Llanelly Hill Circuit 2009
A tough walk around the side of the Clydach Gorge, in the southeast corner of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
The circuit
Map of the Brecon Beacons National Park, showing the locations of the various mountains and ranges.
The view from dismantled railway line by Llanelly Quarry, through the end of the Clydach Gorge between Mynydd Llangatwg (530 metres) and Gilwern Hill (441 metres), towards the Sugar Loaf (596 metres) in the Black Mountains.
The bottom end of Llanelly Quarry. On the bottom right are some lime kilns hiding behind the trees.
A little way along the railway line is another set of lime kilns, barely visible behind the summer foliage.
The first viaduct.
Beside the viaduct is this little waterfall. It's normally completely dry, except in flood. In summer, it is badly hidden by trees (though it is possible to walk around an exposed ledge from the far side of the viaduct to get close its base, but this requires pushing through undergrowth).
Below it (visible from the viaduct in winter, or from a platform under the viaduct accessed via a path down on the left before it) is this taller waterfall on the same stream.
The tall central arch of the viaduct, towering over the smaller trees at around 20 metres high. The beech trees still manage to make it over the top of the viaduct though.
Under the arch is a series of smaller cascades.
Entrance to the Clydach Tunnels, which sadly are not usable as paths. The path bypasses them instead.
Just before the Nant Dyar viaduct is a path down into the Cwm Dyar woodland. This offers a possible way down to the lower stream in high water.
The Nant Dyar viaduct, the largest in the area. Cross it and turn right into the limeworks at the bottom of Gilwern Quarry. Down to the right at its start is a path to the stream.
Nant Dyar emerging from its tunnel under the viaduct.
Just below is the tallest of the lower waterfalls.
Cascades below it.
Below them is a small waterfall that has punched a hole to create a natural rock bridge. It is known as The Polo Mint.
The Polo hole.
Lime kilns back up in the limeworks.
Smaller kilns near the end of the lime works. Ogof Draenen's northern resurgence is at their base, and is responsible for a lot of the water seen downstream.
Upstream are some cascades and a small waterfall.
The last part of Gilwern Quarry.
A larger waterfall upstream. This is normal summer flow - it is flowing, but barely a trickle.
Summer flow.
In theory, the way upstream is up on the left bank, but keeping close to the stream to see the waterfalls. It can be tough though, especially with the bracken in summer.
Upper waterfall.
Upper cascade.
The remains of a dumped car denotes the base of the Button's Waterfall, tallest on the stream, and always covered with litter washed down from the stream above.
Small cascade above it, whose plunge pool is sometimes used as a paddling pool.
View down Cwm Dyar from the top, at Blaen Dyar.
The view from Blaen Dyar. On the left is the 529 metre top of Mynydd Llangatwg, then the low lump of Mynydd Llangorse (515 metres), the distant slope of Mynydd Troed (609 metres), the large lumps of Pen Allt-mawr (719 metres) and Pen Cerrig-calch (701 metres), the pointed top of Pen y Gadair Fawr (800 metres) with Wun Fach (811 metres) appearing as a rising lump to its left, and the low lump of Pen Twyn Mawr (658 metres) on its right, then lastly on the right is the edge of Gilwern Hill.
The scars of Gilwern Quarry.
Wild horses near Waunllapria. These are not Welsh mountain ponies, and are much larger. They may be owned by someone for all I know, but they are able to roam over a large number of mountains here.
Wild horse.
The waterfall on Nant Dyar-fach, which is barely a trickle at the moment. It may be hard to imagine, but in flood this becomes a foaming white mass of water.
Free range children in the lane beside the Jolly Colliers.
Marvelous scenery at the end of the lane. Yeah.
Barely recognisable waterfall by the road. In winter, it becomes a little more significant, but it's at its best after a few days of negative temperatures, when it freezes.
Getting to the upper waterfall in Cwm Llam-march was certainly not easy, forcing a route through this undergrowth, from the road above.
Base of the waterfall.
Cwm Llam-march upper waterfall.
Black cascades on the side of Cwm Llam-march.
Dribbling waterfall below it.
Waterfall under the lower bridge to Gellifelen in Cwm Llam-march. Safest to view from the top.
Below is this other waterfall, but getting to it is quite risky, given how steeply the muddy sides slope down towards it.
Below is a weir and cascade in a small canyon, but viewing these is best done from the dismantled railway line below. Walking along this cliff top was ridiculously hard, using walking poles to dig footholds.
Climbing back up was just as bad. The slope is too steep to get good footholds on the moss, and just below is a cliff 30-40 metres high. It would only take a small mistake to end up at the bottom. I was certainly happy to be back up at the road.
The view down the bottom of the valley, which gets renamed to Cwm Pwca (a reference to Puck from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which was based in this valley, and Shakespeare's Cave, which is situated at its lower end).
The upper part of the Clydach Gorge. Forget Cheddar Gorge - the Clydach Gorge may not have the tallest individual cliffs of any gorge in the UK, but by all other measures, it is the largest gorge in the UK.
Ridiculous summer undergrowth on the way down to Llanelly Quarry. Nettles, brambles, bracken and hawthorn.
The tiny waterfall under the bridge just as the stream leaves Llanelly Hill. Undergrowth and cliffs prevent easy access in summer. Just below here, the stream starts sinking into the stream bed, and before it reaches the quarry, it has all disappeared, presumably to feed Llanelly Quarry Pot. Only in flood does it make it down to the lower waterfalls seen at the start of the walk.
The dry waterfall at the top of the ramp in Llanelly Quarry. The outflow is through a brick arch in the artificial bank on the left, which has suffered from a small landslide, making the path a little narrower than is comfortable.
The main side of Llanelly Quarry from the top of the ramp. The way out through the lime kilns is most of the way towards the far end of the quarry on the right.
Some extras
Part of a large group of Caterham/Lotus Seven roadsters chasing up the gorge.
Small cascade behind the raised pipeline near the top of the Clydach Gorge.
Cwm Nantmelyn cascade.
The main Cwm Nantmelyn waterfall behind it. The upper part is about 6 metres high, and the lower part is 4 metres. In high flow, the spout should be able to jump clear of the ledge as a single waterfall, but a lot will still hit it.
The left side of the ledge was crumbling away, with two trees having almost pulled themselves out of it. Climbing up on the right side required pushing up through this tree, which was not a comfortable experience.
The ledge surface is not very stable turf and undergrowth, the clean-washed part of the ledge is extremely slippery, and sloping enough to make it very difficult to walk behind. However, it is possible if you are a nut like me.
Just below Maesygwartha at the downstream end of the gorge is a large (7-8 metre) waterfall that almost nobody seems to know, though a few use its deep plunge pool for swimming, despite the faint smell of sewage. It is not marked on the current OS maps but on the 1999 Brecon Beacons 1:4000 proposals map 74, it shows as being called 'Pwll Rhys'. The 1891 1:10560 scale map of Brecknockshire similarly calls it Pwll-y-Rhys. A 1784 painting by Joshua Gosselin from Guernsey names it 'Pwl-y-recce' - that is clearly a poor Anglicisation, probably representing either Pwll-y-Rhychu (pool that digs a trench) or Pwll-y-Rhechu (pool that farts). The latter seems more appropriate due to the sulpher smells from minor works that predated the Clydach Ironworks that appeared a few years later in 1792, and from the sewage that now (and probably then as well) occasionally pollutes the river. It also sounds closest to the Anglicisation.
Dribbling moss near Pwll Rhys.
Map of the Brecon Beacons National Park, showing the locations of the various mountains and ranges.
The view from dismantled railway line by Llanelly Quarry, through the end of the Clydach Gorge between Mynydd Llangatwg (530 metres) and Gilwern Hill (441 metres), towards the Sugar Loaf (596 metres) in the Black Mountains.
The bottom end of Llanelly Quarry. On the bottom right are some lime kilns hiding behind the trees.
A little way along the railway line is another set of lime kilns, barely visible behind the summer foliage.
The first viaduct.
Beside the viaduct is this little waterfall. It's normally completely dry, except in flood. In summer, it is badly hidden by trees (though it is possible to walk around an exposed ledge from the far side of the viaduct to get close its base, but this requires pushing through undergrowth).
Below it (visible from the viaduct in winter, or from a platform under the viaduct accessed via a path down on the left before it) is this taller waterfall on the same stream.
The tall central arch of the viaduct, towering over the smaller trees at around 20 metres high. The beech trees still manage to make it over the top of the viaduct though.
Under the arch is a series of smaller cascades.
Entrance to the Clydach Tunnels, which sadly are not usable as paths. The path bypasses them instead.
Just before the Nant Dyar viaduct is a path down into the Cwm Dyar woodland. This offers a possible way down to the lower stream in high water.
The Nant Dyar viaduct, the largest in the area. Cross it and turn right into the limeworks at the bottom of Gilwern Quarry. Down to the right at its start is a path to the stream.
Nant Dyar emerging from its tunnel under the viaduct.
Just below is the tallest of the lower waterfalls.
Cascades below it.
Below them is a small waterfall that has punched a hole to create a natural rock bridge. It is known as The Polo Mint.
The Polo hole.
Lime kilns back up in the limeworks.
Smaller kilns near the end of the lime works. Ogof Draenen's northern resurgence is at their base, and is responsible for a lot of the water seen downstream.
Upstream are some cascades and a small waterfall.
The last part of Gilwern Quarry.
A larger waterfall upstream. This is normal summer flow - it is flowing, but barely a trickle.
Summer flow.
In theory, the way upstream is up on the left bank, but keeping close to the stream to see the waterfalls. It can be tough though, especially with the bracken in summer.
Upper waterfall.
Upper cascade.
The remains of a dumped car denotes the base of the Button's Waterfall, tallest on the stream, and always covered with litter washed down from the stream above.
Small cascade above it, whose plunge pool is sometimes used as a paddling pool.
View down Cwm Dyar from the top, at Blaen Dyar.
The view from Blaen Dyar. On the left is the 529 metre top of Mynydd Llangatwg, then the low lump of Mynydd Llangorse (515 metres), the distant slope of Mynydd Troed (609 metres), the large lumps of Pen Allt-mawr (719 metres) and Pen Cerrig-calch (701 metres), the pointed top of Pen y Gadair Fawr (800 metres) with Wun Fach (811 metres) appearing as a rising lump to its left, and the low lump of Pen Twyn Mawr (658 metres) on its right, then lastly on the right is the edge of Gilwern Hill.
The scars of Gilwern Quarry.
Wild horses near Waunllapria. These are not Welsh mountain ponies, and are much larger. They may be owned by someone for all I know, but they are able to roam over a large number of mountains here.
Wild horse.
The waterfall on Nant Dyar-fach, which is barely a trickle at the moment. It may be hard to imagine, but in flood this becomes a foaming white mass of water.
Free range children in the lane beside the Jolly Colliers.
Marvelous scenery at the end of the lane. Yeah.
Barely recognisable waterfall by the road. In winter, it becomes a little more significant, but it's at its best after a few days of negative temperatures, when it freezes.
Getting to the upper waterfall in Cwm Llam-march was certainly not easy, forcing a route through this undergrowth, from the road above.
Base of the waterfall.
Cwm Llam-march upper waterfall.
Black cascades on the side of Cwm Llam-march.
Dribbling waterfall below it.
Waterfall under the lower bridge to Gellifelen in Cwm Llam-march. Safest to view from the top.
Below is this other waterfall, but getting to it is quite risky, given how steeply the muddy sides slope down towards it.
Below is a weir and cascade in a small canyon, but viewing these is best done from the dismantled railway line below. Walking along this cliff top was ridiculously hard, using walking poles to dig footholds.
Climbing back up was just as bad. The slope is too steep to get good footholds on the moss, and just below is a cliff 30-40 metres high. It would only take a small mistake to end up at the bottom. I was certainly happy to be back up at the road.
The view down the bottom of the valley, which gets renamed to Cwm Pwca (a reference to Puck from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which was based in this valley, and Shakespeare's Cave, which is situated at its lower end).
The upper part of the Clydach Gorge. Forget Cheddar Gorge - the Clydach Gorge may not have the tallest individual cliffs of any gorge in the UK, but by all other measures, it is the largest gorge in the UK.
Ridiculous summer undergrowth on the way down to Llanelly Quarry. Nettles, brambles, bracken and hawthorn.
The tiny waterfall under the bridge just as the stream leaves Llanelly Hill. Undergrowth and cliffs prevent easy access in summer. Just below here, the stream starts sinking into the stream bed, and before it reaches the quarry, it has all disappeared, presumably to feed Llanelly Quarry Pot. Only in flood does it make it down to the lower waterfalls seen at the start of the walk.
The dry waterfall at the top of the ramp in Llanelly Quarry. The outflow is through a brick arch in the artificial bank on the left, which has suffered from a small landslide, making the path a little narrower than is comfortable.
The main side of Llanelly Quarry from the top of the ramp. The way out through the lime kilns is most of the way towards the far end of the quarry on the right.
Part of a large group of Caterham/Lotus Seven roadsters chasing up the gorge.
Small cascade behind the raised pipeline near the top of the Clydach Gorge.
Cwm Nantmelyn cascade.
The main Cwm Nantmelyn waterfall behind it. The upper part is about 6 metres high, and the lower part is 4 metres. In high flow, the spout should be able to jump clear of the ledge as a single waterfall, but a lot will still hit it.
The left side of the ledge was crumbling away, with two trees having almost pulled themselves out of it. Climbing up on the right side required pushing up through this tree, which was not a comfortable experience.
The ledge surface is not very stable turf and undergrowth, the clean-washed part of the ledge is extremely slippery, and sloping enough to make it very difficult to walk behind. However, it is possible if you are a nut like me.
Just below Maesygwartha at the downstream end of the gorge is a large (7-8 metre) waterfall that almost nobody seems to know, though a few use its deep plunge pool for swimming, despite the faint smell of sewage. It is not marked on the current OS maps but on the 1999 Brecon Beacons 1:4000 proposals map 74, it shows as being called 'Pwll Rhys'. The 1891 1:10560 scale map of Brecknockshire similarly calls it Pwll-y-Rhys. A 1784 painting by Joshua Gosselin from Guernsey names it 'Pwl-y-recce' - that is clearly a poor Anglicisation, probably representing either Pwll-y-Rhychu (pool that digs a trench) or Pwll-y-Rhechu (pool that farts). The latter seems more appropriate due to the sulpher smells from minor works that predated the Clydach Ironworks that appeared a few years later in 1792, and from the sewage that now (and probably then as well) occasionally pollutes the river. It also sounds closest to the Anglicisation.
Dribbling moss near Pwll Rhys.