The Rundown:
This is an “out and back” walk alongside two rivers with some spectacular waterfalls – four of them in fact! (Not to be confused with the Four Waterfalls trail also in Bannau Brycheniog.) You will walk the banks of the Afon Nedd Fechon and Afon Pyrddin. It is a peaceful walk, surrounded by magical woods that are purported to contain the entrance to a Fairy Kingdom. The Elidir Trail takes its name from the legend of a local boy, Elidir, who walked this very trail and discovered the cave entrance leading to the Fairy Kingdom.
There are places where you can scramble up and down a bit if you choose to, allowing for some varied views of the falls. These are not part of the official path and, as with all treks and scrambles, do so at your own risk.
Length: approx 5 miles, 2 ½-ish hours depending on your pace.
Terrain: A well-maintained flat path to start, but soon becomes more of a forest trail with roots and rocks, gentles slopes in places and mud in others during wet weather.
Getting There:
The Elidir Trail begins in Pontneddfechan and is marked by a set of metal gates that say “Waterfall Country” across them. The closest place to park is in the VERY small free car park across from the Angel Inn pub, just south of the gates. It also has a set of public toilets situated within the small area. As the car park only has 4 spaces, it will fill quickly and early! If getting up at the crack of dawn is not your thing, there is also roadside parking south of the Angel Inn.
A plug for the Angel Inn: we ate there after walking the Elidir Trail. It had a very pleasant traditional pub atmosphere with plenty of choice on the menu. We were delightfully surprised by the delicious vegan burgers and also pleased to be able to order alcohol-free ciders as well! (driving and all) If you are hungry after your adventure, I would recommend stopping in.
The Elidir Trail and Its Waterfalls:
After walking alongside the Afon Nedd Fechon, you will cross the footbridge where it joins the Afon Pyrddin. After crossing you can turn left along Afon Pyrddin to visit Sgwd Gwaldys and Logan Rock or head right and carry on the other three waterfalls. We chose to head left and after a few minutes, found ourselves at Sgwd Gwaldys.
1.) Sgwd Gwaldys
These falls are often called Lady Falls, not because Gwaldys translates to “lady”, but it is thought, due to the word “gwaldys” looking similar to the word “lady” to English speakers in the 1800’s. Gwaldys was actually the name of one of King Brychan’s daughters, but that’s a story I’ll leave for you to research futher on your own.
The falls are beautiful, and were my favourite of this walk. The atmosphere around the falls, with ferns, ivy, mossy rocks and fallen trees give it a fairy-tale feel. The falls themselves are a 20ft drop from a sandstone cliff and are dramatic and pleasing to watch and listen to.
You can walk the path to the top of the falls for an alternative and equally stunning view. Up here you will also find Logan Rock. To be really honest, I couldn’t find any info on this particular Logan Rock, although there seems to be a popular Logan Rock in Cornwall! Unfortunately that means I can’t say much about it other than follow the sign post for it to find the top of Sgwd Gwaldys. From here there is also access to a “secret” 5th waterfall, Sgwd Einion Gam. At the time of our travels, we were sadly unaware of these falls, but from what I have seen and read since, they are difficult to find, with a potentially difficult path that requires crossing the river in 2 places. Bearing that in mind, explore at your own risk!
When you have finished exploring Sgwd Gwaldys, simply head back the way you came. When you get to the bridge, now turn left to continue along the Nedd Fechan (as opposed to crossing back over the bridge and returning the way you came).
2.) Sgwd y Bedol
Sgwd y Bedol, or Horeshoe Falls, are the first of 3 falls in very close succession on the Nedd Fechan. They are cut in a semi-circle shape, roughly resembling a horseshoe and although they are not tall falls, their cascade is very beautiful. I love the way they step down. You can scramble down the river bank to get a view from the bottom of the falls, which, I think, is the best to really admire their beauty and the steps!
3.) Sgwd Ddwli Isaf
The name means Lower Gushing Falls. With all the rain we’ve had recently, yes they were definitely gushing! They are another lovely tall curtain of water. I suspect they would have been worth clambering down the bank to stand in front of them, but it also appears that where I have seen other people do this, they end up standing in the river and it has not been after the traumatic amounts of rain we have seen this winter and spring!
4.) Sgwd Ddwli Uchaf
We have reached the final falls on our walk, Upper Gushing Falls. They too were certainly gushing on our visit! They are not as tall as they are wide, but they are also magnificent and were worth the effort to get to. Again, we descended the river bank to glean the view from the bottom – well worth it! There is a large (slippery in places!) slab of rock at the bottom of the falls that allowed us to take in many angles. It also offered a place to sit for a bit of trail mix, water and a chat.
After out little snack, Alan spied a few rocky foot holds up the side of the waterfall and we scrambled up them to rejoin our path. At this point, we turned and headed the way we came to return to the car park.
Extra, Extra!
The Cave: Was it Elidir’s cave to the Fairy Kingdom?
We found a cave shortly after crossing the bridge to get to the falls. If memory serves correctly, you can see it from the path before the bridge, over to your right. I was brave enough to take a few steps in (it was a small dark hole, not my favourite place to be without a torch). Had I carried a torch and walked a bit further, perhaps this would have led me through to the Kingdom Elidir had discovered! We may never know, but I’ll be packing a torch in my day bag for future!
You can have a look at the Elidir Trail Walk for yourself here:
All Trails guide link: https://www.alltrails.com/en-gb/trail/wales/powys/elidir-trail
If you’ve done this walk, let me know what you thought! Have you been somewhere else in Bannau Brycheniog that you want to recommend? Leave a comment below!