Aber Falls Great country walks: take the North Wales Path to Aber Falls, Gwynedd Explore the famed North Wales Path, from lowlands to summit, and marvel at the majestic Aber Falls. The magnificent Aber Falls near the village of Abergwyngregyn in Gwynedd Difficulty Challenging Distance 6.7 miles/11 km Typical duration 4 hours 10 minutes Start and finish Abergwyngregyn bus stop and car park Map OS Explorer OL17 Step-by-step details and maps ramblers.org.uk/moel In a nutshell From the quiet village of Abergwyngregyn on the north Wales coast, this walk takes you along part of the long- distance North Wales Path, which runs from Bangor to Prestatyn, through fields to Moel Wnion, a hill sitting within the northern Carneddau range. You’ll climb to the summit to enjoy sweeping views before heading down the other side, walking past streams and gulleys. The pinnacle of the walk is Aber Falls, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Wales. After admiring the dramatic setting, you’ll return to Abergwyngregyn through a pretty national nature reserve. Why it’s special The highlight may be Aber Falls, but there’s much more to enjoy too, including a magnificent viewpoint on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park and plenty of wildlife spotting. Following the grassy track of the North Wales Path you’ll pass a cluster of old tree stumps where a plantation once stood (it may still be shown on your map). From here you begin the climb to the summit of Moel Wnion, which, at 1,900 ft requires a bit of leg-work, but is worth it for the views once you reach the top. Before you reach Aber Falls, you’ll pass Rhaeadr Fach falls. Although much smaller, it’s worth a stop. Shortly ahead, lie the majestic Aber Falls, or Rhaeadr Fawr in Welsh. Formed as the Afon Goch plunges about 120 ft over a sill of rock, not only are they amazing to look at, but the sound of the water as it crashes down is quite something. Though not recommended, it is possible to bathe in the plunge pool, but be warned – even in the height of summer the water is cold and the rocks are slippery, so proceed with caution. The return leg of this journey won’t disappoint either, as you head back through Coedydd Aber National Nature Reserve through woodland and open grassland. Watch for the many birds that frequent the site, including treecreepers, sparrowhawks, woodpeckers, tree pipits, skylarks and even buzzards and ravens. Look closely and you may spot polecats, stoat and possibly even lizards and adders. There’s a long history of human habitation in the valley too and archaeological finds from round huts to an iron age hill fort can be seen in the reserve. Reward yourself The Village Inn, a short drive away in the Victorian seaside resort of Llanfairfechan, does good food and is a B&B. Get there Abergwyngregyn is accessible by bus 5X, or Bus 5 which stops on the A55 Expressway (gwynedd.gov.uk). By car, the village is on junction 13 of the A55 between Llanfairfechan and Bangor. Source http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/jan/27/great-country-walks-moel-wnion-aber- falls-gwynedd-wales [Accessed 19 February 2015] © Guardian News & Media Ltd 2015 Reading 1. The walk is described as ‘challenging’. Which of the following features of the walk contribute to the challenge? (i) the time (ii) the gradient of Moel Wnion (iii) the height of Moel Wnion (iv) the height of the falls (v) the slippery rocks a. (i) and (ii) b. (i), (iii) and (v) c. (ii) and (iii) d. (ii),(iii) and (iv) e. (i) and (v) 2. Which of the following words in the text does not refer to a feature of the landscape? a. cluster b. summit c. gulley d. pinnacle e. plantation 3. The map shows the following features: a. directions to the car park and start of the walk b. the height of Moel Wnion c. the general route of the walk d. the location of bridges on the walk e. the scale in miles and kilometres 4. Briefly summarise the attractions of the walk. In this question you will paraphrase the text. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 5. How does the writer of the text use language and layout to achieve its purpose? You should use examples from the text to support your answer. In this question you will discuss the purpose of the text and analyse the language. ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Writing 6. Describe a walk or journey with which you are very familiar. Write 350-500 words. 7. Choose a tourist attraction which you know well and write a review to appear on a website such as TripAdvisor. Write 200-300 words. Oracy 8. Topic: Leisure Prepare a presentation giving an account of a memorable holiday. The presentation should last 5-7 minutes including time to answer questions. 9. Topic: Wales, Leisure, the World of Work, Citizenship Research and prepare to participate in a discussion on the benefits and problems caused by tourism. The discussion should last about 10 minutes and each person in the discussion will be expected to: • present the information they have found; • give their own views; • respond to the views of others. Use this link as a starting point for your research: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/glacial_landscapes/human_activity_ glaciated_areas_rev2.shtml.