I love waterfalls. There is something so soothing and peaceful about the constant motion of water partnered with the natural splendour of water surging downwards. I also love forests. My ‘happy place’ would almost certainly be a waterfall in a forest (although I am yet to find a real world location that suits), so I was very excited when, back in May, I came across this waterfall walk on Surfnslide featuring several spectacular waterfalls. I added it to my ever-growing collection of routes in Evernote*, so I had it handy when I was planning this Brecon Beacons trip.

 [* Evernote is a fantastic tool for compiling routes you come across on the web or in magazines. I have to thank @stevenhorner for his excellent post Routes: My Way, which showed me the way!]

The walk starts from the car park just south of the village of Ystradfellte (928124). This area is renowned for its caves, so is very popular with cavers (a sport I never want to do!) and the car park has a small shop and toilets. I was eager to head off, so I completely missed the footpath leading down to Porth yr Ogof, the biggest cave entrance in Wales – instead I set off following the path south into the forest. For just over a mile the path is out of sight of the river – in places I was reminded of the final day on Offa’s Dyke, with twisted gnarled roots and dense foliage overhead. Eventually the path drops down to the river and you are greeted by the first waterfall – Sgwd Clun Gwyn.

Just below Sgwd Clun Gwyn is Sgwd Isaf Clun Gwyn. Although perhaps a lesser waterfall, I really liked this one – where it lacks in height it makes up for it in width.

I was quite frankly in heaven and in a daze from the splendour around me – and this probably goes a long way to explain what happened next. Just below Sgwd Isaf Clun Gwyn I saw a plunge pool that looked perfect for swimming. It was certainly deep and the fast flowing water meant there was nothing slimy clinging to the rocks (important after my experience the day before). I waited…. I had not seen anyone since I left the car park and no one seemed around….. before I lost my nerve, I stripped down to my under-shorts and slipped into the cold water. The dog once again watched my from the shore, unimpressed as I swam around a bit.  After taking a quick photo, I got out and no sooner had I slipped back on my baselayer, I was disturbed by a family of hikers who appeared on the ridge just above me. I had the grace to look embarrassed, they had the grace to not say anything! Still – like the day before it was an amazing experience, and I continued on the walk feeling a world better (as I had company I could not change, so I was also putting to the test the quick dry properties of my under-shorts and trousers).

The next waterfall, just slightly further down the river, was Sgwd y Pannwr.

From here the path leaves the Afon Mellte and climbs up the valley and down to the Afon Hepste and the highlight of the walk – Sgwd yr Eira, a pretty waterfall in it’s own right but with the added bonus that you can walk behind it. Whilst there are no doubt better ‘walk behind’ waterfalls across the world, it was an amazing experience – feeling the spray across your face, hearing the roar of the water, seemingly shut off from the rest of the world behind a curtain of water.

After enjoying the moment for a while, I continued following the path steeply up out of the valley onto a muddy high level path following the Mellte valley. Despite leaving the fantastic waterfalls behind me (for now), I was quite taken with this area, with it’s views of the surrounding valleys, so I took a break to brew up some tea and soak up my surroundings. I continued down the path towards Pontneddfechan, eventually joining the main road, and reached The Angel pub. Despite a power cut, the pub was still open, so I stopped for a pint and a sandwich.

As I finished my pint I could see rain coming in fast from the south west, so I quickly finished up and headed under the cover of the trees and began following Nedd Fechan upstream. At this point I was grateful for the time spent as a youth doing judo – the rough uneven ground was really slippery and at one point I slipped. I would have landed badly on my leg, but thankfully the years of learning to fall kicked in, and I managed to twist at the last minute – no broken leg but a slightly twisted ankle. Despite this I still decided to take the slight detour to Sgwd Gwladus.

I was quite jealous of the couple going for a swim (there was a lot of screaming about how cold it was, rather than any actual swimming), but as much as I wanted to investigate the waterfall more (according to @DanSantillo you can also walk behind it), I decided to leave them in peace and headed back to rejoin the main path (and anyway I had finally dried out!). Looking back through surfnslide’s photos, I think I somehow missed Sgwd Ddwli, which looks pretty impressive, but I did find the unnamed waterfall slightly further upstream.

By the time I reached the picnic area at Pont Melin-fach the rain was coming down harder – I loitered briefly to have a snickers bar, before continuing to follow the Nedd Fechan north. Just like surfnslide, I essentially had this part of the route to myself as I followed the narrow path along the edge of the river. Eventually at Pont Rhyd-y-cnau I left the river behind me and followed an old track up the hill and back to the carpark.

A thorough enjoyable waterfall walk that I would recommend (11.8 miles, 2452ft height gain) – thanks again for surfnslide for originally sharing! I headed for home after a memorable three days on Brecon Beacons.

Thanks largely to one too many of the aptly named ‘Hikers Ruin’ I had consumed the night before and the fantastic breakfast my hosts had produced, day 2 was quite a late start! I wanted to head out onto the part of the Brecon Beacons just west of A470 but the lingering headache was making it hard to concentrate on the map, so in the end I download a free route on ViewRanger published by Trail Magazine.

By the time I arrived, close to midday, the car park at Storey Arms Centre was full and the car park slightly further down was heaving. Fortunately I managed to find a space and I quickly headed away from the bustle and out onto the hills. The first part of the route follows a narrow (and quite muddy) sheep trail along the side of the hills gradually climbing up to the top of Craig Cerrig-gleisiad.

The A470 was a constant companion down in the valley, but the views towards Brecon were spectacular. Unlike the previous day viability was much better with higher clouds and I was slightly disgruntled to notice that I could even make out people on Pen Y Fan who must be having some brilliant views I once again failed to get the day before!

The peak at Craig Cerrig-gleisiad gives you some great views across the mountains to the west, but is also home to a bees nest. The angry buggers quickly sent out a few scouts to drive me and the dog away, so rather than taking a breather I carried on towards Fan Frynych. Looking back there were some great views of the cliffs in the nature reserve. The trig point was thankfully free of bees, so I settled down for some lunch.

I remember having been to this trig point before a few years ago, just when I was beginning to get back into hiking again. That time we came up through the nature reserve, and from the trig point continued west before looping back to north. Whilst finishing off my pork pie I finally remembered to give the app Peak AR a go – using your camera it augments details of the peaks around you onto the view you can see. Nest idea, but I found it inaccurate in the placement of the peaks from my position.

Lunch finished, I retraced my steps back to join the Beacons Way and followed it towards Fan Dringarth. The way was quite hard going, with many small bogs to negotiate especially in the valley between hills and I was soon pretty muddy. At the point I was due to drop down to meet the river I found a nice sheltered spot to brew a cuppa and to survey the wilderness around me.

It was at this point that the niggling idea of going for a swim crept up on me, and I was actually nervously excited as I picked my way down to the river. You can read about the swim here: http://www.mycountryside.org.uk/2011/08/14/taking-the-plunge/. Afterwards I sat on a large rock jutting into the river, put on another brew, and enjoyed the tingling of my body after the cold water and the peacefulness of my surroundings.

The climb up to Fan Fawr was a nightware. There was no path and the incline was just at that angle where it saps the strength from your body at every step. I was already pretty sore from the day before and generally weaker than usual, so I really struggled to get to the top (take a few steps, rest, take a few more steps, rest). Eventually I made it to the trip point, which is not the actual summit, and after a quick breather carried on to the top.

Final peak of the day bagged I made my way back down Fan Fawr (noting that this route is even worse than my ascent) and back to the car. An excellent second day in Brecon Beacons, including my first wild swim! I had something special planned for day three though that I have been looking forward to for months… to be continued!

Whenever I am heading towards Wales there is always a point in the journey when everything seems better – after days on end of sitting in front of my computer working, my shoulders loosen, my mind clears and my mood lightens. It is the point in the journey when, after cresting yet another nondescript English hill, you suddenly see the hills and mountains of Wales laid out before you.

In this case I was driving down the A438 heading towards Brecon, on the edge of Brecon Beacons. It was the weekend of the annual Brecon Jazz festival which, in my younger days, I used to attend fairly regularly. This year I was combining spending some quality time with some old friends (and drinking the best homebrew brewed by my friend’s dad), with some much need quality time on the hills.

To kick things off I decided to do a route I was already familiar with – Corn Du, Pen y Fan, Cribyn and Fan y Big (it could be argued I was jumping straight into the deep end by starting off with the highest peak in Southern UK.. but still!). Back in March last year, whilst I was training for Offa’s Dyke 4 MS, I came to the Brecon Beacons with Justin (@justinfleming) and we completed this walk on a miserable cold and windy day with low cloud obscuring any views from the peaks (view the Social Hiking map). Hopefully this time would be better!

The walk starts from the car park at the end of the tiny lane that follows the banks of Nant Cwm Llwch to the North of Pen y Fan (unbelievably the lane, despite it’s small stature, is on Google Street View). The car park was quite busy, and there were a number of campers along the banks of the river as the path gently climbed up from the valley. There were a group of hikers behind me, so I decided to pickup the pace to put some distance between us. Unfortunately this was a mistake – weeks of running myself down whilst working too hard had triggered a flare up of my condition and this weakness, combined with an already lower than usual level of fitness, left me in pieces. My lungs were burning, my legs were in agony, and I could feel my blood pressure rising too high. It was all I could do to drag myself up to Llyn Cwm Llwch, the lake at the top of the river.

I sat on a rock on the lake’s shore and soaked up the tranquilty as my body calmed down again. To be honest I contemplated turning around, giving up, and heading back down to the car, but that was not an option. I took it more slowly as I climbed up onto the cliffs above the lake, past the memorial of 5 year old Tommy Jones whose body was found after losing his way, and step by agonising step up to Corn Du. It was a bit depressing to discover my body has new lower limits, but I am glad I pushed on – sadly the weather was not really on my side either and as I reached Corn Du and crossed to Pen y Fan the low cloud obscured any hope of a view.

Pen y Fan is a busy peak – I counted about 40 people. Certainly the busiest peak I have visited (I refuse to climb Snowdon…. a restaurant on a peak… really!) I loited a little while in the hope of a break in the clouds, but eventually gave up and followed the path off the peak towards Cribyn. Hiking has traditionally been a white middle class activity, and it was great to be passed by a group of very pleasant hikers who do not fit into that category clearly enjoying their surroundings. As if to taunt my earlier impatience I noticed behind me (on one of my many pauses climbing up to Cribyn) that the cloud had broken and those currently on Pen y Fan would be having amazing views. The cloud was back by the time I reached the top of Cribyn, so I put a brew on and settled down for some lunch in the hope the cloud would break again.

This time I was rewarded, and the clouds briefly broke giving me a fleeting view across towards Brecon and beyond. The cloud quickly returned, and I was joined on Cribyn by a couple, about the same age as me, who immediately went into my good books when they offered me a Jaffa Cake. With hindsight I hope they were not expecting me to reciprocate and offer them tea! Jaffa Cake munched my dog, who had previously been curled up recovering, suddenly leaped up in alert mode. I turned expecting to see another dog walker, or perhaps a sheep, but instead I unbelievably saw the tiny head of a squirrel poking up from above rocks – the nearest trees being at least a mile away!

The wind picked up and it began to rain as I left Cribyn to drop down to Bwlch ar y Fan. I did not mind though – I was sufficiently recovered from my previous issues early on the ascent and I felt elated to be back on the hills again. The final part down was steep and slippy from the rain, but I managed to negotiate the path down safely without the dog speeding up my descent! Although my ultimate route back to the car follows the path heading north between the two peaks, I felt like I had sufficient energy reserves to make the slight detour up Fan y Big and back. At the top we took shelter from the wind and rain in the stone shelter just off from the peak and made another cup of tea.

By and large I am a responsible dog owner. I know my dog chases stuff and so in most cases she stays on the lead (I tend to let her off in crop fields or empty pastures when I walk locally, but in National Parks, or anywhere where sheep or other livestock roam free she is definitely on a lead). To my horror, as I followed the track heading down along the Cwm Cynwyn valley, I watched a dog ahead of me leaving it’s owners to chase sheep down to the river – the owners made a half-hearted effort to call it back but it paid no attention. More shockingly though was when it did finally return the owners made no effort to put it on a lead and they just carried on walking, dog loose, up the path. I gave them the dirtiest look I could as I past them!

Eventually the track meets the road and the remainder of the route was a rather dull, fly infested trudge following the quiet meandering lanes back to the car park. I was amused at reaching various landmarks I remembered from the previous year where I was equally uninspired at the return journey. I arrived back at the car to discover I had left the rear window completely open although my suitcase (containing non-camping clothes) was untouched, so no harm done!

Overall a great first day on the Brecon Beacons! To be continued….

Situated just outside the town of Brecon, Powys, just North of the Brecon Beacons, Priory Mill Farm is on the banks of the river Honddu. We stayed mid-week in March 2010 (we were unsurprisingly the only ones there!) for two nights at a cost of £7 per person per night plus £1 per night for the dog.

If you want a truly special, small, secluded place to camp, this stunning riverside meadow will provide it. The level, grassy field meanders alongside the river offering plenty of space and privacy. The only buildings visible are the traditional stone built farmhouse and watermill. The nearby road is unclassified and quiet, so the only noises are the gentle swirling of the river, the inquisitive hens and sometimes the Tawny Owls at night.
ukcampsites.co.uk

Despite the time of year, the site was in excellent condition – you camp on one of several flat areas of ground (I suppose you could call them meadows) on the banks of the river, and we were (quite reasonably) asked to park on some hard standing, rather than driving on the grass (there is a wheelbarrow you can borrow if you have loads of stuff!).

The main meadow has the best access to the site’s facilities (the other fields would be more of a trek!) which consist of a recycling area (they are big on recycling), an outdoor open air washing up area, and a toilet / shower block. The layout does seem a little bizarre - for men the urinal and sink is behind one door, with the shower (50p a go) and toilet behind another door each. The sink has hot water (heats up very quickly), but the outdoor washing up area does not – again very odd!

The site has metal fire trays available to borrow, and reasonably priced locally produced charcoal and firewood on sale (I can imagine the trays being very popular at busy times, so get one early!). There are also log seats you can borrow.

The only part of the blurb above I disagree with slightly is the road – you will notice traffic passing above you – it isn’t a busy road, but there is traffic. Generally though it is not enough to spoil the tranquillity of relaxing beside a gurgling stream in front of a campfire, listening to the owls, whilst enjoying a bottle of locally brewed beer. The peacefulness is further helped by their no noise after 10.30pm policy and at the same time the lights in the cabin turn off!

The owner was very friendly and nice, and each morning he came over for a chat as he walked his dog around the site. The walk to town takes about 10 minutes, and once you leave the campsite there is a pavement the whole way.

Overall this is a brilliant campsite which, despite the odd layout of the facilities, I would recommend. £7 does not seem particularly expensive to me.

Good: Peaceful, relaxing, friendly, well looked after and clean site
Bad: Bizarre layout of facilities, especially washing up outside with cold water

The one thing that has been lacking in my training regime (well it isn’t really a regime, more a panicked collection of walks) is big hills. I love walking across the rolling farmland of Northamptonshire, but it is a far cry from the ups and downs of Offa’s Dyke.

So for the final training trip before our challenge begins, I am off on a camping and hiking trip to the Brecon Beacons. Unfortunately my fellow Offa’s Dyke team member Alex (@WinkySmileyFace on Twitter) is unable to join me due to work commitments, but instead I will be joined by Justin (@JustinFleming on Twitter).

I am actually pretty excited about it! In my “youth” I regularly went to the Brecon Jazz Festival, as a good friend of mine lived in the town (and her dad makes amazing home brew!), but I have only walked on the Beacons once (this has perhaps something to do with the home brew!).

We will be doing two main walks whilst we are there (plus a smaller one on the first day as a warm up) – both walks have come from go4awalk.com.

Walk 1

The first walk starts in Nant Cwm Llwch (SO006245)  and climbs up to Pen Y Fan, and then follows the ridge to Cribyn and Fan y Big before returning (the long way) to Nant Cwm Llwch.

The hike (with full packs of course) is 10.5 miles, with a total ascent of 3526ft (a grade 7). This is the kind of ascent we will encounter on Offa’s Dyke (albeit with a bit more distance to spread it out), so it should be good practice.

Walk 2

The second walk starts in Capel-y-ffin (SO255315) and climbs up to the ridge, with a slight diversion to Chwarel y Fan, then across to Rhos Dirion and finally Lord Hereford’s Knob, before returning to Capel-y-ffin.

The hike is 10.25 miles, with a total ascent of 2093ft (a grade 6)

As well as the amusing name, this walk will give me my first glimpse of the part of the Offa’s Dyke I am most looking forward to – The Hatterrall Ridge, a ten mile ridge with apparently stunning views across the Black Mountains to the West, and England to the South.

Share the Trip

If you live in or around Brecon, it would be great if you want to pop around to whatever pub we end up in to say hi. As usually I will also be tweeting throughout the trip (we are in Brecon Tuesday to Thursday next week).

I will also be putting my Social Hiking 2.0 app through it’s paces (powered by viewranger) – the app lets you follow each walk live (it is updated every 15 minutes), and includes the route, related tweets, photos and now even audioboos.

@documentally has a lot to answer for!