The Garden Community for Garden Lovers

Four Waterfalls Walk

Sid

By Sid

27 comments


This is for Gardeningfriend and also for Weeding who wanted to see my pics of the waterfalls on this walk. The pictures are roughly in order, but I wont do such a good job as Gf did in his recent blog about the lovely walk across the Conwy Valley.

This walk is at the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park, near Ystradfellte. If you go, bear in mind there is a £4 parking charge – which goes towards the upkeep of the National Park.

This walk is about 6-miles and is quite tricky as there is a lot of climbing up and down some VERY steep paths, some of which are slippery. That said, it’s a very rewarding walk.

It starts with a cave…


When we arrived at the cave there was a group of about 10 potholers gathered looking at what appeared to be a wall of solid rock just inside the mouth of the cave. Within 10 minutes, every one of them had disappeard into a hole the size of watermelon!. Good grief….

We had brought our torches, so we had a quick explore around the mouth of the cave. It was surprisingly roomy and pitch dark iinside and our torches weren’t really strong enough, so we didn’t go far inside. You could hear the sound of the stream roaring away into the underground limestone caverns……

The first waterfall you come to is Sgwd Clun Gwyn. This family of picknickers helpfully gave it scale.

Presumably the water pours over the entire length of the ledge after heavey rain.

And the view from the top of the waterfall down the gorge…

We stopped for our first rest at the bridge…Hi GoY!

We caught glimpses of waterfalls through the trees and could hear the sound of rushing water all around…

Many of the paths were difficult terrain and the way was not really marked out.

Then there is a whole series of beautiful waterfalls and swirling pools…

Inbetween the waterfalls, the River Mellte was deceptively calm. We caught sight of ittle Dippers – dark coloured birds with white bibs that like to dip into fast moving water to look for insect larva – as we walked along the river bank. There were also grey wagtails, which is an odd name, given that they’re mainly yellow!

The fourth waterfall is Sgwd-yr-Eira the “Waterfall of Snow.” This is the highlight of the walk as you can walk behind the thundering wall of water…

This is my friend Sandra – she’s been dragged along on quite a few expeditions with me. Hi Sandra!


Waterproofs on, I’M GOING IN!!!


Hurry up with the photo, Sandra, I’m getting all soggy wet!

Then it was a long, long trudge back to the car and a long hot soak in the bath when I got home!

Hope you enjoyed coming on this walk with me. Now have a nice sit down to recover :-)

More blog posts by Sid

Previous post: Leek Moth and Allium Leaf-Mining Fly - The Sequel

Next post: 2008 Goes Out Whiter Than White in My Garden...



Comments

 

~it looks spectacular!good pics Sid!

15 Dec, 2008

Sid
Sid
 

Thanks Arlene - glad you liked it :-)

15 Dec, 2008

 

Wow Sid what a beautiful series of photos. Any one of them would be proud of but to see them in sequence like this - stunning . Can hear that sound as you follow this blog - well done .

15 Dec, 2008

 

Stunning Walk thanks for letting me tag along Sarah :)X

15 Dec, 2008

 

Ystradfellte

Sid, I still have difficulties in your beginnings. Mine usually end there.But your endings up are much like my own. Plant differences aside. I think I like your your scenerio more.

Now, guess which picture I liked most: The ending of course.

Thank you.

16 Dec, 2008

 

fantastic looking place, great photos

16 Dec, 2008

 

great blog. love the pics. wales is souch a great place to live. i havent been up that way for years. thanks for reminding me how lovely it is.

16 Dec, 2008

amy
Amy
 

Hi Sid , thanks for the memory i,ve done that walk twice ,
it,s especially magical when the sun shines over the falls and creates rainbows I,ll never forget that sight ,

I would like to be doing it now :0)

16 Dec, 2008

 

Fantastic photos.
Brilliant blog.
Sid ~ well done with this one.
Excellent.
Merry Christmas and Happy 2009 to you and Birtie
from Terratoonie, Conker and Crocus. xxx

16 Dec, 2008

Sid
Sid
 

Thanks Mr (or Mrs?) Bb - glad you like my pictures :-) You would like this walk - lots of interesting bird-life. My camera sadly not quite up to the job of capturing them tho.

Jac - your welcome :-)

Herb - not quite sure what you mean (I'm being a bit slow I expect) what do you mean you have difficulties in my beginnings?! What scenario? If you mean Ystradfellte - it's a Welsh place-name and therefore the Y sounds like an i, but maybe one of our Welsh members can tell you the proper way to pronounce the various names in my blog better than I could :-)

Thanks Irish & Sandra :-)

Amy - It really was a gloomy old day - I bet with the sun out and the rainbows, it's even more spectacular. Maybe I'll go back in the summer :-) Did I get the pictures in the right order?!

TT - Very Merry Christmas to you too - and of course Conker and Crocus - from me and Birtie-birts :-)

16 Dec, 2008

 

What a beautiful area for walking, Sid! I think the 'scrambling upwards' bit would be too much for me, but the flat bits I could do - no probs!
We spent holidays in Wales years ago - not sure whether we visited this area.

Lovely photos - thanks, Sid.

16 Dec, 2008

 

What a brill place, i'd love to walk round there perhaps i'd have to walk on the flat places, but those water falls are so lovely.

16 Dec, 2008

 

I know that area. It's beautiful. Thanks for showing the photos. I hope you dried off.

16 Dec, 2008

amy
Amy
 

As far as I can remember Sid , I loved being behind the waterfall ........ :0)

16 Dec, 2008

 

Really enjoyed this Sid....thanks so much for sharing it with us.....I would love to visit this area and try this walk, the waterfalls are amazing!

16 Dec, 2008

 

Wondeful, Sid! Now, can I have a hot towel to dry off, and a mug of hot chocolate (with cream and marshmallows)?
Also, thanks for identifying the Little Dipper, which have seen so much of here recently, but was unsure as to what it was.

16 Dec, 2008

 

How lovely Sid, and what great photos. Things like this really cheer up a gloomy slippery-pavement December..
Thanks for posting this blog, it's great!
I've only just come back to surf around GOY again in my break at work after quite a lot of busy mad days with all the churchnschool pre-Christmas doings.

Waterfalls always make me smile cos husband wanted to propose in a similar walk-behind one while he was living in New York State, then chickened out... luckily there were plenty more beautiful ones in State Parks and he managed it eventually : ))

Merry Christmas to you.

17 Dec, 2008

 

Thanks Sid for your blog / pictures. I thought the waterfalls and the photographer looked great - far more interesting than the waterfall on my blog. You had to drive to South Wales to undertake your walk and take your photos. Your photos are so good I feel I don’t have to go now to enjoy these views. Thank you.

17 Dec, 2008

Sid
Sid
 

Barbara - not many flat bits I'm afraid! Killed my knees...!!

Hywell - I did dry off eventually

19 Dec, 2008

Sid
Sid
 

back later to finish this off....!!

19 Dec, 2008

 

Sid....what a beautiful walk...the placement of people for scale was great in allowing me to "picture" the grandeur.

19 Dec, 2008

Sid
Sid
 

Right. Back again. Sorry about that folks, there was a sudden emergency at work and I had to get off here a bit sudden! Anyway,

Glad you enjoyed the walk Amy, Jane and David.

David - we were absolutely shattered by the time we got home - we had big mugs of sweet tea (tho the hot choc with mashmallows would have been a very welcome substitute!) then once Sandra had gone home I had a long soak in a hot bath - still acked in the morning tho!

Weeding - glad you liked it - NOW I see where your facination with waterfalls comes from!! Lovely romantic hubby you've got there :-)

Gardeningfriend - awww shux thanks!

Skippy - thanks :-)

20 Dec, 2008

 

Hi - I'm back for another visit to this favourite blog.

15 Feb, 2009

 

same here.
Why do wagtails wag their tails? What is point?
I think I feel a GARDENING QUESTION coming on.

22 Feb, 2009

Sid
Sid
 

Maybe they have a tiny dynamo at the base of their tails that they have to keep wound up by wagging?

22 Feb, 2009

 

Hi Sid and Weeding - The wagtail question and answer seems to have stopped keyboards wagging last February. I have been here waiting to see members' answers for the last nine months. No wonder I get wound up about sad neglected blogs. The wagtails are keeping the reason a secret so nobody knows the reason. Many have speculated, it is nearly as big a mystery as why this blog has got so few likes. Perhaps it was because the author was a bit wet.

27 Nov, 2009

 

Sid, I'm so glad that GF mentioned this blog, otherwise I would not have known it was here. These falls are incredible. Good job presenting them! I would love to see them in person.

27 Nov, 2009

Add a comment

Recent posts by Sid

Members who like this blog

  • Gardening with friends since
    29 Jul, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    4 Apr, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    27 Nov, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    31 Jan, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    29 Mar, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    2 Jul, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    24 Jun, 2007

  • Gardening with friends since
    3 Nov, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    12 Sep, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    22 Oct, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    21 May, 2007

  • Gardening with friends since
    20 Sep, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    5 Feb, 2009

  • Gardening with friends since
    22 Dec, 2008

  • Gardening with friends since
    7 Nov, 2008