Llyn Brenig reservoir is a stunning place for you and your family to walk or cycle in north Wales. Located in Cerrigydrudion, Conwy the lake offers beautiful scenery, multiple trails, fishing and boat hire as well as a very good visitor centre, making it a great destination for a mini adventure.
It always surprises me when we visit Llyn Brenig just how quiet it is. In fact, it’s possible to walk a good few miles on one of the many trails without bumping into another soul. This is probably one of the reasons why you have a decent chance of spotting a variety of wildlife there. Deer and otters, grouse and buzzards, and red squirrels and badgers can all be found on this beautiful landscape. If you’re really lucky you may even catch an osprey hunting the lake for fish, so a great idea is to take a wildlife spotting card with you for your critters. They’ll really enjoy filling it in and it’ll also distract them from just how far they are walking, which often results in a very quiet car journey home. Perfect!
The reservoir itself is surrounded by stunning moorland, most of which is part of the Mynydd Hiraethog Site of Special Scientific Interest. And with good reason. From Bronze age burial grounds to 16th Century farmhouse remnants, the trails really do offer you a glimpse into the rich heritage of this particular corner of north Wales. Again, whether you do your research beforehand and go prepared, or collect some information leaflets and sheets from the visitor centre before you begin your walk or ride, you can seamlessly intertwine your energetic outdoor family adventure with some historical learning for you and your kids along the way.
There are multiple trails to choose from at Llyn Brenig all of which are waymarked making them great for families who want a taster of the outdoors but who haven’t committed enough to it yet to map read (although maps are available from the visitor centre for those that want them). Despite having a few short, steep sections, most of the trails are also fairly flat and well maintained which makes them suitable for early walkers and riders. As a result, in terms of gear, trail shoes or trail runners are the order of the day as heavy boots will just be overkill on this particular terrain. However, if you’re taking on one of the longer tracks just ensure that your day pack is stuffed with all of your usual hiking gear as the weather is notoriously changeable in north Wales.
Some trails, like the Elorgarreg Trail (5 miles) offer more uneven ground and rough terrain making them a better challenge for older critters. Overall, however, the major factor that really distinguishes trail difficulty at Llyn Brenig is length. The shorter trails, such as the 2 mile Forest Trail or 2.5 mile Dam Trail, are great introductory tracks dotted with the odd picnic table should you wish to sit and relax with your clan by the lake. However, the longer Brenig Trail and Circular Trail (both about 9.5 miles in length) offer a challenge for the more outdoor experienced and energetic families amongst you. For those of you that wish to cycle around the lake bikes can hired onsite but you’re advised to pre-book, particularly at weekends and busy periods. To further confirm their family friendly status you can also hire bike trailers for young children whose little legs haven’t got much peddling in them just yet.
The visitor centre has the obligatory café which serves up your usual array of foodie treats including a great Welsh favourite the Bara Brith cake. It also has some truly lovely views over the lake to reward yourself with after a day of outdoor exertions. Adjacent to the visitor centre there is an adventure playground for children to occupy them while you sip a well-earned brew, although I can’t help but think if Jesse still has the energy to muck about on that he’s conned me by staying in the carrier too long! Last but not least, all of this is yours for the measly fee of a £2 car park charge. So what are you waiting for? Get outdoors!
It looks stunning. I’m kind of gutted that my kids are at school most of the time, means we have to cram our weekends full with outdoor activities. Roll on the school holidays. Actually, we’re are debating on getting our hands on a bell tent, any tips or good companies to go to would be appreciated. I’ve just been made redundant so I should be getting a small chunk of money soon. I know I shouldn’t just blow it, but I think a bell tent would be a good investment. Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Soulpad, Karma Canvas or Dusky Deer are your best bet for bell tents. All of them have virtually identical canvas weights and features and all three have really good customer service speaking to other bell tent owners. They’re a great investment like you say, if you look after them well they can last you decades. I hope that helps.
Looks like a beautiful place! My family loves to go out in nature and explore as well, and this sounds so peaceful, without many people or crowds. The cake and brew at the end sound equally enticing:). #mondayescapes
I have only rarely ventured into Wales and not familair with this spot at all. it looks truly stunning/ #CountryKids
It really is. I always worry my photos don’t do places justice – particularly on dull days – but even I can’t make this place look bad haha.
What a gorgeous spot for a walk and the scenery is beautiful. I love places that also have a bit of history attached to them too – always makes a walk extra-interesting. #CountryKids
Love the photos you’ve taken at Llyn Brenig reservoir! The place looks so vast!! Beautiful scenery xx #CountryKids We had a much more hectic week!! 😉
It looks like you’ve all enjoyed some fabulous adventures around North Wales, the scenery is truly beautiful. It’s amazing the heritage along these trails, it’s great that you do your research before starting you adventure so that the kids learn whilst they explore. I’m sure you had some sleepy little ones in the car after these adventures!
Thanks for linking up with me on #CountryKids.
We’re so lucky living in north Wales with so many great and varied outdoor opportunities. Thanks for hosting. Great link as always.
What a beautiful place to explore! Love your photos, especially of the tall trees.
#countrykids
Looks like you were lucky with the weather, the lake looks beautiful. I used to go walking in Snowdonia lots before having kids but to my shame I’ve never heard of the reservoir – seems to be the perfect option for little legs. #countrykids
Snowdonia is so beautiful we love exploring around there. But, yeah as this is much flatter it means far less time in the carrier 😄. Thanks for reading.
It looks a beautiful place think you have the best places up north love the photo of you carrying two children asleep Thanks for linking to the #binkylinky come back next week please
Thanks for hosting mate. I’ll definitely be back next week😄
What a beautiful place to visit, the scenery is stunning. Looks like all that fresh air worked a treat on the children
I am so amazed on how pretty the area is! Made me wish I live there so that we can do this walks too! #countrykids
Wow, it looks lovely. Thanks for linking up to the #BinkyLinky
How beautiful and a lovely place to visit. Sensible length walks too with enough to challenge. Wonderful photos of the blue sky and blue water. Love how your dog joins in. #CountryKids
Oh the dog is perhaps our biggest kid of all, there’s no way we can leave him out haha. Thanks for reading.
I lived in Wales for years but never heard of this! Looks brilliant. I always think how amazing it is how quiet it can be at some of these places, it’s because Wales is so vast I think! Thanks for joining us at the #bigpinklink
Looks a perfect spot – tranquility and wildlife, with hidden history and water for the dog. I’ll definitely make a mental note for next time we are in North Wales 🙂
This looks just perfect for my walking family and my Hubby grew up in North Wales so is always eager to go back and visit. I love the photos and even your dog looks to be having great fun!
Ah, thanks for reading and commenting. It’s always nice to meet another family of walkers.
What a beautiful place!!! Oh my, your dog is really cute, he must have loved to be with his pack on this adventure 😀
Thank you for joining #MondayEscapes 😉
aww this sounds fab! haven’t been to North Wales for like 30 years or so. your write up certainly makes me want to visit and try a bara brith cake? of which ill google haha! #Whatevertheweather
Oh Wow! This is the type of place we would love to go hiking! We so need to visit Wales! Great pictures #whatevertheweather
Wow! What a perfect place for hiking with family and paw friend. I love that view. <3
#countrykids
That looks pretty perfect! Great walks of different lengths, water, paths, animals and cheap parking! Fab. Stunning photos!
mainy – myrealfairy
#FabFridayPost
Oh Wow! Supermum and Superdad carrying their babies! I can never walk that far carrying them on my front or my back as I have a really bad back. But the bike seem like a really good idea though. I love that the dog gets to go to the walk with you. What a lovely scenery North Wales present. It will be on my travel bucket now! Thank you for linking up with us on #FabFridayPost
Wow! This looks like such an incredible and beautiful place to walk and explore. Just added North Wales to our long list of places to visit now!! #whatevertheweather