Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), drawn by Global Adventurer.
The walk
The walk starts from the Fernbrook Road car park in the middle of Penmaenmawr, on the North Wales coast. A path climbs out of the top of the town onto the hillside and leads up past Graiglwyd, where Neolithic people made stone axes, to the Meini Hirion, the Druids' Circle, a ring of stones on Cefn Coch with a view out over Conwy Bay and the Great Orme. A track leads east across the hill to Foel Lus, 362 m, and paths and the lane down from the Sychnant Pass bring you back to the town.
It is 6.9 km with 427 m of ascent; allow about 3 hours. The grade is Moderate.
The paths on the hill are rough and in places indistinct, and the ground can be wet after rain: take a map in poor visibility. The last kilometre is on tarmac, on the Sychnant Pass lane and the town's streets.
OpenStreetMap shows no charge at the car park. Penmaenmawr railway station is about 330 m from the start.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Nearby Graiglwyd was a major stone axe factory, and its axes were traded widely about 5,000 years ago
- The Meini Hirion, the Druid's Circle, is a stone circle on the hillside above the town
- Diorite quarrying began on Penmaenmawr mountain in 1830 and removed its top, including the Iron Age hillfort of Braich-y-Dinas, which was destroyed in the 1920s
- Foel Lus rises to 362 m above the town and the Sychnant Pass
Summits on the way
- Foel Lus 362 m
Getting there
Start: Fernbrook Road car park, Penmaenmawr. 53.26772, -3.92211
Directions to the start
By train: Penmaenmawr station is 0.3 km from the start.
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Fernbrook Road car park: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line is drawn along OpenStreetMap paths and the figures are worked out from it; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.