Swallow Falls (Rhaeadr Ewynnol)
Photo via Wikimedia Commons — licence & author.
Wales' most famous cascade
This is a quick reference, not a full walked guide. The facts below — location, parking, grid reference and access — are maintained from our dataset, but we haven't published our own first-hand write-up of Swallow Falls (Rhaeadr Ewynnol) yet. Know it well? Help us get it right.
The most famous waterfall in Wales — the Afon Llugwy crashing through a wooded chasm in a series of frothing chutes, a two-minute walk from the A5 and a tourist favourite since Victorian times. Entry is by a contactless turnstile, and it's at its thunderous best after rain. For a quieter view, a forest path leads to the north bank. Easily combined with Betws-y-Coed and the Fairy Glen.
Getting there
Swallow Falls (Rhaeadr Ewynnol) is in Betws-y-Coed, Eryri (Snowdonia). It's roughly 9 min (2.1 miles) from Betws-y-Coed , and within reach of Capel Curig (11 min) and Bethesda (31 min).
The nearest parking: Lay-by/car park at Swallow Falls on the A5. Grid reference SH 763 577 — works on any OS map and doesn't need a phone signal.
Good to know
Turnstile entry (contactless); best after rain. Quieter viewpoint from the north bank via the forest path.
On the map
View Swallow Falls (Rhaeadr Ewynnol) on OpenStreetMap ↗, or open it in the Explore Wales trip planner to add it to a day out with drive times and offline maps.
Staying over?
Betws-y-Coed makes a relaxed base for exploring the area — worth staying over to catch an early start or a golden-hour finish.
Browse places to stay near Betws-y-Coed ↗ opens Booking.com — needs signalNearby places
Make Swallow Falls (Rhaeadr Ewynnol) part of a day out
Add it to a trip in the free Explore Wales planner — chained drive times, weather, campsite suggestions, and offline maps for when the signal drops.