Two pairs of eyes peered doubtfully at the mist filled world outside the café window, where sheet after sheet of driving rain filled a featureless grey sky. We wondered whether the journey here would ultimately be worth it in such drab conditions - I know that damp dreary weather goes hand in hand with woodland, but there are limits. We’d driven nearly forty miles mostly nose to tail along the A465, which is currently masquerading as a building site in the area around Merthyr Tydfil while the corridor along the south of the Beacons is being improved, before finally arriving at an uncluttered stretch of road with easily moving traffic, where the scenery and a brief appearance of the sun smiled through our windscreen and invited us further west. Of course the minute we’d arrived at this quiet open carriageway the sign appeared at the left hand side, announcing we were almost at our destination. Pontneddfechan, the “Bridge over the Little Neath” could so easily be overlooked if you didn’t know what was lying in wait beneath the tell tale wooded valley that climbed the slopes to the north of the village.
I’d been very excited about the falls along the River Neath ever since one of you had shared their existence with me. Thank you Clive for letting me know they were there. Another of you (thank you Norbert) let me know that the small car park high above the village would probably still be closed, and that the café at the bottom was worth a visit in any case. I can confirm that although I have no affiliation with and do not stand to make any financial gain from said café, that it definitely is worth stopping by for refreshments before the excitement begins. Well I might gain financially when they give me the prize for the best photo on Instagram with them tagged, but they haven’t been in touch just yet. Must be something to do with the signal there I expect.
The café was warm and seductive, and we were doing our best to ignore the dessert menu, especially with less than three hours of daylight on what would prove to be a path where wandering about in semi-darkness without a torch seemed inadvisable at best. Finally, after as much prevarication as was sensible allowed and during a break in the worst that the weather had thrown at us, we headed out of the sanctuary into the drizzle and made our way through a gate onto the path beside the river. Onwards and upwards we went, for a mile or more, engaged by the energetic fury of the powerful torrent that raged to our right that bore no resemblance to the place where bathers gathered in some of the summer images I’d found online. Barely a soul was at large, giving us this playground almost entirely to ourselves and in time little side tracks would appear, inviting cautious approaches to the water’s edge from time to time.
And then we found ourselves here, at the magical Sgwd Gwladys, where I ignored the viewing platform, continuing along a small beaten track to this viewpoint. The autumn colours were only just beginning to arrive – I expect it looks all the more splendid by now. I almost lost my woolly hat (by now soaking) my lens cloth (again!) and more worryingly, two of my favourite Kase filters, which landed on a rock and finished their journey clinging perilously close to the angry froth. But somehow everything made it back into pockets and rucksacks safely for the continued adventure further along the path. Four more waterfalls appeared as we made our way along the path, each with its own characteristics, each demanding far more time than I had available in the dull and ever fading light. Next time I really do intend to do this properly, picking a suitable autumn day, going for the duration and taking sandwiches, a flask of coffee and a bucketload of Haribo All Stars for company. A place as stunning as this deserves that level of attention you see, and I really don't like rushing about when I could stand and stare for any amount of time before even reaching for the camera.
If it’s your turn to go soon, I hope you get the dappled light and the autumn golds, yellows and browns. But more than that I hope you get the chance to enjoy it quietly, without the crowds as we did. With half term upon us you might want to wait another week then.
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