Including the Afon Twrch tributary waterfall.
From Cardiff, take the M4 to junction 45, then take the A4067 towards Pontardawe (sixth turnoff, to the right). Follow the A4067 past a chain of roundabouts, through Pontardawe, to Gurnos (between Ystalyfera and Ystradgynlais). Currently, this is the seventh roundabout since the M4 junction's roundabout. Follow the A4068 to Ystradowen. Soon after passing the low Ystradowen Day Club on the left, take the next right on a sharp left bend, onto Pen-y-Graig Road. (If you see a stone church on the left, you have just gone too far.) Park on the roadside just after the road crosses a river. SN 7559 1256.
Take the path on the left side of the road, heading upstream on the right bank of the river. After about 1 km, immediately before the path crosses the river via a footbridge, cross a stile on the right, picking up a small path heading up beside a small stream. This then passes through a series of fields that line the lip of the river valley (shown as a concessionary footpath on the 1:25'000 map), to arrive at the remains of the Pen-y-wern farm. At the far left side of the farm, pick up the path that starts near the top of the valley's trees, before slowly moving to between 100 and 200 metres from the river, passing through several fields. Continue on the poorly defined footpath, occasionally picking up fragments of tracks before gaining a proper dirt track in an area of walled fields after 800 metres. Follow the track to the left, After about 650 metres, arrive at the remains of the Dorwen farm.
Continue along the track beyond this farm, which runs roughly parallel to the main Afon Twrch valley, and degenerates into a path. After passing through a few fields, another small path branches off up to the right, while the main path continues to reach a gateway just before a stream crosses it. A small waterfall lies just upstream, while the main waterfall is almost directly below the gate. To get to it, it may be best to cross the stream, descend the buttress on the far bank of the stream down into the Afon Twrch valley, then make your way back up the stream to the waterfall.
Beyond here, the main path fords the Afon Twrch and heads for the pass between Foel Fraith and Garreg Las. You can choose to follow this as far as desired, or create your own route to return to the start of the walk. The route given here is merely the simplest access route, and there are various paths on the far bank of the Afon Twrch that can be used to create a looping route back to the start of the walk.
| Waterfall | Grid reference | GPS coordinates | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afon Twrch | SN 77347 15415 | 51.823852°N, 3.781071°W | |
Whilst every care has been taken in the compilation of this description, neither the author nor his fellow walkers can accept responsibility for loss or injury arising from any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in this description. This description is intended as a guide only, and you should select a route to suit your own abilities, at your own discretion. Ability requirements are a guide only. Route maps are approximated. You follow this description at your own risk.