Swallow Falls - Betws-Y-Coed, Conwy, North Wales UK - Ghosts and Hauntings on Waymarking.com

Sir John's spirit is said to be trapped in the waters of the fall as punishment for his mistreatment of men and women.

Gwydir Castle Website describes The Ghost:

'Sir John Wynn, first Baronet

Whilst we are not certain of the ghost's identity, an account published in 1906 provides a vivid (and rather horrific) explanation for the sightings and their associated smell. Apparently Sir John Wynn (either the first or fifth baronet - this remains unclear) seduced a serving maid at Gwydir in his youth. When the relationship became complicated, the unscrupulous Sir John murdered the girl and had her body walled-up within a large void in one of the chimney breasts. The smell of the decomposing body, it is said, lingered for months as an unfortunate reminder of his former amour. Significantly, a hollowed-out space was found earlier this century within the large chimney breast which backs onto the Ghost Room at the hall end of the passage. This, long called the 'priest hole', is where the body was said to have been secreted; and it is in this area that the smell is always at its strongest.

The fifth baronet is said to have made a deathbed confession to a murder committed at Gwydir during his youth in the mid seventeenth century. But the first baronet (1553-1627) is an equally likely candidate for the girl's murder. His (much-exaggerated) reputation as a local tyrant was established already in folklore when Thomas Pennant, the antiquary, visited the area in the 1770's. He recounts a tradition (which continues to this day) that the spirit of the old baronet remains trapped beneath the waterfall near Betws-y-Coed called the Swallow Falls, 'forever to be purged, purified and spat upon (by the waters) for the evil deeds committed by him in his days of nature'.'

Swallow Falls is situated just off the A5 main road which runs through the town. There is roadside parking in a long layby and the Swallow Falls Hotel is opposite.

There is an unmanned, turnstile gate to go through which costs £1.00 per person. Then a series of steep steps down a well-managed path leads to the middle of the waterfall (the base of the main part).

Swallow Falls is a spectacular waterfall especially after heavy rain, which is when we visited. It is a cascade type divided into three distinct tiers.

Public access?: It is open daily all year - manned April/May (10-3), June (10-4), July/August (9-5), Sept/Oct (10-3), all other times coin slot on turnstile (£1 coin). If it is manned children entry charges are 50p. Visting hours: Please see above Website about the location and/or story: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:

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Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   08/13/2015 The_Senior_Crabbes visited it 04/21/2014 Geo-Myck visited it

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