Plas Tan y Bwlch and its historical gardens overlook the River Dwyryd in the beautiful Vale of Maentwrog. The mansion, which dates from the 17th Century, was the former home of the Oakeley family who owned the slate quarries in Blaenau Ffestiniog. It is now the Snowdonia National Park`s Environmental Studies Centre. The paths through the gardens are open to the public. Native and exotic plants intermingle and the gardens include a Japanese garden, rhododendron and azalea walks, a fern nursery, a wildlife garden and a sensory garden.