Bala Tourist Information

Lake Bala (Llyn Tegid)

Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid) is the largest natural waterbody in Wales. It is much used by watersports enthusiasts as the winds sweeping through the mountain valley makes it particularly good for activities like sailing and windsurfing. Equipment can be hired at various shops and the watersports centre at Bala offer canoeing and kayaking, sailing, windsurfing on Lake Bala and white water rafting from the nearby Whitewater Centre at Llyn Celyn. You can hire equipment or book yourself on watersports courses to try new sports or develop your existing skills. Fishing is also popular with pike, roach, perch, trout, grayling and eels available for fishing. There are a total fourteen species of fish found in Llyn Tegid.

The lake, a protected wildlife site, is 484 hectares in size and extends to 42 metres in depth. One of its important features is the unique gwyniad fish, a subspecies of European whitefish. It is believed to have been restricted to Lake Bala from the end of the last Ice Age, some 10,000 years ago. The fish which spends most of its time in the deeper, colder parts of the lake and only move into shallower water at night to spawn, is no longer found anywhere else in the UK. However, its natural home is becoming increasingly unsuitable due to deteriorating water quality and a lack of oxygen in the depths of the lake in summer, caused by the growth of algae that develops due to run-off from agricultural land and human activity. The gwyniad has also come under threat from the ruffe, which was introduced to Llyn Tegid in the 1980s. This small, aggressive fish congregates around the gwyniad spawning areas and eats the eggs and young fish.

Conservationists have been so worried about its future at Lake Bala that a project in which the Environment Agency Wales, Countryside Council for Wales, Gwynedd County Council and Snowdonia National Park have tried rearing fish from eggs collected from the gwyniads in Bala to supplement the natural population at another location nearby.

According to legend the lake is inhabited by a monster known affectionately as Teggie. Although this has never taken off like the legend of Nessie in Loch Ness, reports of this creature have been around since the 1920s. It is also said that on moonlit nights you can see towers and buildings under the waters, and that bells can be heard. These buildings, according to legend, were the palace of King Tegid, husband of Ceridwen, the mother of Taliesin.

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Canolfan Tryweryn - The National Whitewater Centre

The National Whitewater Centre is entirely man-made and was developed as the first commercial whitewater rafting operation in the UK in 1986. Since then it has grown to become the largest rafting organisation in the UK.

The main centre has a reception, cafe and, more importantly, free hot showers! The man-made River Tryweryn is 8kilometres of white water whose level can be altered by dam release from Llyn Celyn. However, you do need to check on the latest water release information on their website or the contact details below as the centre does not have control over this. The lower river can be used recreational kayaking/canoeing anytime the centre is open except when competitions are on.

There is a whole host of events throughout the year including canoeing/kayaking competitions that are held on the white water downstream from its dam and whitewater rafting on the two kilometre stretch of rocky steep rapids classed as a grade 3/4 (Grade 1 being gentle flowing water). You can book kayaking, canoeing and coaching courses or adventure breaks for weekends. Some of the activities on adventure breaks include climbing, mountain biking, clay pigeon shooting, quad bikes, pony trekking, canyoning, 4x4 off road driving and bushcraft.

Contact details: Booking hotline: 01678 521083 Monday to Friday 9.00am till 4.30pm. Water Release info: 01678 520826. Canolfan Tryweryn, The National Whitewater Centre, Frongoch, Bala, Gwynedd, North Wales LL23 7NU Tel: 01678 521083 Fax: 01678 521158. Also check the website or call direct for the latest price information.

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Bala Lake Railway

Bala Lake Railway (Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid) is another of the Snowdonia narrow gauge railways. The Bala and Dolgellau railway, from which this originates, was built by the Bala & Dolgelley Railway Company (note the English spelling for Dollgellau!). It opened in 1868.

This heritage steam railway runs for nine miles around the eastern shore of Lake Bala. You can sit back and enjoy the views of the lake and Arenig Fawr and Aran Benllyn mountains. The trip takes around one hour. The main station is at Llanuwchllyn, just off the A494 at the Southern end of the lake, where there is parking, refreshments and a gift shop. You can also see the engine being prepared for the journey and have a look at the other engines in the loco shed. Other stations on the line are at Pentrepiod, Llangower, Bryn Hynad and Bala.

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