The walks are described in outline on this page, with links (as soon as I can do them) to detailed itinerary and photos on separate pages for those that interest you. (At the moment the only link is to the Snowdon paths, but I am working on this.

A short walk starting at the house:

This walk lasts about one-and-a-half to two hours, and takes you to the ruined Hebron Chapel, and for a cup of tea at the beautiful restored cottage of Pen-y-Ceunant.

• Begin by turning left out of the drive, then immediately left into Capel Coch Road. You pass the Chapel itself - an impressive example of Victorian architecture, and all the more amazing when you realise that the population of Llanberis at the time was only around 3000, and Capel Coch was only one of 6 chapels in the village (not including those in the surrounding valleys).
• Continue up Capel Coch Road, past the Youth Hostel and Cwellyn Bach (literally 'little Holly bush') Farm,and up to the end of the road. From this road you get good views of Snowdon itself on the left, and Moel Eilioahead, with the huge old quarries of Dinorwig behind you, cutting out what seems to have been almost half of Elidir Fawr.
• At the very top of the road you come to a T-junction where you turn left (turning right would take you on the path to Moel Eilio described below). This path used to be a track (though not for cars) and goes eventually over to Rhyd Ddu (also described below). As you follow this you will cross two streams, the second of which feeds the Llanberis waterfall, and is the main tributary of the River Seiont, running into and out of Lake Padarn, and entering the sea at Caernarfon castle.
• You can certainly recognise this second stream by the concrete building (which I think might have been part of a small-scale hydro-electric plant) just upstream on the right hand side. You turn off the track just a few yards beyond this.
• Turn left at the gate and stile, then follow the footpath upwards into the valley. Ahead there is a ruined cottage with a tree growing all over it, giving it a living roof, and beyond that you will see Hebron Station on the mountain railway, with the old Hebron Chapel to its right. Keep heading up until you reach the chapel itself - too dangerous now to go inside, but you can see through the windows the remains of its Victorian grandeur. The chapel was used until well into the 20th century by the farming families who lived in the valley, and it feels strange to me to realise that enough people did live here to warrant a special chapel in addition to all those in the village itself.
• You turn left past the front of the chapel onto a road, and have a choice of routes. The most direct is directly down the metalled road, which takes you underneath the Snowdon Railway and down to Pen y Ceunant tea rooms. A slightly longer one is to cross the road, following the signpost to Snowdon: this route joins the popular 'Llanberis path' (which would take you to the summit if you turned uphill). Turn left here, down the hill to Pen y Ceunant.
• After your stop at Pen y Ceunant (no meals served, but you are welcome to eat your own sandwiches there), finish the walk by turning right immediately below the house and following the path through the woods, ending up on the main road into Llanberis at the Royal Victoria Hotel (now a 'Quality Hotel'). From here it is only a few minutes' walk past the Mountain Railway Station to the High Street and back to Plas Coch.

Snowdon itself: There are many guides to the ascents of Snowdon. An extremely good one is by the 'High Trek Snowdonia' company (a local firm of guides). Our personal favourite route is the PyG track, which starts from the car park at Pen-y-Pas. It is a good path, well-marked and easy to follow, with glorious views in all but the worst weather. You can descend either by the Miners' track back to your starting-point, or (avoiding the problem of the usually-full car park), down the Llanberis path into the village. (Take the bus from Llanberis to Pen-y-Pas - about a 15-minute journey). Allow a good 5 hours for this if you are a fairly fit walker.

Moel Eilio: Still a decent mountain, but smaller and kinder, is Moel Eilio, just behind Plas Coch. It's only 2700 feet high, and there is a wonderful panorama from the top, taking in Snowdon in the south, the Llyn peninsula (and Ireland if you are lucky) to the West, Caernarfon, the castle, and Anglesey to the North, with the Llanberis valley, Elidir Fawr, and the Glyderau in the East. The walk starts at our house: turn left out of the drive, and immediately left up Ty Du Road. Follow this round the corner and past the small sheltered housing estate, then up the slope and take the next left. At the top of this road turn right and immediately left, then follow the lane all the way along, with the bulk of Moel Elio above you and to the left. Eventually you will get to a point where the track descends again, but at this point you should turn sharp left up the side of the mountain, and climb up the shoulder to the summit. From the summit you can continue along the ridge, looking down on the impressive lake of Llyn Dwythwch below you in the Cwm, then descend to the old pack-horse road which runs from Rhyd Ddu to Llanberis. Turn left to follow this back to the village and you will return to your starting point via Capel Coch Road, with Plas Coch on the left when you finally reach the High Street. To the summit is an easy 2 hours, then the rest of the walk is another 2 or so.

To Rhyd Ddu and the Welsh Highland Railway: About a three-hour walk but not high, is the old Pack-horse route to Rhyd Ddu. Start by turning right out of our drive then immediately right again up Capel Coch Road. Very soon you pass the impressive bulk of Capel Coch itself, then you follow the road all the way past the houses, past the Youth Hostel and the farm/campsite of LLwyn Celyn Bach (Little Holly Bush Farm) and up to a T-Junction where the road turns into a track. Turn left here and follow the track, which takes you all the way to the village of Rhyd Ddu (english pronunciation approximated to 'Rid Thee'). If you time your journey right you can catch the narrow-gauge railway all the way to Caernarfon, eat at one of the restaurants there, and get the bus back to Llanberis. A full day, but exciting.

Padarn Lake Walk: An excellent low-level walk (about 5 miles with no ascents) is to go all the way round Llyn Padarn. Start in the car park of Padarn Country Park: walk up to the Quarry Hospital Museum, then follow the signs. It will take you about 2 hours at a steady pace.

Vivian Quarry Trail: Still on short walks, but with more 'up', the 'Vivian Quarry Trail' is a beautiful one of about an hour (or more if you stop to explore). This one too starts in the country park, and there are leaflets available to show you the way.

Pushchair walks: If you want some less demanding but still rewarding walks in the area, go to www.pushchairwalks.co uk. The site consists of a huge database of downloadable family walks, all tested to be pushchair-friendly and with facilities on route including pubs, tea shops, trains and ducks! Also suitable for those with limited mobility or who just want an easier stroll.