- 4 bedrooms
- 4 bathrooms
- ★★★★ 4-star
- Dog friendly
Facilities
- Breakfast Included
- Fireplace
- Free Parking on Premises
- Non Smoking
- Restaurant
- TV
- WiFi
- Wireless Internet
Please note: the Brigands Inn is closed at the moment. The team who had run it for ten years came to the end of their lease and the inn shut its doors. The owners, Bettws Hall, have submitted plans to refurbish it and keep it going as a hotel and pub. No reopening date has been announced. Enquiries go to Bettws Hall on 01686 650628 or enquiries@bettwshall.com.
A historic coaching inn in the Dyfi Valley
The Brigands Inn stands at Mallwyd, beside Dinas Mawddwy, where the upper Dyfi valley runs into the southern edge of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park. It is a 15th-century coaching inn on the banks of the Dovey. It sits at a crossroads that has been one of the main interchanges in mid Wales for centuries. The north-south road, now the A470, crosses the east-west route here.
Where the name comes from
The inn has not always been called the Brigands. It was the Peniarth Arms in the early 1900s and the Bury Hotel in the 1920s. The name it carries now remembers the Gwylliaid Cochion Mawddwy, the Red Bandits of Mawddwy.
They were a band of red-haired robbers who worked these hills in the 1500s. Mawddwy then sat on the boundary between the Welsh Marches and Meirionnydd, and the law barely reached it. The inn is said to have been one of their haunts.
The one thing about them that is certain rather than folklore is grim. On 12 October 1555 they murdered the Sheriff of Meirionnydd, Baron Lewis ap Owen of Dolgellau.
The valley around it
This is a quiet, scenic corner of Wales. Cadair Idris rises to the north-west and Bala Lake lies over the hills to the north. The market towns of Dolgellau and Machynlleth sit at either end of the valley. It is walking and touring country, with trails running straight off the roadside, and it repays a visit in any season.
Where to stay nearby while it is closed
Dolgellau, to the north-west under Cadair Idris, is the nearest town with a proper choice of rooms, and it suits the same walking country. See our guide to accommodation in Dolgellau, or browse everywhere we list across Snowdonia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Brigands Inn open? No. It is closed while the owners refurbish it, and no reopening date has been announced.
Who runs it now? The building belongs to Bettws Hall, who have applied for permission to refurbish it and carry on running it as a hotel and pub.
How do I contact them? Bettws Hall, on 01686 650628 or enquiries@bettwshall.com. The old brigandsinn.com address now forwards to their site.
Is it historic? Yes, a 15th-century coaching inn on the banks of the Dovey, and a listed building.
Where is it? At Mallwyd, beside Dinas Mawddwy, in the Dyfi Valley of southern Snowdonia. The postcode is SY20 9HJ.
What’s nearby? Cadair Idris, Dolgellau, Machynlleth and Bala Lake.
Where else can I stay? Dolgellau is the closest town with a good choice of rooms, and it suits the same walking country.
