Including the Craig y Pistyll waterfall.
From Cardiff, take the A470 to the Llangurig roundabout. From Llangurig, take the first turnoff (left) at the roundabout, onto the A44 towards Aberystwyth. At Ponterwyd, turn right immediately after crossing the stone bridge, onto a lane signposted to Pendam. Ignore a lane to the left early on. After just over a mile, turn left onto a lane signposted to Penrhyn-coch, which soon crosses a ford. When the road reaches a junction at a lake, stay on the left side of the lake. Turn right onto another lane at the next proper junction, and park in the parking area on the right (there's another one up a track to the left if needed). SN 7102 8388.
Continue for 200 metres past the parking area, and take the forestry track on the left. It climbs up to the pass between two hills. When it turns right at the pass, continue ahead along the edge of the forest. After crossing a track, the path descends through some forestry, aiming a little away from the fenceline it had previously been following. Part way down, this had been recently felled during my visit, causing some small landslips, and almost complete destruction of the path. Try to aim northwards towards the house in the valley at the base of the Pen Craigypistyll hill, crossing a tiny stream on the way via a small bridge (alternatively, if you are worried about route finding over the landslips, follow the track to the left, then turn right at the next track junction, to reach the same point - this adds about 800 metres onto the route). Cross the footbridge over the main river at the house, and ascend the slope on the other side to reach a narrow path that climbs up to the right. Follow it uphill below the dramatic Craig y Pistyll crag, until the waterfall becomes visible in the gully on the right.
Beyond here, the path climbs up to reach the Llyn Craigypistyll reservoir. For the shorter loop, cross the dam to the spillway, and cross that using the bridge. Pick up the track running along the side of the reservoir. Stay with it as it doubles back into a forest, continuing ahead-right at the next two major track junctions, to reach a fork. Follow the track to the left all the way down to the road, and turn right to return to the start of the walk.
For the longer loop, continue along the path on the left side of the reservoir, fording two streams, to reach a track beyond the far end of the reservoir. Follow it to the right, ignoring a track to the left early on, to reach the end of Llyn Syfydryn after 1.5 km. At a junction of several tracks, turn right onto the track that runs along the left side of the lake. Ignore a track on the right at the end of the lake, and continue following the well-surfaced track ahead to reach a proper road at a hairpin bend (which appears almost as a fork in the road). Take the road to the right, and follow it back to the start of the walk.
| Waterfall | Grid reference | GPS coordinates | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Craig y Pistyll | SN 71297 85496 | 52.452212°N, 3.895359°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.