Standing at the foot of Lake Vyrnwy, Llanwddyn is a tiny village in the heart of Powys, Mid Wales. Lake Vyrnwy is man-made, with the dam that created it completed in 1888. The original village of Llanwddyn was submerged by the lake and in dry summers, if the water level drops far enough, the ruins of the old village reappear. There is both a Visitor Centre and Craft Centre in the village itself and Llanwddyn is a paradise for walkers, with many trails nearby, including the popular route Glyndwr's Way that skirts the village. Cyclists appreciate the 13 mile flat trail around the perimeter of the lake and indeed bikes are for hire within the village. But Llanwddyn is most well known for the RSPB nature reserve at Vyrnwy.
Birds that breed in and around the lake include goosanders, common sandpipers, great crested grebes and mallards. In the winter months, small numbers of teals, pochards and tufted ducks can be seen, and non breeding cormorants are present all year. The river Vyrnwy travels through Llanwddyn, beginning at the lake before running into the River Severn many miles away at Melverley in Shropshire.