In the 1950s, Betws y Coed was primarily a Welsh speaking, Chapel attending community. There were two chapels in the village, and a smaller one at Pentre Du up the road.
Betws had experienced tourism since the 18th century being on the A5 post road. The local area used to attract numerous artists because of its beautiful views and romantic feel. New names appeared such as the ‘Swallow Falls’ rather than Rhaeadr Ewynnol and Ffos Noddun instead of ‘Fairy Glen’ as hotels and guests houses were built. Tourism was something that happened in the summer months with Betws reverting back to the locals in Winter. Then it all changed. With the A55 in the 1970’s came a new type of tourist. Daytrippers and weekend visitors.
Betws-y-Coed is one of the honeypot locations in Snowdonia. It lies in the Snowdonia National Park, in a valley near the point where the River Conwy is joined by the River Llugwy and the River Lledr, and was founded around a monastery in the late sixth century. The village grew very slowly with the development of the local lead mining industry. In 1815, the Waterloo Bridge, built by Thomas Telford to carry the London to Holyhead road (now the A5) across the River Conwy and through the village, brought considerable transport-related development. The village became a major coaching centre between Corwen (to the east) and Capel Curig (to the west) on the Irish Mail route from London to Holyhead, which led to the improvement of the roads south to Blaenau Ffestiniog and north to Llanrwst and Conwy. It is a primary destination for the purpose of road signs.
Transport to a place frozen in time with a visit to Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant, a historic stone-built farmhouse in North Wales. See firsthand how the Welsh lived over the centuries and enjoy breathtaking views of the beautiful Conwy Valley. Tŷ Mawr was the birthplace of Bishop William Morgan, the first translator of the Bible into Welsh. So, take the chance to introduce your kids to local history. You can also spend time in the Tudor Kitchen Garden to find out what plants and medicine were grown by the people of old.