Swallow Falls is the most-visited natural sight in Snowdonia, and on a midsummer afternoon you will share the viewing platforms with several coachloads. Come at dawn or after rain and the place transforms: the Llugwy crashes through a series of rocky steps in a tight wooded gorge, and the spray hangs in the air. The full drop is about ten metres in stages.
The falls sit two miles west of Betws-y-Coed on the A5 — most people drive, but you can walk along the riverside path from the village in about 45 minutes. The Royal Oak hotel opposite has been the place to dry out and warm up since stagecoach days.