Elan Valley Visitors Centre in Powys

Great visitor centre with a good and not too tacky gift shop, and nice big café, doing a good selection of hot and cold food and drink. A little bit characterless asa room, tall and somewhat bare, but comfortable and warm.

Ideal starting point for visiting the dams. Collect the map from the main entrance. Toilet facilities, small shop and a cafe on site. Parking is £3 all day which covers all car parks. Little play park for the kids. Had the best day touring the dams

Called in the visitor centre for a bite to eat and look around. I had called in several weeks previously and was impressed with the whole experience so returned with my partner. The restaurant is very clean and well laid out and the staff very helpful and friendly. Good choice of well prepared food and didn't have to wait long to be served. My partner loved the experience. Lots of information about the area via a large video room and plenty of things to purchase in the gift shop. I have been go to the Elan valley for more than forty years, and the visitors centre is a must do experience if you are in the area.

We hired 2 electric bikes and spent the day visiting all the dams in this picturesque valley. We booked in advance and the bikes were ready fully charged when we arrived. The process is very quick and if you are an experienced rider you can be in the saddle in a few minutes. We asked for advice on how best to use the bikes and the best routes. A really helpful and friendly service. Almost all routes are on cycle paths just be aware and considerate of walkers. The bikes were great and we had a wonderful day.

We visited on a busy Wednesday lunchtime and the cafe was pretty busy. However it didn’t take long to get served and seated and the food was good! We had baked potatoes which came with a lovely, fresh dressed salad. Big shout out to Ester, who was working tirelessly, and with a big smile on her face, to keep everyone happy. She made our visit.

Really helpful and knowledgable staff. Made choosing activities a breeze! Gift shop has some interest books on local topics if you like that kind of thing.

At one minute past 4 our small group who had been on an Elan Valley Trust tour were turned away. No food left lady said behind a display cabinet of cakes. We only wanted a cuppa but no, she was adamant we could not be served. Spoiled our day

The staff make the difference,so friendly and helpful with lots of tips of where to explore in the Elan Valley. Cafe dog friendly with a limited food selection but nice coffee and cake.

This experience was average and I’m rating it a 3 star because there wasn’t much parking to park your car it wasn’t a great walk either but the food was good so I’m happy abt that

Sandwiches and pasties only (which were excellent) we had a lovely time here. Staff were friendly. Very clean. Nice view of the dam, and if you get chance to watch the bird feeder it is delight attracting so many birds!

Interesting centre of information on the Elan Valley & the dams. The shop is stocked with an array of produce & artisan gifts & the assistant on duty, Marianne (named after Marianne Faithful, a singer in the '60s), was welcoming with big smiles & jovial comments. The cafe, very clean & inviting, offered roasted tomato soup on the menu. As it was lunchtime & cold outside we opted for the soup. However, I soon realised it wasn't roasted tomato soup at all but plain Heinz tinned soup; quite a let down, either state it's tinned soup or take it off the menu.

Despite only service sandwiches (which were excellent) we had a lovely time here. Staff were friendly. Very clean. Nice view of the dam, and if you get chance to watch the bird feeder it is delight attracting so many birds!

Long queue with slow service, food a little pricy but good quality. Nice coffee and tera served in proper crockery. Pasty good, flapjack good etc. While there is a charge for parking as others have mentioned, the first hour is free and you don't have to pay. I assume that it is to stop walkers from filling the carpark.

With the Penbont House cafe up the valley closed we had no choice than to use the cafe at the visitor centre. But what we thought was a disappointment turned out to be a pleasant surprise. We had wonderfully tasty sausage rolls and scrumptious blackberry & apple flapjacks...we both agreed they were the nicest we'd tasted for a very long time. The cafe is spacious and tables by the window have a close up view of the birdtables/feeding stations with a constant arrival of birds. Highly recommended.

A really nice dog friendly place to visit. Nice walks and a nice restaurant. We were stopping in the near by town of Rhayader for the week, so visited the Elan Valley three times. One for a short walk and a meal, once for a evening picnic and then I did a 14 miles walk from Rhayader and around the reservoir.

We called in for Lunch part way through a tour of the dams in Elan Valley, I had the hog sausage roll and it was so tasty, my wife had another pie and again equally as good. Will call again when next in the area. The shop has a wealth of gifts not just related to the dams.

Over priced food and drink for rather poor quality. Now only served in disposable cups, how tacky. You even have to pay to park in the middle of nowhere. I'm surprised you didn't have to pay to use the toilets.

Strong family connections here. Wonderful scenery, friendly staff and a photo opportunity around every corner. Whatever the time of year, it is a beautiful place to visit.

This was our first stop on our long weekend trip to the area. The cafe served a range of food and catered for a gluten free member of the family. The pasties were hot and tasty and the coffee was great. We had a table next to the bird feeders and with a great view of one of the dams. There is also a shop, toilets and information available. An excellent way to start the exploration of the Elan Valley.

The visitor centre is superb. Very helpful, and has a really good cafe and gift shop. Excellent toilet facilities. The cafe is comfortable and really clean . Enjoyed the coffee and cake. The staff explained how to see everything on the way up the valley. Also very explanatory brochures.

The visitor centre has a room charting the history of the valley, including the building of the dams, a well stocked gift shop and a cafe. The accessible path to the base of the dam meant my son in his wheelchair was able to participate, the noise from the sluice gates was impressive! Excellent children’s play area and plenty of picnic benches.

Dropped in here on part of our tour around the Elan valley. The visitors centre has a room showing you about the reservoirs. Unfortunately the sound quality is very poor and if there is anyone else in the room shuffling about or even whispering you will not hear the commentary. There should at least have some form of subtitles so at least you could read what is being said. There were a bus load adults as well as children and it was the adults who made the most noise which was disappointing. Just because they didn’t want to hear what was being said they should have been quiet. It would be better if the visual displays were away from the video show. The cafe was very clean and the drinks were hot. There is a short walk to the first dam on the reservoirs system. It looks bigger than it looks from the top on the roadside. Overall it’s worth a visit but don’t expect to be able to hear the video show if there are other people in there shuffling about.

Well-run visitor centre and lovely views from the dog-friendly cafe. Staff in cafe were very friendly and helpful. Parking is free for up to an hour or pay £3 which covers all day for all the car parks around the lakes. We went two days whilst on holiday this week, as the reservoirs/dams/scenery were so amazing.

Popping for an early lunch it was unfortunate that hot food wasn’t served. We opted for cold food which was almost all contained in hard plastic boxes which surprised me as I’d considered Welsh Water to be an environmentally friendly company. My colleague asked for a plate to eat her salad off but these aren’t available apparently. Plastic everywhere!!

Food very poor, choice of pie and mash/chips or lasagne,had lasagne, cold and dry. Pot of tea for two...not enough to fill the two cups and Luke warm. Asked if they had mayonnaise and was offered a full bottle which we had to buy,(we didn't). Did complain and had a refund.very disappointed as it used to be a good place to eat on a tour of the dams.

Magical Christmas TrailThe kids had a wonderful time following the trail through the woods and hunting for answers to the clues. We then warmed up with a hot chocolate in the cafe. The dam was over flowing and the scenery is spectacular. We will definitely be back

Spectacular scenery and the dams are magnificent to see. The visitor centre is clean and tidy with a shop and a cafe. We popped in for coffee and cake - both gratefully received after our day on the trails! Definitely planning to come back in the summer.

I Would thoroughly recommend. Beautiful place. Great food and welcolming staff I at the visitor centre.

Beautiful location, nicely presented place. Food very tasty after a day exploring. What ruined the pop in visit was a lady working in the cafe whose name I do not know but whose description I shall not forget. The lady had her hair up some form of odd pineapple dreadlocked affair that exposed shaven patchy hair at the sides. Her appearance is her own choice however her attitude stunk to high heaven. No patience, abrupt, rude and threw my change on the counter without even a thank you. Disgusting. Foul. Obnoxious manners. Everyone is entitled to a bad day for all I know this lady was having a terrible day but If my observations match those of others then this lady should be retrained. Should she not wish to work for you you would better be served by someone who did. Lovely rainbow cake though!

Don't get me wrong, the Elan Valley is stunning and we're glad we went but the cafe in the visitor centre.......leaves an awful lot to be desired It was only just after 1pm on the day we visited and already they had run out of most savoury things leaving a choice of vegan pasty or some spicy alternative. Maybe an oversight by the ordering department but the fact that the weather was so beautiful, it would have been prudent to take this into consideration when ordering stock. The members of staff serving however, need to learn to at least look like they want to be there. . I appreciate that staff numbers may be down but their attitude wasn't acceptable.

Absolutely dredfull. £3 to park at a glorified cafe and commercial gift shop designed to rinse you of more money. According to the youth behind the counter “they’ve only got a reduced exhibition about the Elan Valley at the back of the gift shop!” Translate this it means, half a dozen chairs and a booth showing a video on a loop - so old Lolo Williams looked in his 30’s!The parking signs in the carpark are in Welsh and 15’ high so look forward to a £100 fine if you stay longer that 20 minutes without buying a ticket.

The is a very busy place and always seemed to have plenty of visitors. We used the cafe several times and it was fine, we were able to get food and drink and the quality and value of all was good., though there were long queues at times. Visitor centre film was very interesting and the staff were always very helpful.

Called here as a stop-off on our way through, to see the area. The day was good and the surroundings spectacular, but the cafe was very disappointing. A good supply of hot pasties and the like, but very little in the cakes, pastries etc., line. Had to make do with a coffee and packaged snack from the shop - which was actually quite good.Will go back to the area, but as for the cafe !! ??

We started our visit at the visitors centre where a very helpful member of staff gave us a map and explained the area. We had a delicious pasty and hot drink in the cafe, a look round the well stocked gift shop and then started our trip around the dams. The views are spectacular, amazing. Have to be seen, and you can get really close. Dogs welcome. Car park charge covers you for all the car parks around the Valley.

You need to plan ahead if you want to get the most of your visit. Find out if tours of the dams and the miners village are on. The gift shop is well stocked and the cafe offers a reasonable menu with seating indoors and outside.Pity the recycling bins are not marked with what you can put in them. Where do paper coffee cups go?

Great day out with brilliant facilities and park for kids. Also their vegan Cornish pasty is out of this world! Aside from that beautiful family friendly walks. Lovely place you could explore all week and not get bored.

Lovely cafe for a quick bite to eat. Reasonably priced. Good selection of sandwiches and snacks. Tables turn over quickly if you need a seat. Odd policy of don't touch the food in the queue (ie pick up your own sandwich) until you get to the till, suspect this would hold things up if it is busy.) Worth noting the gift shop also has an alternative selection of sandwiches.

The scenery is beautiful and a drive in to the mountains before or after visiting the dam is highly recommended.The visitor centre was open and the inside toilets were in use, were clean and regularly checked. Staff at the information desk were knowledgeable and happy to help.The the café was very COVID aware. The menu was limited but reasonably priced. Plenty of car parking places and not ripped of charge for all day parking.

We visited yesterday whilst staying in Rhayader, we had a lovely experience but due to lack of time, we chose to drive from Dam to Dam and walk around each one. Beautiful views!

We just happened to stop by on our travels for some food and I was pleasantly surprised that there were numerous vegan options! We had the sausage, tomato relish and ‘cheese’ panini and it was AMAZING! We didn’t have any but noticed that there were even vegan desserts offered. Other places should take note!

Found the visitor centre disorganised and not suited to the number of people they were allowing in at one time (Covid rules). The entire visit included pushing and passing close to people and one member of staff who was loud and stroppy whilst trying to manage the coffee machine for a long queue of elderly people. Why on earth was a coffee machine placed inside a gift shop ? There was room in the hallway. We never bothered to stay any longer at the centre but enjoyed very much the tour around the valley by car.

The Elan Valley Visitors Centre sits at the bottom of a string of reservoirs in Mid-Wales. The Centre with COVID restrictions in place still hosts a decent cafe, toilets, shop and information centre. From here you can gather information that would fill a week with activities around the reservoirs. There are walking and cycling routes as well as more serious hill walking and hiking. At the moment the car park closes at 5:00pm which is a bit sad but these are the times (July 2021) that we are presently in. The area itself is a haven for all types of wildlife, birdwatching especially.

Helpful staff great facilities good starting point for walks. Great to get information about the valley and walks, good little gift shop and cafe

You can find 8nformation re Elan Yalley. Drive up to next carpark and there is an accessible trail alongside the resevoirs. Ideal for walking and cycling. Stunning views across the resevoirs including the dams. Also good for birdwatching.

Went in to ask about local walking, the only information I got was that the car park (£2.50) closed at 5pm - VERY disappointing.

This restaurant is situated in the Elan Valley Visitors Centre. We sat outside with our dog and it is a lovely area to visit. The food was cooked well and we were pleased. We both had jacket potatoes with different fillings.

Cafe mediocre chips over cooked and the picky plate for the young ones says a slice of sourdough bread .. erm nope it's a slice of motherspride otherwise okish

My partner and I had lunch here whilst visiting the area. We ordered an open chicken sandwich, not expecting much, but... OMG! it was amazing!. the chicken was plentiful, tender and full of flavour, it had a lovely glaze over the pieces. The bacon lovely and crisp, the dressing lightly drizzled over the top really pulled the dish together. Bread was really nice too!. Presented with a touch of style. I would say whoever cooked this, must really love their food and take a pride in what they do. I could of happily of come back and eaten this every day!. The chips that came with it has to be the best ive ever tasted. Friendly staff and quick service. Would 100% recommend!

Interesting and informative place. Dog friendly. Covid compliant. We felt very safe there but with a friendly atmosphere.

Absolutely amazing scenery, and area! Loved every minute! Driven through Rhayader so many times on our way to North Wales, but never stayed here! ☹️ Visited the Elan Valley visitor centre twice on our weekend away and although I appreciate they have to be closed due to covid, Welsh Water ( Dwr Cymru) have a snack bar in the car park offering food and drinks at a very reasonable rate operated by very nice staff! So no complaint there!! However, given there are massive reservoirs, full of Welsh Water, why, oh why, was the bottled water for sale in the snack bar Scottish???? That really grated my a--e!

While in the area, we visited this information centre..Covid restrictions were in place at time of our visit.. There is an area showing how the past formed this area..There is also a small cafe area..A shop that sells numerous items from.books too crafted purchases..There is also a large children's adventure playground at the rear of the building..The centre can be accessed with vehicle ( plenty of parking available)Or walking if your out and about in the area..Its not a must see place..But if you're nearby, by popping in, you'll enjoy a very warm welcome in this hillside...

Visitor Centre has amazing new shop and lots of hand sanitizer available. Cafe take away only with chairs stacked everywhere, ordered pork bap with stuffing and apple sauce. Meat was dry and in big slabs, disappointed as was expecting pulled pork and smothered in gravy, which is not mentioned on the menu. Very little selection either and girls serving were too busy gossiping, so wait time was long. Shame as always loved visiting the centre on our trips to the valley. May not be back for a while

After a long walk in the beautiful Elan Valley, my friend and I called into the cafe for a quick bite and a coffee. Unfortunately the young lady behind the counter was not pleased to see us. Everything in her demeanour told us we were not welcome. When we asked for a couple of bacon sandwiches, she told us they didn’t do sandwiches. We pointed out that breakfast baps were on the reduced menu and she sulkily informed baps weren’t sandwiches. There was no please or thank you from her. Staff training and an attitude desperately required

Arrived after a very long walk at around 3.45, (cafe closes at 4) only wanted a takeaway hot chocolate and small cake (you would think by the look on the womans face we had asked for a 3 course lunch) such a shame as it's a beautiful place you would think the staff would be smiling. You feel like you are being an incovineince by giving them your custom a few minutes before closing.

Lovely ladies who work here, very cheerful, helpful and friendly. The shop itself has so much to offer, a few Xmas stocking pressies were brought here.

Easy to access and all you would be expect to find. The exhibition and video giving the history of the Elan Valley and the creation of the dams is really interesting.We had a light lunch there too in the large restaurant overlooking the water. Jacket potato with a selection of fillings and a shared desert because we were being good

Popped into the Cafe for a quick lunch after a lovely walk. Wow! This was probably the worst Cafe we have ever been to. Grumpy overworked staff, dirty cups and plates, stale cake (when we complained they said that it wasn’t stale - it had just been defrosted....). I cannot think of a single positive thing to write about the Cafe. It was truly appalling.

Really helpful friendly staff. The toliets were clean and good to see they were making the place covid secure. Parking for £2.50 all day at all their car parks were very reasonable. Free maps and walking tips provided

We visited the Elan Valley Dams the visitors Centre is a great help, the staff are very helpful and friendly

Went around all round the dams great couple of hours. The staff were very attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. Place is Covid 19 secure. Great for walks bike rides and touring.

Lovely place to visit! A nice park for the kids to play on lovely views and a lot of information about elan valley

Lovely staff who although it was nearly 5pm, offered to make us tea and cake. Plenty of space in the Café with good distance between tables. Excellent Play Park for the children afterwards.

The scenery is beautiful and a drive in to the mountains before or after visiting the dam is highly recommended.The visitor centre was open and well stocked, the inside toilet was in use and it was clean and regularly checked. Staff were knowledgeable and happy to help.We ate in the café which was clearly COVID aware. The menu was limited but the food we ate was lovely and reasonably priced. Parking was available but a charge was payable. More dustbins in the picnic areas are most definitely needed.

The shop and cafe are still open. Toilets are portaloos in the car park and takeaways are via a catering truck.

Beautiful scenery, dams amazing. Give the Visitor Centre a miss at the moment. Temporary toilets a disgrace. Haven't been cleaned for days. They would have been disgusting under normal circumstances but with the threat of Covid, persons responsible (if there were any) should be taken to task - unbelievable, don't risk it.

Letting you know that the Elan valley is now open but in a limited capacity.The visitors centre is still closed but there is a catering van and temporary toilets in the car park.Hence only a three star review.The staff are gradually opening the other toilets around the dams.All car parks are now open.It may be better in a week or two.Scenery stunning even though the weather was gloomy and wet.

This trip was on Monday this week before the restrictions start to kick in.The meal at the café was great,tasty and well presented.The staff where helpful too.The centre is clean and welcoming.The Caban coch dam in full flow is a memorable sight.The drive upto the higher dams was spectacular too.Plenty of birds to see as well.

The Elan Valley Visitor Centre is a very good base to explore the Elan Valley with its various spectacular reservoirs and dams. The area is very good for walking groups and facilities at the visitor centre include parking, a tourist information centre with history of the area, toilets and a cafe.

The weather was awful. Unfortunately we couldn't walk as there had been a big rock fall,trees down and flooding. The man in the centre was very helpful. So we bought a parking ticket and drove around. Got to see quite a bit. Never mind always next time.centre has lovely place for coffee and plenty of cakes and food. Looks are clean also.

Had lunch which was fab! I had a spicy veg chick pea curry & a jacket spud which I couldn’t finish - generous helping- and my boyfriend had a breakfast. Very tasty. Beautiful views with blue tits feeding as we ate too. 😊

Great location, good base to park before heading out on the mountain bike (we did the Elan Epic, 30km over the hills around the reservoirs). £2 to park all day and got back before the cafe closed at 4.30pm.

We was camping and plan to go back in 2020. There is so much to do and see for all ages. Water, hills, walking, cycling, red kite, and some very nice pubs. Brilliant Area.

Well worth a visit to watch the beautifully shot info film from Welsh water.Plenty of info for you to go off exploring by car, bicycle or foot.An amazing engineering feat achieved by 5000 labourers to supply Birmingham with a clean and plentiful water supply.

the whole elan valley project is so worthwhile the centre is clean and informative the cafe is an added bonus

All the usual facilities that you would expect including Information Desk,Shop, Cafe,Exhibition area,Toilets, Large car park and coach parking area with easy parking,Children's play area,Large picnic area.Also you can hire bikes, including electric bikes.Most useful is the area map to help you explore.

Good to pass an hour or so after a visit to the dam Very interesting and lots to learn about the dams and valley Good shop and coffee shop

Elan Valley has to be one of the most beautiful places ever. It has to be seen to be believed. The vistot Centre is great! toilets available, local history, Good quality cafe and free water refils. AGreat stop for hikers and cyclists as well as a lovely family day out.

This is a very good Visitor Centre manned by friendly and helpful staff possessing great knowledge of the area.

Kleinschalig informatiecentrum met interessante uitleg over de waterwinning dmv stuwmeren. Vriendelijke en deskundige adviseurs voor de verschillende wandel-, fiets- en autoroutes. Schitterende omgeving voor degene die van natuur, rust en vergezichten houdt.

Well worth going to visit to discover and learn more about the area, and to obtain information on other places to see. The staff very helpful as well.

Nach einer schönen Wanderung immer am Stausee entlang haben wir auch das Infocenter aufgesucht. Alle Infos leider wieder nur in Englisch. Warum machen wir uns in Deutschland eigentlich immer die Mühe und übersetzen in Museen und anderen Sehenswürdigkeiten alles in Fremdsprachen: Englisch, Französisch, Russisch...

First visit to the Elan Valley recently, visitors centre was a great place to start. Lots of information on the area. Lovely gift shop and plenty of refreshments available. It was a really hot day when we visited, too hot for me to walk around so will look forward to going back when it's a bit cooler!

I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been here now. It’s brilliant you can have a meal or snack in the cafe and watch the wild birds on the feeders. You can see local artists paintings etc m, you can read about the history of the dams and watch a film about them. There is a lovely gift shop too. All this in next to one of the dams. From the centre you can drive, cycle or walk around the footpaths around the dams it’s up to you. A great day out for everyone.

We drove and parked at the visitors centre (small cost of £2). Received a map from the visitor centre staff who were very helpful and made our way on the route.

If you are intending to visits any or all of the dams/reservoirs in the area then this is a good place to start. It gives great information on the history of the dams as well as useful maps to navigate yourself around. Staff are very helpful and knowledgeable.

Something for everyone, well worth a visit. Lovely cafe. Plenty of parking for a small charge. Dogs welcome on leads. There are often free or very inexpensive activities going on. Brilliant play area for kids. We never tire of visiting.

We went on the late Bank Holiday August Monday - the place was heaving. However, there is plenty of room for everyone.

This is well worth a visit. We picked a great day, hot and sunny, which obviously makes things more enjoyable. Lovely setting near the reservoir. the cafe was busy, but clean and tidy. Large selection of cakes etc. Had a Jkt potato which was really nice. Reasonable prices too. Recommended.

The visitors centre is excellent - very informative and it serves good cake! It would have been good to see more about the workings of the dams and the hydro-electric generation equipment.

It's just a canteen, the food is poor and at best average. The cakes and sandwiches are bought in and not homemade. Rather disappointing entrance to the valley to be honest. The museum and gift shop are great but the cafe certainly needs work.

The lad and I didn’t expect that!

Called here with my family last week whilst holidaying in the area. My sons hired mountain bikes for an hour and went off exploring which they enjoyed. We went in and had drinks and a snack - chips and paninis - which were okay. An interesting place to visit.

Recommend this centre for educational experience, clean toilets & a lovely cafe. You can picnic there as well

Very ordinary food. Nothing exciting but nothing wrong with it. I ordered for 3 adults and 5 children. I was told to hang on to my receipt as one or more of the meals wouldn't turn up!! He was right so we ate in stages!

The Elan Valley Visitor Center consists of a little shop, information , toilets a restaurant and a room filled with the information and history of Elan Valley. There was a little video that plays that talk all about Elan Valley. Outside there is a great children's play area as well as some spectacular views and lovely walks possibilities. Lovely place only spent a short time in the visitor centre but it seemed good .

The Elan Valley itself is just stunning and the visitor centre is a wonderful amenity to have there. We used it twice last week, both on the way on for a toilet stop and on the way out for some ice creams, a drink and a look around the gift shop. The centre is wonderful for these things BUT the grassy areas around the visitors centre and the carpark immediately in front of it are absolutely covered in dog poo. I had a look around and couldn't see any designated dog poo bins. I think this might be a good idea, along with some signs and possibly even the threat of a fine, as I found this distinctly disgusting, especially with 2 young sons aged 3 and 5 who could so easily have stepped in it and brought it into the car. Otherwise, as I said, a great and useful place.

Myself and my friend retreated here during a wet and windy walk. Wouldn't never thought it was June. Staff were knowledgeable and helpful. Great location and good visitors centre. Food and drink pricey.

Had lovely breakfast in the visitor centre before a fabulous walk in the elan valley. The visitor centre has great parking and other facilities including fantastic adventure playground for children. Breakfast was delicious and well worth the money. Great starting point for exploring the area.

My friend and I visited on Friday 10th May, arriving as the Centre opened at nine o clock, after a two hour drive from Porthmadog.

An informative and colourful video was on continuous loop. Lots of things to inform and entertain children. A good shop, but as normal in similar places, the prices were quite high. Good, clean toilets