Including Water Break-its-neck - Black Brook.
From Cardiff, take the A470 to Builth Wells. From Builth Wells, take the third turnoff at the roundabout, along the A483 to Crossgates. From Crossgates, take the third turnoff at the roundabout, along the A44 towards Leominster. One mile after passing through Llanfihangel-nant-Melan, the entrance to the Warren Wood site is on the left, marked only with a parking sign. There is a small parking area at the start of the track, or you can drive down the track, taking a right at the fork, to reach the main parking area. SO 1861 5984.
Follow the track onwards from the main parking area, until it crosses a stream running in a small ravine. Turn left and follow the path that runs up the ravine to the Water Break-its-neck waterfall. It needs significant amounts of rainfall to become interesting. The path has occasional steps and may suffer from fallen branches, so it would not be suitable for wheelchair access.
This is the end of most visits to this waterfall. However, if you want to extend the route, there are many other paths in the area. The following loop route is an example.
Return to the main track and turn left. Follow the track up the Black Brook valley for 2 km, ignoring any tracks that branch off to the left, to where it turns three very sharp hairpins (not marked on the OS map) to wind its way up Davy Morgan's Dingle, the headwaters of Black Brook. It then turns right (not a hairpin this time), flattens out, and soon turns hard left. At this point, take a less significant track on the right. Follow the track out of the forestry and onto the ridge.
When the track splits near a small pond (not marked on the map), take the left branch (to the right leads via an extensive maze of paths to the summit of Great Rhos). Follow it until it crosses a fence and then a dry stream bed, and bends left. Immediately afterwards, a cluster of paths join from the right, and the path ahead splits again. Take the left-most branch (it begins as several branches that eventually rejoin), running close to the dry stream bed. The path soon moves to about 150 metres from the stream bed, passing into a large field, and after 750 metres, reaches a more substantial grassy track running along the edge of some other fields.
Turn left and follow the track for a very long way, sticking close to fences for almost its entire length. After 750 metres, it crosses a stream. After another 3 km, it finally passes back through the forestry and reaches the main car park access track at the bottom of the valley. Turn left to return to the parking area. I have not followed this route, apart from the initial walk to the waterfall, so readers should be prepared to use their own initiative where needed.
| Waterfall | Grid reference | GPS coordinates | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Break-its-neck/Dŵr-Torri-Gwddf | SO 18327 60030 | 52.232385°N, 3.197300°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.