LlynnoeddLakes & lochs

Small glacial tarn in a cwm below Corn Du, wrapped in fairy-lake folklore.

Powys

Glacial lake in a cirque on the north side of Pumlumon, the source of the River Rheidol.

Ceredigion

The higher of the two glacial waters under the Carmarthen Fans, beneath the eastern scarp of Fan Brycheiniog.

Powys

Cluster of natural upland lakes at around 1,500 feet near the source of the River Teifi, above Pontrhydfendigaid.

Ceredigion

Intensely green and once believed bottomless, this tarn lies high in Snowdon's cwm on the Miners' Track.

Gwynedd

Its name means water-lily lake; this large shallow reservoir on the Anglesey moors is good for wildfowl and trout.

Anglesey

Open moorland grazed by sheep and grouse surrounds this reservoir on the Denbigh moors of Mynydd Hiraethog.

Conwy

Out on the Denbigh moors of Mynydd Hiraethog, it lies in open sheep country north of Bala.

Conwy

Above Ogwen in the Glyderau, its outline is sometimes likened by walkers to a map of Australia.

Conwy

Drowning the village of Capel Celyn for Liverpool's water, this reservoir became a rallying point for Welsh nationalism.

Gwynedd

One of Britain's greatest Iron Age hoards came from this small Anglesey lake, votive metalwork cast into the water.

Anglesey

Source of the River Conwy, this moorland lake sits high on the wild Migneint plateau above Ysbyty Ifan.

Conwy

The deepest lake in Snowdonia, a bleak reservoir in a trench between the Carneddau and Creigiau Gleision.

Conwy

A wooded reservoir lake in a side valley above Trefriw, a quiet walking and fishing spot.

Conwy

Below Mynydd Mawr on the western approach to Snowdon, this deep lake holds the rare Arctic charr and supplies Caernarfon.

Gwynedd

Legend links it to Merlin and the fighting dragons of Dinas Emrys, in the Nantgwynant valley below Snowdon.

Gwynedd

A lake in the Gwydir Forest above Trefriw, one of the few in Eryri allowing powered watersports.

Conwy

A favourite for wild swimming below Snowdon's flanks, in the upper Gwynant valley on the road to Pen-y-Pass.

Gwynedd

Wales's first nature reserve, this cwm lake in the Glyderau is cradled beneath the cliffs of the Devil's Kitchen.

Gwynedd

In Snowdon's eastern cwm, a causeway on the Miners' Track crosses this dark lake below the summit.

Gwynedd

Anglesey's largest natural lake, a shallow marl water rich in birdlife amid the island's low farmland.

Anglesey

Set in the woods of the Vale of Ffestiniog, this ornamental lake lies beside the narrow-gauge railway near Tan-y-bwlch.

Gwynedd

Richard Wilson, pioneer of British landscape art, painted Snowdon reflected in this Nantlle valley lake.

Gwynedd

Legend holds that Excalibur lies in this shallow lake in the Ogwen valley, beneath Tryfan and the Glyderau.

Gwynedd

At Llanberis below Snowdon, a lakeside steam railway runs beside this glacial lake, overlooked by Dolbadarn Castle.

Gwynedd

Paired with Llyn Padarn at Llanberis, it is the lower reservoir of the Dinorwig pumped-storage station inside the mountain.

Gwynedd

Wales's largest natural lake, home to the gwyniad whitefish, with a little steam railway running along its southern shore.

Gwynedd

Built for hydro power on the Meirionnydd moors, it was long overlooked by a now-closed nuclear power station.

Gwynedd

A pair of upland lakes owned by the National Trust above the Mawddach near Arthog, with views of Barmouth Bridge.

Gwynedd

Twin lakes at Capel Curig giving one of the classic reflected views of the Snowdon Horseshoe.

Conwy

Below Cadair Idris, this natural lake lends its Welsh name, Llyn Mwyngil, to the narrow-gauge railway beside it.

Gwynedd

Bronze and Iron Age metalwork recovered from this Rhondda cwm lake gave its name to a period of prehistory.

Rhondda Cynon Taf

Beneath the Carmarthen Fans, this lake is bound up with the legend of the Lady of the Lake and the physicians of Myddfai.

Carmarthenshire