Of the two, I think Mawddach Valley - Coed Garth Gell will be more promising. Check out the link here. It might be worth contacting the reserve before you go, to see if there have been any other recent sightings. I'm sure there are other folk more local to Barmouth on here that might be able to advise. I hope you are lucky in seeking out your quarry.Claire
Thanks MrsT, sorry for the slow update I was in Beijing with work. Dirty city but even there wild birds manage to survive.
I didn't manage to see a dipper unfortunately, but the days were short and just didn't seem to have enough time! The countryside was awesome and the Mawddach Valley was quite difficult to find! I think better directions are in order :)
We did see some interesting birds. It was amazing to have a very close encounter with a wren - it landed on a wall next to the patch! Had a robin follow us through the valley which was nice. Saw a number of red kites and a buzzard. We saw a pair of bullfinches and a few coal tits.
It was a shame we didn't see a dipper, but to be honest we weren't properly prepared, should have gotten out earlier! I would definitely recommend a visit, the trail was more difficult than I was used to (coming from the flats of Cambridgeshire!!) but the views were amazing.