A rainy walk to the top of Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall
My Easter holiday this year was to Wales with a couple of friends. We spent a day in the Wye Valley (and spotted a family of boar!) and then carried on to Snowdonia where we spent a few days walking in the mountains. I investigated the route from the Wye Valley to Snowdonia beforehand and found that Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall was pretty much enroute. The only downside to the plan was that it was raining by the time we got there. It is a must visit when you are in Wales and near the Berwyn Mountains, at 240ft (80m) it is Britain’s tallest single drop waterfall. And not only that, it also flows through a naturally carved arch in the rock.
Parking at the waterfall costs around £5 but if you are lucky there is roadside parking shortly before the cafe.
We walked up to the top of the waterfall but it was firmly enshrouded in the clouds, so no good for taking photos of the view. I took just one, of the very edge of the waterfall where it starts the drop to the plunge pool. The walk up is quite easy and shouldn’t take you more than 20 minutes, you head to the left of the waterfall and follow the signs up the track. Don’t go over the iron bridge as this is completely the wrong way. Once on the track you can either take another left and do a steep but short climb to the top, or alternatively continue to follow the track which will gradually take you to the top.
Take extra care when at the top of the waterfall as there are no railings or barriers to stop you toppling over.
Wye Valley
Our first few nights were in a small stone AirBNB cottage in the Wye Valley. We only had one full day as we were using it as a rest stop to break up the journey to North Wales. Our walk was around Symonds Yat, a gorge covered in woodland and overlooking a large meander in the river.
I also spotted a Lily Leaf Beetle, these little bugs go around devouring leaves and leaving nothing but the stalk behind.
