Aber Falls

Aber Falls
Rhaeadr Fawr
Aber Falls (size is shown by people stood below)
Location	About two miles (3 km) south of the village of Abergwyngregyn
OS grid	SH6678970052
Coordinates	53.2105389°N 3.9949639°W / 53.2105389; -3.9949639
Total height	120 ft (37 m)
Watercourse	Afon Goch

Aber Falls (Welsh: Rhaeadr Fawr) is a waterfall located about two miles (3 km) south of the village of Abergwyngregyn, Gwynedd, Wales.

The waterfall is formed as the Afon Goch plunges about 120 feet (37 m) over a sill of igneous rock in the foothills of the Carneddau range. Two tributaries merge; the enlarged stream is known as Afon Rhaeadr Fawr; from the road bridge, Bont Newydd ("New Bridge"), the name becomes Afon Aber.

History

Visitors walking along the main footpath towards the falls may spot several small Bronze Age settlements including an excavated roundhouse and smithy fenced off with an information plaque adorning it, several standing stones and cairns are also present, most of these sites can be found on the right side of the pathway. There is also a piece of recording equipment that is recording the weather. It is located to the north west of Snowdonia National Park in Wales.

Visitor facilities

Visitors can park at Bont Newydd, from which the Falls are accessible on foot on a clearly marked trackway. There is a £5 charge for parking payable by cash or card but there are toilets and picnic benches available. The nearest place where food can be purchased is the cafe in the tourist information centre at Abergwyngregyn village.

It is possible to bathe in the plunge pool of the falls, although the water is cold even at the height of summer and care must be taken on the often slippery rocks.

North Wales Path

The North Wales Path, a long-distance coastal path between Prestatyn and Bangor, crosses the bridge at the foot of the falls. This bridge, together with the smaller one at the foot of the smaller falls to the west (Welsh: Rhaeadr Fach), was erected in 1995.

Gallery

• 
  Aber Falls with the mountains around
• 
  The bridge and falls

References

Bibliography

• Gwynfor Evans (2001) Cymru O Hud Abergwyngregyn.
• Gwynfor Evans (2002) Eternal Wales Abergwyngregyn

Novels

• Sharon Penman, Here Be Dragons
• Sharon Penman, The Reckoning
• Edith Pargeter, The Heaven Tree