Length:
13.4 km (8.3 mi) [longer options available]
Ascent/Descent:
270m; Net Walking Time: 4 hours
Toughness:
3 out of 10
Take
the 10.55 bus (line T6) from Bus
Stand 7 at Brecon Bus Interchange.
Arrives Craig y Nos 11.37. The last return bus runs at 16.03 (arrives 16.41). Very slow walkers/long lunchers should
take the earlier bus at
08.50.
The
walk starts through the Craig y Nos
Country Park, an idyllic spot on the banks of the Afon Tawe (River Tawe)
with its Victorian Gothic building (now a hotel), which was home to the world-renowned
opera singer Adelina Patti from 1878 to 1919. The route then follows quiet
bridleways and country lanes with excellent views across the valley to the
Cribarth mountain, to a steep cliff edge above the Tawe River which it then follows for an extended stretch, with the
river running below in rapids.
You
then leave the Tawe to walk up a spectacular
wooded ravine, formed by the Nant Llech. The river’s name (‘Rock Slab
Stream’ in English) derives from the rock strata that tilt or dip to create
small waterfalls along its course, several of which can be observed from close
quarters. The wooded gorge (owned and managed by the National Trust) is an
Ancient Woodland, meaning many of the trees (especially on the southern bank)
have never been felled. It is also a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest)
for its humid habitat, supporting a wide range of damp-loving species.
You
ascend through the scenic gorge to a natural amphitheatre, carved out over
millennia by the highest waterfall in
South Wales, the Sgwd Henrhyd (Henrhyd Waterfall), which drops down a rocky
ledge forming a water curtain you can walk behind. From
there country lanes and paths across pastures get you a prized lunch pub in Pen
y Cae and then back along the bridleways and lanes of the outward route to
finish with a riverside loop through the Craig y Nos Country Park to its tea
rooms.
Walk Options: Alternative
Start,
further north in Glyntawe (same bus), for a slightly longer and tougher walk
(14.3 km/8.9 mi); or even longer, by
exploring a variation of the morning route by climbing up to the
Cribarth plateau from Craig y Nos first to pick up the route in Ynyswen (with
or w/o the longer start from Glyntawe).
Tea: Changing
Seasons Tea Rooms & Restaurant in Craig
y Nos or the pubs in Glyntawe: Tafarn Y Garreg or The Gwyn Arms.
For
walk directions and options, route map, height profile, photos or gpx/kml files click here. T=swc.280
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