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Colin Smith · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsGuide · Wales
The best waterfall walks in Wales
Wales has more good waterfalls per mile than anywhere in Britain. These five walks take in the finest, from Waterfall Country to the source of the Severn.
By the TRXO team · · 4 min read
- walks
- 5
- long
- 2.1–11.8 km
- biggest climb
- 740 m
- by public transport
- 1
- dog-friendly
- 5
It rains in Wales, and the waterfalls are what it gets for it. The sandstone and limestone of the Brecon Beacons, the hard rock of Snowdonia and the deep valleys of mid Wales between them produce more good falls than the rest of Britain put together, and the best of them are the sort you walk to rather than park beside.
These are our five favourites. They're all very different: a river that drops over four falls in a few miles, a single plunge of 240 feet, one you can walk behind, one with three bridges stacked on top of each other, and the first miles of the longest river in Britain. The common thread is that each one is a proper walk, not a car park and a viewpoint.
Waterfalls are best the day after rain, which in Wales is most days. The paths beside them are slippery when wet, which is always. Good boots.
Where they are
-
Ystradfellte
The Four Falls Trail
- 10.5 km distance
- 240 m ascent
- 3–4 h time
- Moderate grade
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXWaterfall Country, south of the Brecon Beacons, is where the rivers Mellte and Hepste drop off the Old Red Sandstone onto limestone in a string of falls, and the Four Falls Trail from Cwm Porth links the best of them. The last, Sgwd yr Eira, has a path that passes behind the curtain of water. It's the finest waterfall walk in Britain, and we don't say that lightly. Steep, rocky and slippery in places.
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Abergwyngregyn
Aber Falls (Rhaeadr Fawr)
- 6.7 km distance
- 260 m ascent
- 2–2.5 h time
- Easy grade
- by public transport
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXRhaeadr Fawr, Aber Falls, drops 120 feet off the edge of the Carneddau into a wooded valley a few miles from Bangor, and the walk to it from Abergwyngregyn is about as easy as a big waterfall gets: a track up the valley through a nature reserve of old oaks and bluebells, with the fall growing in front of you. The one on this list to take grandparents and toddlers to.
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Pistyll Rhaeadr
The Berwyns from Pistyll Rhaeadr
- 11.8 km distance
- 740 m ascent
- 4–5.5 h time
- Hard grade
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXThe tallest single-drop waterfall in Wales, 240 feet in two leaps through a natural rock arch, at the end of a dead-end road in the Berwyns. You can see it from the car park; the walk is what you do afterwards, up the path beside the fall to the top and on over the moor to Cadair Berwyn, the highest point of the range. Hard going on the tops, but the first half hour to the top of the fall is worth it on its own.
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Devil's Bridge
Devil's Bridge Falls
- 2.1 km distance
- 110 m ascent
- 0.5–1 h time
- Easy grade
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXThree bridges one above the other, the oldest medieval, over a gorge where the Mynach falls 300 feet in five steps. The nature trail is short and steep, with a staircase called Jacob's Ladder that goes down 100 steps and then makes you come back up, and there's a charge to walk it. Come on the Vale of Rheidol steam railway from Aberystwyth and it's a day out.
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Llanidloes
Hafren Forest: the Severn waterfalls
- 7.7 km distance
- 280 m ascent
- 2–3 h time
- Moderate grade
- dogs welcome
Route, map and GPXThe Severn starts on Pumlumon and spends its first few miles tumbling through Hafren Forest, past a fall called Severn-Break-its-Neck and on to the Blaenhafren Falls at the edge of the trees. The forest trail from Rhyd-y-benwch follows the river the whole way, with boardwalks over the boggy bits. Quiet, mossy and nothing like the Beacons. Carry on to the source if you've the legs.
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Before you go
- Rock beside waterfalls is wet and polished. Most accidents on these walks are slips, not falls from height. Boots with grip, and keep children and dogs close at the edges.
- After heavy rain the Four Falls paths can flood and Sgwd yr Eira's path behind the fall becomes unsafe. The Brecon Beacons National Park posts warnings.
- Cwm Porth, Devil's Bridge and Aber all have car parks with charges and they fill on summer weekends. Pistyll Rhaeadr's road is single-track with little parking at the end.
- Devil's Bridge is the only one with an entry fee. The others are free.
Questions people ask
What is the tallest waterfall in Wales?
Pistyll Rhaeadr in the Berwyns, at 240 feet (73 m), is the tallest single-drop waterfall. The Devil's Bridge falls drop further in total, in steps.
Which waterfall can you walk behind?
Sgwd yr Eira, the Fall of Snow, on the Four Falls Trail near Ystradfellte. The path passes along a ledge behind the curtain of water. It's closed when the river is high.
Which waterfall walk is easiest?
Aber Falls: a gentle track up the valley from Abergwyngregyn, about 45 minutes each way, pushchair-friendly as far as the viewpoint.
When are the waterfalls at their best?
The day after rain, which in Wales isn't a long wait. Autumn and winter for volume; spring for the bluebells at Aber and the Four Falls.
Read next
-
GuideDog-friendly walks in the Peak DistrictTen walks where the dog will have as good a day as you, from an easy dale to the top of Kinder Scout. -
GuideWalks near Edinburgh you can do by busNine walks from the city centre by Lothian bus or a short train ride, from the Water of Leith to the top of the Pentlands. - Trail NotesAll postsEvery guide, article and blog post by the TRXO team.