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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Corris
Give Corris half a day: ride the Corris Railway, then the King Arthur's Labyrinth tour. Sleep elsewhere unless you have a car and want quiet.
Corris is a slate village of about 600 people in the hills of Gwynedd, on the A487 between Machynlleth and Dolgellau, at the edge of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park. Two attractions carry the visit: the restored narrow-gauge Corris Railway and the King Arthur's Labyrinth at the old Braichgoch slate mine. Everything else is walking, craft shops and a village shop-cafe. Most travellers see it as a half-day stop on the way to Machynlleth or Dolgellau, or as a quiet base for a night or two with a car.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- Apr–Oct
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (short days, some attractions closed)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–110 excl. bed · High £110+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · Police non-urgent 101 · NHS non-urgent 111
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee and cake at the village shop-cafe | £4–7 |
| Pub or cafe main course | £10–16 |
| Pint of beer | £4–5.50 |
| Corris Railway return trip | about £12 |
| King Arthur's Labyrinth tour | about £20 |
| Taxi Machynlleth to Corris | £15–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CWL · Cardiff Airport
- About 2 h 30 min by car; the nearest airport with useful connections
- LPL · Liverpool John Lennon
- About 2 h 30 min by car via the A55 and A487
Typical fares
- T2 bus, Machynlleth → Corris
- about £4, 20 min
- Corris Railway return trip
- about £12
- Taxi Machynlleth → Corris
- £15–20
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The A487 runs through the village; the T2 bus (Lloyds Coaches) links Machynlleth, Corris, Dolgellau and Bangor. The railway and the craft centre are on opposite sides of the valley, so a car or a taxi makes the pairing easier; on foot allow about 20 min between them.
See and do
Known for
- Corris Railway, a restored narrow-gauge slate line
- King Arthur's Labyrinth at Braichgoch slate mine
- Slate-mining heritage
- Corris Craft Centre
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Machynlleth | T2 bus or car south on the A487 | About 20 min |
| Dolgellau | T2 bus or car north on the A487 | About 30 min |
| Tywyn | Car via the A487 and A493, or bus with a change | About 45 min |
| Aberdyfi | Car via Machynlleth and the A493 | About 45 min |
| Barmouth | Car via Dolgellau, or bus with a change | About 1 h |
| Harlech | Car via Dolgellau and the A496 | About 1 h 15 min |
Sleep
- Corris village
- Hostel at the old school and a guest house; walk to the railway and the shop.
- Tal-y-llyn and the A487 south
- Small hotel in an 18th-century farmhouse; needs a car.
- Machynlleth
- About 15 min south by bus or car; more beds, food and a railway station.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HeloHEH-loh |
| Thank you | DiolchDEE-olch |
| Please | Os gwelwch yn ddaos GWEL-ookh un thah |
| Goodbye | Hwyl fawrhoo-il vowr |
| Where is the toilet? | Ble mae'r toiled?bleh myr TOY-led |
| I don't speak Welsh | Dw i ddim yn siarad Cymraegdoo ee dhim un SHAR-ad KUM-rye-g |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- The railway and the labyrinth run seasonal timetables: check dates before you travel.
- Phone signal and fuel are patchy in the valley; fill up in Machynlleth or Dolgellau.
- Single-track lanes with passing places lead to the hills; drive slowly and give way.
A quiet, low-crime village; the real risks are wet, single-track hill roads, fast A487 traffic at dusk and no phone signal on the lanes. Tell someone your route if you walk the hills.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Corris yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Corris Railway, a restored narrow-gauge slate line
- King Arthur's Labyrinth at Braichgoch slate mine
- Slate-mining heritage
- Corris Craft Centre
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Corris Railway: www.corris.co.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Corris, revision 5242621 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5242621
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Corris
I'r cyfeiriad hwn, os gwelwch yn dda
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Corris; the nearest consulates are in Cardiff and Manchester. US and most Commonwealth citizens: check the UK entry rules before you book.
Welsh is spoken widely here; English is fine everywhere.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/corris). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.