ARCHIVE PICTURES.


Monday 27th August 2001.
Ystradfellte Waterfalls.

Weather: Sunny.


Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind
permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland
I'm in the village of Ystradfellte today to visit the waterfalls. It's just 9.30 am and not knowing where the falls are I look around for someone to ask but there is nobody to be seen. Ystradfellte is too small to be thought of as a village, it's really more a hamlet. It consists of a pub called the New Inn, the parish church of St. Mary, a post office and a few residential properties. While I wait for someone to appear I cross the road into the churchyard. Much of the present church was built by Cistercian monks, at the end of the 12th century.
Leaving the churchyard I pass the pub as I go back to the small car park where a car has just pulled in. In answer to my enquiry the driver gives me directions to the falls adding that most visitors use the Forestry car park which is about a mile up the road and much closer to the falls. But as this is my first visit to Ystradfellte, I prefer to walk from the village. I pick up my backpack, and start off up the road.
Ystradfellte is situated in the central part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The village is named after the River Mellte which flows nearby and a rough translation of it's name is "Valley floor of the Mellte". The narrow quiet road out of the village winds steadily upwards between sunlit fields and forests. It is a lovely summer morning, and as I gaze at the beautiful countryside I'm glad I decided to walk.
From the Forestry car park I follow the track to the waterfalls..
I reach the first of the falls on the River Mellte, it called Sgwn Clun Gwyn (White Meadow Falls). The falls are far more impressive when the river is in flood but today, unfortunately, the river is quite low. I climb back up to the main pathway and continue on to the next waterfall.
As I go along the path, now and again through gaps in the trees, I can see across the valley to the hills beyond.
There are more visitors about now and I join a small group making their way down the long steep path to another of the Mellte falls.
A little while after taking this picture and when this particular piece of rock had been vacated I too sat here, relaxed in the warm sunshine, watching and listening to the water crashing into the river below.
I really like this spot. This is definitely where I'll stop for my coffee break... .
... this small grassy area under the tree will do fine. Suitably refreshed I set off for the next and last waterfall.
This waterfall is on the Hepste River and is called Sgwd-yr-Eira. The fall is 50 feet high and a ledge allows you to walk behind the fall to cross the river. You have to descend almost 200 feet down a steep path to reach the fall and it's a hard climb back up.
Having left the falls and the forest paths, I am now on my way back to the village and stop to look again at the marvellous views....
.....and the lovely green countryside..
The roadsign warns of a steep hill ahead... I've certainly encountered a few of those on my walk to day! ......bye.

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