Llyn Elsi — Local services in Betws-y-coed

Never before have I encountered a more secluded and challenging lake to visit by car than Llyn Elsi.

We first began our journey on foot - a 1.3 mile journey that should have taken approximately 41 minutes. However part way into the journey, up what felt like an almost vertical incline, we realised that we were out of our depth and turned back to make the journey by car instead.

Looking on Google Maps, the journey seemed pretty straight forward. Little did we know that we would be met with private roads, dead ends, and a road path seemingly taken from an advanced off-road course. In all seriousness, had we been driving anything less capable than an SUV/MPV, we would have most certainly struggled to complete the trip to the summit.

I’m a little disappointed to say, that reaching the top was quite anti-climatic considering the effort made. Seeing past the dull, dreary weather that we had been cursed with, still we couldn’t fathom what all of the fuss was about.

On the plus side, for those that prefer solitary locations, somewhere to think, or not even think at all, Llyn Elsi is the epitome of that. There wasn’t a soul in sight. We had the whole lake to ourselves.

If being somewhere on your own is your preference (and you’re prepared for the journey), then Llyn Elsi is the place for you. If you desire something more than this, then sadly I would suggest that you may want to consider...

We took the Jubilee Path up to Lyn Elsi which has a quite well hidden entrance by a bus stop between the pottery shop and The Dragon chinese restaurant on the left hand side jist as you drive out of the village. There are some steps which soon lead to a fairly steep path, and there are some tricky bits so it probably wouldn't be suitable for very young children or those not up for a more challenging walk!

It's easy enough to follow the path, and then you get to a junction where you the need to head left. This heads up through the hill and is quite tough in places, but when you get near the top the views over Betws-y-Coed are amazing and well worth it. You then pick up the main path up to the lake, which looks great on a nice day and has some good views and interesting points. We then headed back down to the centre of Betws-y-Coed but the views this way are not so great, I'm definitely glad we took the Jubilee Path on the way up.

It took us about 2 hours and we were going at a...

Just had to add my experience after reading the unfair negative review.

They said they were out of their depth walking up the steep incline. I was 23 1/2 stone at the time I walked it. I was lured here by the description "an easy circular walk" on mud and routes.com . It's certainly not that. It's really tough going for a beginner or a fat lad:) But... perseverance is key. It's a beautiful spot and so tranquil. So glad I didn't turn back.

I do think that routes are graded with experts in mind, I know there's no scrambling or climbing here but for those of us beginners that incline at the start from the back of the church up is a real struggle. P.S. if you see me on the trails, I wasn't helicoptered in. I walked it...