The Mawddach Estuary is a beautiful and largely unspoilt gem hidden away at the southern end of the Snowdonia National Park.
We love walking in this unspoilt part of the world and were lucky enough to steel a day trip in our campervan Nell before Christmas to walk one of the classic walks in the area.
Panorama Walk, near Barmouth
The Panorama Walk is Barmouth’s most famous walk and the view from the summit is one of the most spectacular in Wales, taking in the mighty bulk of Cader Idris to the south and the epic sweep of the Mawddach Estuary.
Visitors have been enjoying the views of the dramatic coastal scenery from Panorama viewpoint since Victorian times. Such was its popularity in the early 1900’s that the original walk to the viewpoint incorporated a tea room and the so-called ‘pleasure grounds’ (Panorama Gardens). Both have now long gone, and the lower slopes are slowly being reclaimed by native woodlands.
The Panorama Gardens part of the walk is a short loop, and can be accessed from a nearby car-park which eliminates much of the climbing. Even children who “don’t do walking” have enjoyed this one!
You can cut the route short at this point, but we continued on up to Bwlch y Llan at just over 300m and exchange the views of the Mawddach for those up the Ardudwy coast and onwards to the Llŷn Peninsula.
Details of the route will be posted on our Camper Trails page so you too can enjoy this fantastic walk together with another classic in the area, Precipice Walk, near Dolgellau but for a taster of the route take a look at our video on YouTube.
