The Meirionnydd Ramblers are a friendly and welcoming group. We offer regular and varied walks in the wonderful countryside in and around southern Snowdonia.
The hills to the north of the Mawddach are rich in minerals and have a long history of mining, though all of the mines are now closed. This walk visits the Clogau gold mine, the site of a great gold find which triggered the “Welsh Gold Rush” of 1862. This mine, the richest in the area, eventually closed in 1998 and, although there has been some talk of re-opening it, it remains closed today. Its gold is highly sort after and has traditionally been used in royal wedding rings.
Today’s route takes us a short way alongside the Mawddach Estuary before heading up into the wooded valley above Bontddu. We leave the woodland and walk through fields to reach the Clogau mine workings, where we pass by an impressive old tunnel entrance and rusting machinery. Our return brings us down through the woods of the Coedgarth-Gell Nature Reserve and back to the start.
Group grade C+
Fiddler's Elbow layby on A496 just E of Bontddu
