One of our favourite walks in the Brecon Beacons, the magical Four Falls trail near Ystradfellte takes you through the woods to some of the country’s most spectacular waterfalls.
Start
Cwm Porth Car Park, CT44 9JF. The car park costs £4.00. There are toilets and a small shop at the start.
Duration:
3-4 hours
Length:
6 miles
Terrain:
Rocky, uneven paths. Can be very muddy and slippery when wet. Some steep steps to Sgwd Yr Eira. The ‘dangerous’ path needs some care taken due to steep drops and some minor clambering.
Dog friendly?
Yes but we advise dogs on leads along the ‘dangerous’ section of the path due to steep drop.
From Bristol:
There are no public transport routes that take you to the falls. The drive from Bristol is roughly 1h40.
Komoot details:
Walk back to the entrance of Cwm Porth car park and cross the road to a small gap with a map on the other side (if you don't want to walk along the river path, take the slightly higher and wider path across the road from the shop).
You'll soon find yourself walking right alongside the river and navigating a rocky (and somewhat slippery) path. When you get to a small footbridge, don't cross it, but keep walking along the path with the river on your right.
You'll soon reach a signposted crossroads that points you in the right direction (down the hill) for your first fall of the day: Sgwd Clun-Gwyn
You may just see some gorge walkers taking a rather more adventurous route!
From the viewpoint, follow the green arrows that mark the path. The signs describe this as a 'dangerous' route because there is a narrow section alongside a drop and a little bit of scrambling to be done (i.e. getting on your bum to navigate down a few large steps).*
Keep following the green route and you'll eventually reach the 'dangerous' bit - where we recommend dogs should be kept on leads as the path narrows and there's quite a drop on one side. Here's what it looks like ...
It's not too bad though.
After navigating a few steep rocky steps (including the aforementioned bum-shuffling section) you'll find yourself at the second falls: Sgwd Clun-Gwyn Isaf
There's always a great photo opportunity when the river is low enough.
Continuing along the river, follow the path downhill alongside a series of little plunge pools (fun to get in to cool down in summer!). After about 5 minutes, you'll reach Sgwd Yr Pannwr.
This is where we usually stop for snacks/lunch. If you are lucky you'll be able to watch the gorge walkers jump off the edge into the water below :D
From Sgwd Yr Pannwr, continue along the path and boardwalk that now heads uphill through the woods. At the top you'll join the main red route where a map will show you how to get to your final destination: Sgwd Yr Eira.
Continue along the main path until you reach the steps down to the final (and most impressive) falls: Sgwd Yr Eira.
At the bottom, you can continue all the way along the left bank of the river to walk behind the falls if you want to. Keep in mind that it is pretty slippery getting there (and never not wet) so good solid shoes and waterproofs are recommended! We recommend not trying to get behind the falls when the river is very full as it could prove dangerous.
This is a nice. spot for a wild swim too if you fancy a cool down.
Return back to the main path via the steep steps (sorry).
At the top you have two choices: you can either hike up the hill and join an easy, flat, wide path that takes you all the way back to the car park (signposted 'Cwm Porth' along the way), or you can hike back to the car park via the red route (also signposted 'Cwm Porth' along the way). There's a map at the top of the steps you can use to make your decision, though you'll get a nice view if you can manage to hike up one more hill ...
*If you want to avoid the dangerous path, follow the red arrows to Sgwd Yr Eira - you'll miss out on seeing the middle two waterfalls though, so we recommend taking the green route.