New Year Wales Waterfalls Road Trip & Map: Brecon Beacons, Elan Valley & Snowdonia 🚗
New Year in Wales just works. Short days, long twilights, pub fires on full blast and waterfalls in full roar after weeks of rain. This loop strings together some of Wales’ most dramatic cascades and scenic drives, starting in the Brecon Beacons, cutting through the quiet beauty of the Elan Valley, then finishing in Snowdonia with big-mountain drama and misty forest falls. 🌲
This New Year Wales Waterfalls Road Trip works best as a 4 to 6 day loop. You’ll wander trails like the Four Waterfalls Walk where you can actually duck behind Sgwd yr Eira, then roll through Victorian dam country in the Elan Valley before heading north to classics like Swallow Falls and Aber Falls in Snowdonia.
Set it up on your own Google My Map, plot your guesthouses from Booking.com, add viewpoints and trailheads, and you’ve got yourself a tidy New Year escape. 🎉
New Year Wales Waterfalls Road Trip
🚗 Quick Trip Facts
- Ideal trip length: 4–6 days over New Year
- Rough distance: 350–450 miles depending on detours
- Start / end: Easy gateways from Cardiff, Bristol or Birmingham
- Driving vibe: Mix of A roads, mountain passes, single-track with passing places, sheep and black ice potential 🐑
- Best for: Waterfall lovers, keen photographers, hikers who don’t mind mud
- Winter conditions: Short daylight, very slippy paths around waterfalls, occasional snow at higher passes
- Where to stay: Cosy inns, guesthouses and cabins via Booking.com, plus budget-friendly hostels in towns like Brecon and Betws-y-Coed
- Car situation: Bring your own or grab car hire from Cardiff or Bristol
- Who this suits: Couples, friends and solo travellers who like a mix of walking, views and pub time
🔹 Tinker’s Tip: Book flexible stays on Booking.com and keep one night “floaty” in the middle so you can shuffle things around if the weather kicks off.
🚗 Recommended Car Rental: DiscoverCars
Itinerary: New Year Wales Waterfalls Road Trip 💧
Day 1 – Cardiff / Bristol to Brecon Beacons Waterfall Country 🌿
Roll into the southern Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) and aim for Waterfall Country near Ystradfellte. Dense woodland, mossy gorges and footpaths following a string of cascades set the tone straight away. If you time it right, you can see in the New Year in a cosy Brecon pub, then walk it off the next morning.
📍 Things to do in Brecon Beacons Waterfall Country 🌧️
- Four Waterfalls Walk – Classic loop taking in several falls with gorge views and rocky paths. Sgwd yr Eira is the star and you can actually walk behind the curtain of water when conditions are safe.
- Sgwd yr Eira “hero” stop – Short on time? Focus your energy here. In winter it thunders after rain and feels properly wild.
- Henrhyd Falls – One of the tallest falls in South Wales and a fun extra if you have the legs for another muddy set of steps.
- Brecon town wander – Finish up in Brecon for a canal-side stroll, supermarket top-up and dinner in a pub with a crackling fire. 🔥
👉 Good to know: Paths around the waterfalls are rocky, muddy and very slippery in winter. Decent boots with grip, trekking poles and a dry set of clothes back in the car will feel like the best decision you made all trip.
Day 2 – Beacons Views, Then Up To The Elan Valley 🚙
Spend the morning soaking up a final Beacons viewpoint, then follow the scenic A470 north towards Rhayader and into the Elan Valley. The road rolls through classic Welsh upland scenery before you drop into a landscape of huge dams, looping roads and big skies.
📍 Things to do between Brecon and Elan Valley 🌄
- A470 viewpoint lay-bys – Pull into a lay-by for a quick brew from the flask and a photo of rolling hills and distant peaks.
- Rhayader pit stop – Stock up on snacks, grab a coffee, check the weather and stretch your legs before heading deeper into dam country.
- Elan Valley dams drive – Follow the road past Caban Coch, Garreg Ddu and Pen y Garreg, then on to Craig Goch. The drive hugs the reservoirs and really shows off the scale of the place.
🔹 Tinker’s Tip: Roads in the Elan Valley can be narrow with passing places and very dark after sunset. Aim to finish your driving by mid afternoon in winter and enjoy the last light from one of the dam viewpoints instead. 🌅
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Day 3 – Elan Valley Waterfalls & Dark Skies ✨
Today is for slow exploring. Park up and wander between lookouts, mini trails and tucked-away falls near the reservoirs. In winter, the dams can look like giant frozen curtains and the valleys feel extra remote once the day trippers have vanished.
📍 Things to do around the Elan Valley 💙
- Claerwen Dam to waterfall walk – A short, moderately hilly route to a tucked-away fall with big views back to the dam.
- Garreg Ddu “secret” waterfalls – Walk along the road and small paths to find pretty little cascades tucked beside the reservoir.
- Craig Goch viewpoint – The “top dam”, and one of the best spots for moody photos, especially at golden hour.
- Stargazing session – On a clear night, find a safe lay-by or designated viewpoint and look up. The stars here in winter are unreal. 🌌
💡 Fact: The Elan Valley dams were originally built to supply drinking water to Birmingham, and the reservoir system covers around 70 square miles of upland Wales.
Day 4 – Elan Valley To Snowdonia Via Scenic Backroads 🏔️
Time to point the car north. From Rhayader, loop across Mid Wales then cut into Snowdonia, aiming for base towns like Betws-y-Coed or Llanberis. The vibe shifts again here, with steep peaks, slate villages and another batch of waterfalls tucked into forests and steep-sided valleys.
📍 Things to do as you roll into Snowdonia 💦
- Swallow Falls (near Betws-y-Coed) – A classic multi-tiered fall in a steep gorge, easily reached from the road with short paths and viewing platforms.
- Aber Falls – One of the most impressive falls in North Wales, reached by a straightforward there-and-back walk that works well in winter daylight if you time it right.
- Llanberis lakeside stroll – If you base yourself in Llanberis, take a spin around Llyn Padarn for mountain reflections and slate-heap views.
- Betws-y-Coed village wander – Cafés, outdoor shops and a fast-flowing river that sounds like white noise as you walk around. Very New Year-cozy. 🎄
👉 Good to know: Popular falls like Swallow Falls and Aber Falls can still pull a crowd even in winter, especially around New Year. Go early, or time your visit for a slightly drizzly spell and you might share the view with just a few other soggy humans.
Day 5 – Extra Snowdonia Waterfalls Day (Optional) 🌧️
If you have time, keep one more full day in Snowdonia to mop up extra walks, slow brunches and last photo stops. You can build this in as a “spare” day to use when the weather behaves.
📍 More waterfall ideas in Snowdonia 🌲
- Conwy Falls & Conwy Castle – Cascades in a wooded gorge, with trails through mossy trees and a café for a post-walk warm-up.
- Ceunant Mawr (Llanberis Falls) – A tall fall tucked above Llanberis, good for a short wander if you are staying nearby.
- Nantcol Waterfalls – A lovely set of falls and pools in a quieter corner of North Wales if you decide to loop via the coast.
🔹 Tinker’s Tip: Snowdonia is serious mountain country. Even if you only plan short waterfall walks, pack layers, food and a torch. Daylight drops quickly in the valleys around New Year and it is very easy to underestimate how gloomy it will feel under the trees by mid afternoon.
Access to the map
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Map will be located under "YOU" and then under "MAPS".
ℹ️ Add the map to your Google Maps app.
After opening Google maps, click YOU and then scroll down to MAPS. It should be located there. Any issues, just get it touch, it’s no problem!
🛑 Pit Stops & Side Detours
These little extras fit nicely around the main loop if you have spare time or fancy variety between waterfall days.
Hay-on-Wye – Book-mad border town full of second-hand bookshops, cosy cafés and a castle ruin. Ideal first-night stop if you are coming from England. 📚
Pen y Fan sunrise – If conditions are safe and you are hill-fit, a pre-dawn walk for sunrise views can be magical. Skip it if there is ice, strong wind or clagged-in cloud.
Devil’s Bridge – Famous for its gorge and waterfalls, easy to tag on if you thread your route between the Elan Valley area and the coast.
Harlech or Barmouth – If your loop runs to the coast, both give you sea views plus easy access back into Snowdonia.
👉 Good to know: Keep a loose rule of no more than 3–4 major stops per day in winter. It is much nicer to fully enjoy two waterfalls and a pub dinner than rush around four hikes in the dark.
🍽️ Local Eats Worth Chasing
You will burn through plenty of calories clambering around wet rocks, so lean into Welsh comfort food. Think big bowls of cawl, slabs of Welsh rarebit, pub pies and towers of Welsh cakes and bara brith in between.
Brecon: Classic market-town vibes with pubs, cafés and bakeries. Perfect for a New Year’s Eve dinner near your first waterfalls. 🎇
Rhayader: Handy midpoint for hearty pub food before or after a day on the dams.
Betws-y-Coed: Packed with cafés and restaurants in walking distance, so you can leave the car parked and wander out in the evening.
For accommodation near your food stops, search Booking.com for village inns and guesthouses, and check hostels if you like common rooms and saving cash for more pub dinners.
🔹 Tinker’s Tip: Book dinner for New Year’s Eve itself at least a week or two ahead, even in small towns. Locals head out too and “we’ll just wing it” can quickly turn into “crisps for dinner in the car”.
🎶 Road Trip Playlist
A few ideas to suit rainy window days, moody dams and long drives between valleys:
- “Go Your Own Way” – Fleetwood Mac
- “Running Up That Hill” – Kate Bush
- “Adventure of a Lifetime” – Coldplay
- “Send Me On My Way” – Rusted Root
- “Green Green Grass of Home” – Tom Jones (obligatory)
- “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” – U2
- “Fast Car” – Tracy Chapman
- A bit of Manic Street Preachers for the Welsh theme
- Chilled lo-fi playlists for dark drives back from the falls 🌙
👉 Good to know: Download playlists offline before you leave. Signal in Welsh valleys loves to drop out the second you hit your favourite bit of a song.
🎙️ Podcasts to Queue Up
Perfect for the longer hops between Brecon, Elan and Snowdonia:
Travel podcasts chatting about UK road trips and national parks
True crime series for longer A-road stretches when you are still in civilisation
Short history pods about Wales, castles and industrial heritage
Outdoor and hiking podcasts for inspiration while you roll past trailheads
Language snippets if you fancy learning a few words of Welsh on the road
🔹 Tinker’s Tip: Pre-download a mix of 30–60 minute episodes. That way you can match an episode to each leg of the drive without ending up parked outside your guesthouse waiting for the last five minutes to finish.
🎒 Road Trip Essentials
New Year in Wales is wet, chilly and occasionally icy, which is exactly why the waterfalls look so good. Pack for that.
- Waterproof boots with decent grip
- Warm layers, hat and gloves 🧤
- Lightweight microspikes or grippy overshoes if you worry about icy paths
- Proper waterproof jacket and trousers
- Dry change of clothes left in the car
- Flasks for hot drinks and soup
- Headtorch plus spare batteries
- Paper map or downloaded offline maps
- Power bank and in-car charger
- Small first aid kit and emergency snacks
- Phone with an eSIM or data package if you are visiting from abroad
- Solid travel insurance that covers winter road trips and hiking
👉 Good to know: Hire cars are usually set up with all-season tyres, not full winter tyres. If snow is forecast for higher passes, shuffle your days, stay lower and swap a hill walk for an extra valley waterfall instead.
Rent a Car
Access to the map
No sign up required and totally FREE. Literally just using Google Maps to plot your route! Saves you messing! We don't gatekeep here! Enjoy.
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FAQs
How many days do I need for the New Year Wales Waterfalls Road Trip?
Four full days is the minimum that feels relaxed, but five or six gives you breathing space to wait out bad weather and add extra walks. A nice split is one to two nights near Brecon, one to two near the Elan Valley, and two in Snowdonia so you can pick waterfalls based on the forecast.
Is this road trip safe to drive in winter?
For most drivers, yes, as long as you respect conditions. Main A roads are usually gritted, but minor lanes can be icy or flooded and high passes sometimes close in snow. Keep an eye on local forecasts, avoid unfamiliar mountain roads in the dark and give yourself extra time for every stage.
Do I need to be a serious hiker to enjoy these waterfalls?
Not at all. Some falls are reached by short, well-marked paths that suit anyone with average fitness, while others involve steeper, muddier sections and rocky steps. You can tailor the trip to your energy levels each day and always turn back if paths feel too slick underfoot.
Can I do this trip without a car?
Pieces of it, yes. The full loop, not really. Buses and trains connect some towns, but many of the best waterfalls and dams sit down minor roads with no public transport. To unlock everything on this route in a short New Year window, you really want your own wheels or car hire.
Travel Planning Resources
Ready to book your next trip? These trusted resources have been personally vetted to ensure a smooth travel experience.
Book Your Flights: Kick off your travel planning by finding the best flight deals on Trip.com. Our years of experience with them confirm they offer the most competitive prices.
Book Your Hotel: For the best hotel rates, use Booking.com . For the best and safest hostels, HostelWorld.com is your go-to resource. Best for overall Hotel ratings and bargains, use TripAdvisor.com!
Find Apartment Rentals: For affordable apartment rentals, check out VRBO. They consistently offer the best prices.
Car Rentals: For affordable car rentals, check out RentalCars.com. They offer the best cars, mostly brand new.
Travel Insurance: Never travel without insurance. Here are our top recommendations:
- EKTA for Travel Insurance for all areas!
- Use AirHelp for compensation claims against flight delays etc.
Book Your Activities: Discover walking tours, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more on Get Your Guide. They have a vast selection of activities to enhance your trip. There is also Tiqets.com for instant mobile tickets.
Book The Best Trains: Use Trainline to find the most affordable trains or Rail Europe for rail passes!
Travel E-SIMS: Airalo Worldwide! Use your mobile phone anywhere!
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Nick Harvey
Hi, I am Nick! Thank you for reading! The Travel Tinker is a resource designed to help you navigate the beauty of travel! Tinkering your plans as you browse!
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