Aber Falls Waterfall Walk: Wales, UK

About Aber Falls

The beautiful Aber falls (Rhaeadr Fawr in Welsh) is near the village of Abergwyngregyn in Wales. The destination is a well-known part of the Snowdonia National Park. The Aber Falls route is popular and as you read on you will see why!

This entire walk there and back is about 8.5km and for us we spent just under 5 hours there, but this includes relaxing at the falls, having a picnic, taking photos and exploring. Therefore, you can do this route in a couple of hours there and back or spend a full morning or afternoon there.

Abergwyngregyn Village

Abergwyngregyn is a small village and is located between Bangor and Llanfairfechan on the coast of North Wales. The village has a Cafe called Cafe Hen felin where you can enjoy refreshments before or after your walk.

Carparking info

The carpark for the falls is through the village and up into the hills, you may think you’ve gone the wrong way as you head up the narrow roads. But hang on in there, you will reach your destination soon enough.

There are two carparks, the first one you come to is the lower carpark and then at the far end of that one there is a left turn over a bridge that takes you to the Upper carpark.

FYI: Upper carpark has a public toilet, that are open for visitors. (Bonus!)

Carpark opening times:

7am to 7pm (1 April to 30 September)

7.30am to 5pm (1 October to 31 March)

Please note: When the upper carpark closes, we believe the gates get locked at this time too, so be careful when planning what time you will get back to your car to avoid being locked in!

The Cost: £5 (coins only!)

The two carparks at the start of the walk cost £5 per day, however there is limited parking, 36 spaces in total. In busy periods, if you struggle to get a space there is alternative parking at the bottom of the village, free of charge.

Note: starting here will add approx. 1 mile extra to your walk.

Postcode: LL33 0LP

Start of the walk from Aber falls carpark

We parked in the lower carpark and took the gate at the end of the carpark (past all the parked cars on your right). When you go through the gate it looks as though there’s two paths, however take the upper path (that you can see in the pictures below) and you will be on the right track.

Follow this stunning track with the sound the stream below you to your left. This is such a stunning route, already! This path is an incline most of the way, until you come to a dip toward a wooden bridge that takes you across the stream. We saw this pretty bridge as a photo opportunity. What do you think? (picture below)

After the bridge you will come to another gate, head through the gate and follow the path upwards to your right. Yes, another incline! Well, we are going up to the waterfall after all… as you follow this path you will soon come to a wooden hut by another gate, you will also see an Aber Falls sign, confirming you are heading the right way, few!

The path continues for a steep incline for a while now and you will start to hear the stream to your right at this point. The path then suddenly opens up and you will see amazing views of the mountains and hills in the distance, there’s a bench here too, so it is definitely worth a little stop to take in the surroundings. Or if you’re like us, a perfect photo opportunity.

After your little stop, continue along the path until you come to a little building on your left.

Information Centre

The little building on your left, looks like nothing at first, however if you go inside, it is actually a very pretty little information centre. So be sure to check this out en route!

Reaching the falls

After taking in all the information, continue along the path again, enjoy more stunning views ahead. You will pass a sign that says “tree adornments”, have a little read on your way by for some interesting information. Next you will pass through two stoned walls with open gates, as you pass through the second one, listen carefully, because at this point we could hear the waterfalls! That’s when you know you are nearly there…

A few 100 meters later, you will spot the top of the main attraction; Aber Falls! If you also look over to your right around this point you will see a mystery waterfall in the distance. Keep heading on forwards, you’re almost there…

Aber falls

You will come to several benches en route towards the waterfall, all with stunning views. Alternatively, you can head right over to the fall itself for a closer look. The tracks to the waterfall include gravely paths, as well as cobbled stone steps, amongst grassy areas.

The waterfall is breath taking and you need to see it in person to appreciate its beauty. We also suggest allowing some time to spend here, before having to rush back to the carpark as it is so peaceful and enjoyable. The perfect place for a picnic on a nice day, or even a warm flask of your favorite hiking beverage on a colder day.

Once you’ve spent some time here, picnics eaten, photos taken, and waterfall enjoyed… wait? What was that other mystery waterfall, we saw in the distance?…

Finding The Mystery Waterfall

We were unaware of the second waterfall on the route, until we got here and saw it in the distance on the way to Aber. We like to find these hidden gems ourselves instead of doing intensive research on a place before we go!

The mystery waterfall is called Rhaeadr Fach, if you cross the bridge at the bottom of Aber falls and you are facing the waterfall with it to your left, you will see a gate to your right, the path through this gate takes you to Rhaeadr Fach. (AKA The Mysery Waterfall)

Now when we went on the hunt for it, we started to think we’d imagined it, because we were walking along the path and we couldn’t see anything, plus there wasn’t any signs to indicate that there was another waterfall. We almost turned back, but we said lets just check around this next corner.. and then, we heard the magnificent sound of the water crashing down the rocks.

YAY! Another waterfall, and Wow! We didn’t expect it to be just as breath taking as Aber! But it was, it was like a little fairly land.

Heading back to the carpark

We turned back around after spending some time at the second waterfall. And headed back towards Aber Falls, from here we followed our same route back to the carpark. However, once you reach the little wooden hut (from the start of the walk) you can turn right for the upper carpark or go straight ahead for lower carpark. And then head through the gate in front of you instead of going left where you came from. Then, follow the path back to the lower carpark. This last bit takes you a slight different way back to the beginning, but you can take either path.

Additional Information

If you are a beginner to hiking and long walks, this one is a great starter… before you head out be sure to read our hiking tips and hiking bag essentials.

Thank you for reading, we hope you found this useful and enjoyed the read. If you did, please let us know in the comments and If you are heading to Aber falls after reading, enjoy it and let us know how it goes! 😊

Lu & Ad

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