Ganllwyd: Gold Mining and Waterfalls

Ganllwyd brings together two distinct themes for trip planning: traces of gold mining and the woodland and waterfall landscape of Coed Ganllwyd. Local points of interest include a Scheduled Monument, the Rhaeadr Ddu and Coed Ganllwyd walking trail, and an audio trail about the people who worked in the gunpowder works.

Gold mining: surviving traces and monuments

Gwynfynydd was one of the largest gold mines in the Ganllwyd area, near Dolgellau. The gold mine has surviving earthwork remains: shafts, underground workings, open workings, and stopes. Remains of mine railways, inclines, winding engine houses, and other associated buildings and structures also survive. Together, these remains show both traces of mining in the landscape and the technical and built elements of the mining industry. An incline is a haulage system on a sloping track.

Another link to gold mining is the Berth-Llwyd & Cefn Coch complex, a Scheduled Monument (ME119). It includes an overgrown crushing plant dating from the 1860s, built for Cefn Coch and Geotref. The surviving works at Gwynfynydd and the complex’s crushing plant offer different insights into gold mining: one focuses on the varied traces of mining, while the other is a dated facility associated with Cefn Coch and Geotref.

Coed Ganllwyd: gorge, woodland, and waterfalls

The Coed Ganllwyd nature reserve includes a steep, wooded gorge with high, cascading waterfalls. The woodland is also part of a larger Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Coedydd Derw a Safleoedd Ystlumod Meirion / Meirionnydd Oak woods and Bat Sites. The landscape and its protected-area designations are therefore two different aspects of the same woodland.

The Rhaeadr Ddu and Coed Ganllwyd walking trail follows the turbulent River Gamlan and passes the Rhaeadr Ddu waterfalls. Ganllwyd Car Park serves as the car park for this walking trail. This distinguishes the general description of the wooded gorge from the specific route description: the trail is characterized by its course alongside the river and waterfalls.

Tyddyn Gwladys and local history

The Tyddyn Gwladys audio trail tells the history of the gunpowder works and the stories of the people who worked there. Unlike the gold mines, the focus here is on the powder works and the people employed there. The audio trail thus offers a distinct focus on Ganllwyd’s industrial history alongside its surviving mining traces.

Before leaving Ganllwyd, the road to Tyddyn Gwladys turns right onto a small road and crosses a stone bridge. Local history also includes Merched y Wawr: by the end of May, another local group had been established in Ganllwyd.

Discover more destinations: Bala, Porthmadog, Aberdaron, Llangian, Llanberis, Llanbedr, Arthog, Bangor

For the overview of the wider area: Gwynedd.