13 Best Things to do in Dolgellau, Snowdonia

The perfect jumping off place to explore Snowdonia, the beautiful town of Dolgellau is a town geared towards exploring the outdoors. Sitting beneath the mountain of Cader Idris, the market town is made of stone streets and buildings with views of the mountains out to the ocean. Below you can find complete details of the 13 best things to do in Dolgellau as well as information on the best hotels is Dolgellau and information to help you plan your visit. We spent time in Dolgellau during our visit to Wales with our 3 kids and had an epic time biking and hiking.

Quick Look at the Things to do in Dolgellau

Here is a brief snapshot of the 13 best things to do near Dolgellau, Wales. Most of the best activities in the are take advantage of the gorgeous natural surroundings including the mountains, estuary and coast. You can find many hiking trail, biking routes, and more near Dolgellau. Scroll down to learn more about each site and activity.

• Mountain Bike at Coed y Brenin Forest Park
• Hike Cader Idris
• Walk or Cycle the Mawddach Trail
• Grab a pint and bite in town
• Visit King Arthur’s Labyrinth
• Explore Cymer Abbey & Llanelltyd Bridge
• Walk the Precipice Trail
• Visit Barmouth
• Go Horseback Riding
• Hang out at Dolgellau Park
• Torrent Walk
• Drive to Cregennen Lakes
• Try an Adventure Sport: Kayaking or Canyoneering

Map of Things to do in Dolgellau

Details of the Best Dolgellau Things to Do

There are so many amazing things to do in Dolgellau. Below you can find Dolgellau tourist information to help you plan your visit and find the best activities near Dolgellau. This list also includes the best hike near Dolgellau.

Mountain Bike at Coed y Brenin Forest Park

The gorgeous and Coed y Brenin Forest Park is best known for it’s biking trail but is really a forest park with many options for everyone. You can find hiking, running, and biking trails, a cafe, and kids’ activities.

The center was Britian’s first biking park and has marked trail for a variety of activities. You can easily spend the entire day at Coed y Brenin. The park is open daily and you can find outdoor shops as well as bike rentals all on site. The trails are geared towards a number of different abilities, so whether you are visiting with kids or looking to get out for a more challenging ride you can find many options.

To see more about visiting Coed y Brenin, check out the official website.

Hike Cadair Idris

Cadair Idris sit directly above the town of Dolgellau and is one of the best hikes in Snowdonia. There are several ways to hike to the summit of this mountain and it’s even possible to hike the mountain right from town (although it is a long hike). Below are some of the distance and elevation gains of the different routes up Cadair Idris.

Out and Back via the Pony Trail
Distance: 5.7 miles
Elevation gain: 2,200 feet
Difficulty: Challenging 

Loop Trail Cadair Idris, Craig Lwyd and Tal-y-Llyn 
Distance: 7.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,200 feet
Difficulty: Challenging

Cadair Idris via Minfford Path
Distance: 5.9 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,900 ft
Difficult: Challenging

We climbed Cadair Idris with our 3 kids and enjoyed not only the mountain views but the beautiful lake that sits at the cliffs below the summit.

If you don’t want to hike the whole mountain, it’s also worth hiking up the Pony Path. This is a lovely walk and you get up into the hills for some great views without going all the way to the summit.

See a complete guide on hiking Cadair Idris.

Walk or Cycle the Mawddach Trail

The Mawddach Trail is a beautiful multi-use trail that stretches from 9 miles through an estuary from Dolgellau to Barmouth. The trail is wide and well maintained and is almost completely free of motorized vehicles. Most people enjoy the Marddach trail on foot (walking or running) or on bike. We spent a day cycling the Mawddach trail from Dolgellau to Barmouth and back.

The trail starts in Dolgellau near the playground and slowly travels downhill through the estuary. It is really a lovel ride with several bridges. The trail ends as it makes its way into Barmouth across a large bridge. Here you can enjoy town and take your time before biking back to Dolgellau. We rented bikes for the day right in town at Dolgellau Cycles.

See more information about the Mawddach Trail.

Grab a Pint and Bite in Town

We enjoyed grabbing some food and drink at the end of everyday in Dolgellau. Despite being a small town, there are several good options for places to eat and we enjoyed the atmosphere of people coming in after a day out on the trail getting a drink and some food. There were lots of road bikers and hikers stopping off in the midafternoon.

Some of our favorite places to grab a bite included:

Visit King Arthur’s Labyrinth

King Arthur’s Labyrinth is a fun underground destination, especially if you have kids. Take a boat into an underground cavern where you’ll come across dragons, ancient scenes and the world of King Arthur. Full of mystery and stories, the entire experience is built in an underground mine and is a great activity, especially on a rainy day.

See more about visiting King Arthur’s Labyrinth.

Explore Cymer Abbey & Llanelltyd Bridge

One of the sites along the Mawddach Trail that is worth a visit on its own is Cymer Abbey & Llanelltyd Bridge. The arched bridge is closed to vehicles and is a pretty site as it crosses the river. Right nearby, you will find Cymer Abbey. A Cistercian Abbey, Cymer Abbey was founded in 1198 and was originally supported by Welsh nobility. Since 1537, the abbey has been in disrepair and slowly falling apart. Some of the stones were removed for construction of local building but you can still see the outline and remains of the abbey.

Walk the Precipice Trail

The Precipice trail is an easy walking trail with incredible views of the hills including Llyn Cynwch. The trail is popular and well marked and maintained. There are a few steep sections so use caution if hiking with your kids or if you have a fear of heights.

The hike is generally done as a loop walk from the Precipice Car Park.

Distance: 3.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 825 feet
Difficulty: easy

Visit Barmouth

The pretty town of Barmouth is just 9 miles from Dolgellau and is an excellent place to visit during your time here. With a large expanse of sandy beach great for picnics, swimming and bird watching we loved walking the beach and exploring the town.

Since we visited on a windy and rainy day, we spent part of our time enjoying a snack in town and visited the arcade but you can find many great places to walk as well as nearby castles to visit.

Go Horseback Riding

Snowdonia is all about the outdoors an a fun way to explore the local trails is on horseback. You can find a few places that offer horseback riding tours

Check out Gwydyr Stables Riding & Trekking just north of Dolgellau.

Hang out at Dolgellau Park

Located right in town, Dolgellau has a large park with a big playground. This wasn’t on our radar when we visited, but we spent several hours walking around the park and playing of the playground and using the exercise equipment.

Torrent Walk

Torrent walk is a short and easy walking trail along Afon Clywedog. It is a very pretty loop trail that takes you along a beautiful stream with cascades of water, through the forest and past several large boulders left by glaciers. The trail is popular and is just a short drive from the town of Dolgellau.

Distance: 1.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 425 feet
Difficulty: Easy

Drive to Cregennen Lakes

The beautiful Cregennen Lakes are just a short drive away and are one of the best things to do in Dolgellau if you are visiting with a car. The lakes are at the base of Cadair Idris in Arthog. You can drive to the lakes and take a short or long walk out to enjoy them. The lakes are very photogenic, expecially first thing in the morning.

Try Kayaking or Canyoneering

If you are looking for a little more adventure, you can also try one of the fun outdoor adventure activities offered in the area. There are several tours where you can go kayaking, canyoneering or even mountaineering in the area. You can also rent your own kayaks in a few areas nearby (although not directly in Dolgellau). You can see some options below of some of the adventure tours offered nearby.

Things to Know about Dolgellau

Dolgellau is a small town of just 2,600 people. The small town is centered around a few cross streets with a large park. We visited Dolgellau during our 10 day UK itinerary. Below you can find some general information about the town.

Getting Around Dolgellau

To do most of the activities on this list you will need a car. Most of the places on this list are just a short drive from town but many of the sites are too far to walk.

It is possible to take a bus to Dolgellau and to walk to several of the activities on this list. If you do arrive by bus you can rent a bike in town to get to some of the nearby hiking trails and to get to Barmouth.

Below you can see some of the approximate driving times to get to Dolgellau:

• London to Dolgellau: 5 hours
• Birmingham to Dolgellau: 2.5 hours
• Manchester to Dolgellau: 2.5 hours
• Bristol to Dolgellau: 3.5 hours

Where to Stay in Dolgellau

Below you can find several options of places to stay in and near Dolgellau. We’ve had a lot of success booking stays through booking.com – especially when we are traveling as a family of 5. We tend to find a bigger variety of options, some off the beaten path places to stay and a selection of hotels and apartments.

• Farm Stay Snowdonia Coast: This is a fun and unique stay on a farm.
• Try Clamping on the Coast: This is a fun alternative to camping – these little huts/pods are a beautiful place to stay
• Dwy Olwyn: This is a lovely little hotel in the country with a terrace and a garden just a 10 minute walk from town.
• Elden Row: These apartments are a great option and centrally located in town

How Long to Spend in Dolgellau

There is so much to do in the are, that you should plan to spend at least 2 days in Dolgellau. Ideally you should spend 3-5 days in the area to do several of the things to do in Dolgellau on this list. This gives you a chance to spend a day in Barmouth, and you can spend a few days hiking or biking in the area.

Best Time to Visit Dolgellau

Daytime temperatures range from mid 40s in the winter to upper 60s in the summer. The best time to visit Dolgellau is from June-Oct when the temperatures are mild. November-January tends to be the coldest with the most rainy days. We visited in August and even during the summer it was not crowded on any of the trails.

Is Dolgellau worth visiting?

We loved our time in Dolgellau and had so much fun enjoying a small town in the heart of Snowdonia. Visiting Dolgelau is best for you if you like to hike, bike or simply enjoy nature. There are so many things to do in Dolgellau and the Snowdonia that we can’t wait to go back!

Other Things to do in Wales