WALK DETAILS

START 

Exit the car park going right on the road. Walk across the head of Bala Lake passing benches with nice lake views. When you reach The B4391 at a junction curve right with the footpath to join it. Shortly, at a sign for ‘The Tegid Way’, go left to carefully cross the road to a large kissing gate.

Points of interest on this section:

• Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid) is the largest natural lake in Wales and is around 3.5 miles long and has a maximum depth of 150ft

2) Pass through the kissing gate and head off down the surfaced track with The River Dee (Afon Dyfrdwy) on your right. Continue to follow the track and curve left with it as the river begins to curve right. Soon pick up The Afon Tyweryn and follow it to pass a weir near a bridge. Continue past a fence on your right to curve left. Follow the river to pass through a kissing gate, cross a track and pass through a second kissing gate.

Points of interest on this section:

• The River Dee (The Afon Dyfrdwy) rises in The Arenig Mountains of Snowdonia on the peak of Dduallt and flows for 68 miles to The Dee Estuary passing through both Wales and England
• The River Tyweryn is home to The National White water Centre which is located upstream near Frongoch. The river hosted The International White Water Canoe Championships in 1981 and 1995

3) Now go left and follow the river past another weir. Continue on the track to pass the entrance (a kissing gate) to a car park (there are toilets here). Stay ahead to pass through a gate and reach The A494 left of a bridge.

Points of interest on this section:

• The car park passed was once the site of Bala Railway Station which was on The Blaenau Ffestiniog Branch Line

4) Go left to follow the sidewalk soon crossing a side road. Continue down the main street of Bala and pass through the town taking care with children as it can be busy with cars. Keep to the left side of the road and pass the statue of Thomas Edward Ellis and The White Lion Royal Hotel (both over right) and Barclays Bank (left). Just before Bala cinema the pavement gets narrow for a short section so take extra care here. After the cinema continue on the sidewalk to pass Bala Leisure Centre (left) crossing the entrance to it. Stay ahead towards the lake to pass a café left. Just after this reach a kissing gate left.

Points of interest on this section:

• The statue passed is of Thomas Edward Ellis who was a Liberal MP for Merioneth and was influential in introducing land reform bills in Parliament
• The White Lion Royal Hotel was visited by Queen Victoria and was also used by George Borrow when he walked through Wales and recorded his adventures in the classic 1862 book Wild Wales
• Barclays Bank was once the home of The Reverend Thomas Charles. In 1800 16 year old Mary Jones walked 26 miles from her home in Llanfihangel y Pennant to collect a copy of the first Welsh Bible from Thomas Charles here. There is a commemorative plaque on the wall, A Mary Jones Trail and you can visit Mary Jones World on the outskirts of Bala

5) Go left through the kissing gate following the sign for ‘Cynwyd’. Follow the track beyond past a car park (toilets here) by Bala Lake and continue past two benches. Follow the track across the head of Bala Lake to reach the car park you began at. Drop half left back into it.