Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Swallow Falls
(adult/child £1.50/50p)
Betws-y-Coed's main natural tourist trap is 2 miles west of town along-
side the A5. It's a beautiful spot, with the torrent weaving through the rocks into a green
pool below. Outside of seasonal opening hours, bring a £1 coin for the turnstile.
WATERFALL
Ugly House
(Tŷ Hyll;
www.theuglyhouse.co.uk
;
10.30am-5pm Easter-Oct, 10.30am-4pm Fri-Mon Nov-Easter)
The Ugly
House isn't actually ugly at all. This unusual cottage is constructed from huge boulders
and is home to a characterful tearoom and, upstairs, the Honeybee Room, with displays
devoted to the beleaguered insect. Visitors can wander through the grounds and gardens,
even when the house is closed.
The origins of the house are steeped in folklore. One yarn suggests it was built in 1475
by two local bandits as their hideout; according to another, there was a Welsh law that al-
lowed any man who built on common land after sunset and had smoke coming out of the
chimney by daybreak to stake a claim for the freehold as far as he could throw an axe
around the property.
The Snowdonia Society, a charity working to protect and enhance Snowdonia's heritage
and wildlife, rescued the property from dereliction and turned it into its headquarters in
1988 following painstaking renovations by a team of dedicated volunteers. It's located
half a mile past Swallow Falls on the A5.
HISTORIC BUILDING
Conwy Valley
Railway Museum
OFFLINE MAP
MUSEUM
GOOGLE MAP
( 01690-710568;
www.conwyrailwaymuseum.co.uk
; Old Church Rd; adult/child £1.50/80p; 10am-5pm)
If
you're the sort that's fascinated by dioramas and model train sets, this tiny museum is for
you. In which case the model shop you have to pass through in order to enter might pose
an unfair temptation. The big attraction for kids is the miniature steam-train ride (the
1-mile round trip costs £1.50) and there's a cafe in a full-sized carriage.
St Michael's Church
(
www.stmichaelsbyc.org.uk
; Old Church Rd; 10am-5pm Sun Easter-Sep)
The name Betws is thought to
be derived from 'bead house', meaning a place of prayer (
y coed
- in the woods). It's
likely that 14th-century St Michael's Church, the town's oldest building, stands on the site
CHURCH
