Welcome to Rowen walking

Welcome to Rowen walking

Dog owners… This is sheep farming country.  Keep your dog on a lead.

Rowen is a convenient start point for walks in the Carneddau mountains.
These mountains are never crowded.  They offer great walking on a fine, sunny day, but the mountains here are remote, and you can be as much as three miles from the nearest road.
Go prepared with a phone, map and compass and warm clothing and waterproofs.  Take plenty of water, spare food and a hot drink.  Route-finding can be very difficult in cloudy weather.  The weather can change quickly.

Tal y Fan (2001ft) is a popular day walk from the village car park, with views across to Anglesey.  See Walks 9 and 10 in our Circular Walks from Rowen.
Drum and the Welsh 3000s Foel Fras and Foel Grach and Carnedd Llewelyn can be walked from the Mountain car park in Bwlch y Ddeufaen, which is  marked on OS map OL17.  This is serious mountain walking, especially in winter.
Allow a full day for Foel Fras and Foel Grach from the mountain car park, and a very long day if you include Carnedd Llewelyn.
The Roman Road and the hills above Rowen are full of history: Maen y Bardd Neolithic burial chamber, standing stones, stone circles, Iron Age hill forts, all much older than Roman times!
See our website page Bus services

Please park on the roadside opposite the flagpole.  The public car park is shared-use for residents and Memorial Hall users, and it soon becomes congested.
The free public toilets in the car park are open from early April to end of October.

Mountain car park

The Mountain car park fairly near LL32 8UR at Bwlch y Ddeufaen near Rowen has space for about 12 vehicles.
Note: The road up to Bwlch y Ddeufaen is not recommended when there is snow on the road.
Directions:  There are two routes:  1. From Llanbedr y Cennin, up the hill past the Bull Inn, passing a signpost Bwlch y Gaer/ Bwlch y Ddeufaen then to Cae Coch and continue for one mile to the cattle grid and car park.
2. From Rowen.  Bear left in the middle of Rowen.  The No Through Road signs apply to vehicles larger than a small van.  The road is narrow, twisting and unsuitable for large vehicles or nervous drivers.  There are very few passing places.
Go through two metal gates, and turn right straight after the second gate.
YOU MUST CLOSE THE TWO METAL GATES.  Continue uphill to Cae Coch.
The car park is one mile beyond Cae Coch, just over a cattle grid.   There is space at Cae Coch for one or two cars to park, but please leave the road clear for farmers’ vehicles.

Cae Coch, December 2020. Please leave space for tractors to pass.

The very steep hill from Rowen up to Rowen Youth Hostel is only suitable for cars in dry weather.
There is no roadside parking near the hostel.  The only car parking space is inside the hostel gate, and is for hostel visitors only.
You cannot drive beyond Rowen Youth Hostel.

After your walk, why not visit the Ty Gwyn Hotel in Rowen for a drink or a meal.  There are many places to stay in Rowen. You could stay here for a week, or even a lifetime!

We’d love to have your comments.  Please email Peter McFadden peterhoney914@gmail.com

Recent feedback…
Thank you Peter McFadden for your wonderful posts of the beautiful walks in this stunning area. We have been encouraged daily to walk the walk!
We have looked at Tal y Fan every morning as we woke up, in our new home here in Rowen. This morning we were so thrilled to say …”Yes we did it !”   David and Mair Hulse.

Updated February 2023

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