.
Follow the green waymarkers from Pandy car park to the bridge over the Afon Babi.
Visit the viewpoint and then meander along the series of informal paths.
Look out for the tree-fact posts and wind-up posts with folklore audio stories.
Exploring Coed y Brenin Forest Park
Pandy car park and the forest garden are in Coed y Brenin Forest Park.
Coed y Brenin Forest Park offers visitors the total woodland experience within Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park.
There are a range of waymarked trails to cater for all tastes and fitness levels in the forest park. These include world-class mountain bike trails, family walks, running trails, geocaching and orienteering routes.
As well as the trail that starts at Pandy, the main car parks with facilities for visitors within Coed y Brenin Forest Park are:
- Coed y Brenin Forest Park Visitor Centre - the gateway to the forest park and the starting point for a range of walking, running and mountain biking trails. There is also a café and bike shop
- Pont Cae’n-y-coed – start of the rugged Volcano Trail
- Tyddyn Gwladys – a picnic site by the rolling Mawddach river and gateway to the Waterfalls and Goldmines walk
- Glasdir – picnic site with walk through an old copper mine
- Pont Ty'n-y-groes – riverside picnic area and gateway to an accessible riverside walk and a rugged mountain trail with great views over Eryri (Snowdonia)
- Pont Llam yr Ewig - car park for disabled visitors only with accessible trail to viewpoint over old copper mine
- Forest Garden - walk through trees from all over the world
Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park
Coed y Brenin Forest Park is set in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park.
Eryri is the largest National Park in Wales and is home to picturesque towns and villages and the highest mountain in Wales.
It is looked after by the Eryri National Park Authority.
For more information about visiting Eryri go to the Eryri National Park Authority website.
National Forest for Wales
Coed y Brenin Forest Park forms part of the National Forest for Wales.
The National Forest will:
- create areas of new woodland
- enhance existing woodlands
- restore Wales’ irreplaceable ancient woodlands
It will form a connected ecological network running throughout Wales, bringing social, economic and environmental benefits.
Parts of the network will eventually form a trail running the length and breadth of Wales, so anyone can access it wherever they live.
For more information go to the National Forest for Wales website.
Visiting safely
We want you to return home safely after your visit here.
You are responsible for your own safety as well as the safety of any children and animals with you during your visit.
For advice and tips to help you plan your visit here go to Visiting our places safely.
Changes to visitor facilities
See the top of this webpage for details of any planned closures or other changes to visitor facilities here.
For your safety, always follow instructions from staff and signs including those for trail diversions or closures.
We may divert or close trails whilst we undertake maintenance work or other operations and we may need to close other visitor facilities temporarily.
In extreme weather, we may close facilities at short notice due to the risk of injury to visitors and staff.
Organising an event on our land
You may need permission from us to organise an event or to carry out some activities on our land.
Check if you are allowed to use our land.
Accessibility information
There is a shorter accessible trail through the lower part of the forest garden.
The accessible trail starts from the Forest Garden car park (this small car park is for the use of Blue Badge holders only).
How to get here
Pandy car park is 6½ miles north of Dolgellau.
Postcode
The postcode is LL40 2NL.
Please note that this postcode may not take you to the car park if you use a sat nav or navigation app.
We suggest you follow the directions below or use the Google map on this page which has a pin on the car park’s location.
Directions
Take the A470 north from Dolgellau towards Porthmadog.
About 200 metres after passing the Tyn y Groes Hotel, turn right following the brown tourist signs to Ty'n y Groes.
Follow the tarmac road past the Ty’n y Groes picnic site for just over one kilometre.
At a crossroads just after the Glasdir car park turn left uphill.
Turn right at the next cross roads, cross a small bridge and go past the Pont Llam yr Ewig car park.
Continue past the Forest Garden car park (for Blue Badge holders only) and the Pandy car park is 150 metres up the hill on the left.
What3Words
View this place on the What3Words website.
Ordnance Survey
The Ordnance Survey (OS) grid reference for the car park is SH 744 224 (Explorer Map OL 18).
Public transport
The nearest mainline railway stations are Barmouth (Cambrian Coast line) and Blaenau Ffestiniog (Blaenau Ffestiniog-Llandudno line).
For details of public transport go to the Traveline Cymru website.
Parking
Parking is free of charge.
Overnight parking is not permitted.
Contact details
Coed y Brenin Forest Park Visitor Centre
Related document downloads
Forest Garden Trails guide
PDF [575.3 KB]
Other places in North West Wales
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