Gwydir Forest Park - Sawbench, near Llanrwst

Welcome

Sawbench is the starting point for a short walking trail and two red graded mountain bike trails.

The walking trail takes in historical features and has views over the Conwy Valley and Llanrwst.

The mountain bike trails are the classic Gwydir Mawr and a shorter, bitesize option Gwydir Bach.

Walking trail

The walking trail is waymarked from start to finish.

Look out for the information panel at the start of the trail.

Find out about walking trail grades.

Lady Mary’s Walk

• Grade: Moderate
• Distance: 1¼ miles/2.1 kilometres
• Time: 1 hour
• Trail information: The trail is on a mixture of wide forest roads and a path with an unmade uneven surface where you can expect some mud, rocks and tree roots. There is a chicane at the start of the trail, and at the top of the first hill, with a gap of around 60 cm to walk through. You will pass through another chicane, following a rough unmade path to rejoin the forest road where you'll follow the route to the Tudor Bowling Green, with a picnic table and a bench with a final vista down the Conwy valley en route to the car park.

This short historical walk has several viewpoints giving glimpses of the old market town of Llanrwst.

The walk is named after one of two Lady Marys from the Wynn family who bought the land and built up the historic Gwydir Estate.

The walk takes in two sculptures by local artists, one of which is a memorial to the old Llanrwst Town Hall.

Mountain bike trails

All our mountain bike trails are waymarked from start to finish and have been graded for difficulty.

At the start of the trail there is an information panel – please read this before setting off.

• Find out about mountain bike trail grades.
• For a list of our mountain bike trails and information to plan your ride, go to mountain biking.
• For more information about mountain biking in Wales, go to the Mountain Bike Wales website.

Gwydir Bach

• Grade: Red/Difficult
• Distance: 9.1 kilometres
• Climb: 350 metres
• Time: 45 minutes-1½ hours

Gwydir Bach is the little sister to its bigger brother, Gwydir Mawr.

Two big climbs earn you arguably the best descents of the whole trail, all wrapped up in one easy to digest, bitesize chunk.

Gwydir Mawr

• Grade: Red/Difficult
• Distance: 24.8 kilometres
• Climb: 800 metres
• Time: 2-4 hours

Gwydir Mawr is one of the original mountain bike trails and is a true classic.

Big climbs, big descents, brilliant singletrack and truly awesome scenery make this a trail to remember.

Now including a brand new two kilometre section with a mix of traditional hand dug trail and modern flow trail features.

You can also start Gwydir Mawr from Hafna car park.​

Gwydir Forest Park

Sawbench is in Gwydir Forest Park.

Gwydir Forest Park lies in the heart of the Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park and encircles the village of Betws-y-coed.

Lead and zinc mining once dominated the area and the legacy of old engine-houses, waste tips and reservoirs are characteristic features of the forest landscape today.

Several of the most important mines have been partially restored and made safe for visitors.

Waymarked trails start from Betws-y-coed and several other Natural Resources Wales car parks in Gwydir Forest Park:

• Betws-y-coed - peaceful forest walks away from the tourist bustle
• Cae'n y Coed - easy-to-find picnic area and walk with panoramic mountain views
• Cyffty Mine - short trail around abandoned lead mine
• Dolwyddelan - views of Snowdonia’s peaks on walking trail along Roman road
• Hafna - walking trail through lead mine ruins and red-graded mountain bike trail
• Llyn Crafnant - walking trails around the lake and accessible riverside trail
• Llyn Geirionydd - picnic site with walking trail around two beautiful lakes
• Llyn Sarnau - picnic spot with a walk to two scenic lakes
• Penmachno - remote mountain bike trails with spectacular views
• Ty’n Llwyn – walking trail to the famous Swallow Falls waterfall

Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park

Gwydir Forest Park is set in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park.

Eryri is the largest National Park in Wales and is home to picturesque towns and villages and the highest mountain in Wales.

It is looked after by the Eryri National Park Authority.

For more information about visiting Eryri go to the Eryri National Park Authority website.

National Forest for Wales

Gwydir Forest Park forms part of the National Forest for Wales.

The National Forest will:

• create areas of new woodland
• enhance existing woodlands
• restore Wales’ irreplaceable ancient woodlands

It will form a connected ecological network running throughout Wales, bringing social, economic and environmental benefits.

Parts of the network will eventually form a trail running the length and breadth of Wales, so anyone can access it wherever they live.

For more information go to the National Forest for Wales website.

Visiting safely

We want you to return home safely after your visit here.

You are responsible for your own safety as well as the safety of any children and animals with you during your visit.

For advice and tips to help you plan your visit here go to Visiting our places safely.

Changes to visitor facilities

See the top of this webpage for details of any planned closures or other changes to visitor facilities here.

For your safety, always follow instructions from staff and signs including those for trail diversions or closures.

We may divert or close trails whilst we undertake maintenance work or other operations and we may need to close other visitor facilities temporarily.

In extreme weather, we may close facilities at short notice due to the risk of injury to visitors and staff.

Organising an event on our land

You may need permission from us to organise an event or to carry out some activities on our land.

Check if you are allowed to use our land.

How to get here

Sawbench is 1 mile west of Llanrwst. 

Postcode

The postcode is LL26 0PN.

Please note that this postcode may not take you to the car park if you use a sat nav or navigation app.

We suggest you follow the directions below or use the Google map on this page which has a pin on the car park’s location.

Directions

Take the B5106 from Llanrwst towards Betws-y-coed.

After turning left at the brown and white sign for Gwydir Castle, turn immediately right onto a minor road.

Take the first forest road on the left signposted Mainc Llifio/Sawbench.

What3Words

View this place on the What3Words website.

Ordnance Survey

The Ordnance Survey (OS) grid reference for the car park is SH 789 609 (Explorer Map OL 17).

Public transport

The nearest mainline railway station is in Llanrwst.

For details of public transport go to the Traveline Cymru website.

Parking

Parking is free of charge.

Overnight parking is not permitted.

Contact details

There are no staff at this location.

Contact our customer team for general enquiries during office hours, Monday to Friday.