26 walks/40 pages
Barmouth and the Mawddach estuary, with its surrounding hills and mountains, is one of the most beautiful areas in Wales. Lying within the Snowdonia National Park, its stunning scenery has attracted many famous travellers and writers, with Wordsworth describing the estuary as "sublime". By the early 19thC, Barmouth, then a thriving port with many shipyards operating along the estuary, was also emerging as a holiday resort as sea-bathing became fashionable. Barmouth rapidly developed into an important Victorian sea-side resort. Across the mouth of the estuary lies Fairbourne with its famous narrow gauge steam railway. Inland, the wooded slopes above the estuary rise north to the foothills of the Rhinogs, and south to the Cadair Idris range. The walks in this fully revised new edition comprehensively explore the area's coast, estuary, hills, and upland valleys