Mawddach Estuary
The Mawddach Estuary in Gwynedd is one of the finest estuaries in Wales, a wide tidal inlet extending inland from Barmouth beneath the slopes of the southern Snowdonia mountains in a setting of extraordinary natural beauty that John Ruskin described as the most beautiful estuary in Europe. The combination of the mountains, the estuary and the ancient woodland on the hillsides above creates a landscape of remarkable variety and scenic quality.
The Mawddach Trail, a 9.5-mile walking and cycling route following the former railway line along the southern shore, is one of the finest estuary trails in Wales, the views across the tidal water to the mountains above Barmouth creating a continuously rewarding landscape experience. The wooden viaduct carrying the trail across the Afon Gwynant above the estuary provides the most dramatic single feature of the route.
The RSPB reserve at Fegla Fach on the northern shore provides the most productive birdwatching on the estuary, the combination of tidal mudflats, saltmarsh and oak woodland providing habitat for redshanks, curlews and the hen harriers that sometimes hunt the estuary margins in winter.