If you are an ardent lover of nature, then you must consider planning a hiking trip to the Four Falls Trail over the Brecon Beacons. Located in an area of the park called as the Waterfall Country, the Brecon Beacons offers you four amazing waterfalls, which would surely make your hiking experience unique. Read on to discover more about this iconic route.

All about the Four Falls Trail

A 5.5-ish mile hike from Cwm Porth, the Four Falls Trail has four mesmerising waterfalls in store for its visitors. These namesake waterfalls include Sgwd Clun-Gwyn, Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn, Sgwd Y Pannwr and Sgwd Yr Eira. The aggressive flow of water, the soothing noise of water, the lush and green scenery, and the knobby rocks are surely going to leave a lasting impression on you.

Location and route

The best place to park your car is Cwm Porth car park as there are toilets along with a small visitor’s centre here. It would cost you £5 for the day (£4 if you arrive before 8am or after 4pm). You may also opt for parking at Gwaun Hepste which is quite larger than the former. However, both of these car parks remain full on weekends and as such, you need to reach by 8 am to make room for your car.

Finding the route to the Four Falls Trail is not that complicated. You can easily find the route marked in the map. All you need to do is follow the various colours on the map to get a view of the various types of routes that you may cover. For instance, red marked lines would take you to undulated but accessible routes while the ones with green mark indicate the rocky and steep trails that would lead you to the waterfalls. Besides that, at the start of each of the four trails, you would find information board displaying the distance, name, and picture of the waterfall associated.

The waterfalls

Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn

Second on the list is Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn, roughly translating to ‘lower fall of the white meadow’. This is the smallest of the four trails and you can reach here either by taking a backtrack to the red route and following the main path, or follow the old riverside path. Green moss, drooping branches, and the gentle flow of water – all add to the visual appeal. The boards installed here would help you with boggiest areas. However, ensure to wear the right shoes to walk with ease over the rocky parts.

Sgwd Clun-Gwyn

Sgwd Clun-Gwyn, translating to ‘fall of the white meadow’, is the very first waterfall that would come across your way. This easily accessible waterfall is close to the main forest trail and you can hear the soundtrack of cascading water clearly from the main path. On reaching the viewpoint, you would get the glimpse of River Mellte rushing towards the drop and vanishing below the cliff.

Sgwd Yr Eira

The largest of the four waterfalls, Sgwd Yr Eira, roughly means ‘the falls of snow’. A short walk on the main trail would bring you to this final fall of the loop. The best thing about this fall is that you can take a walk right behind the water as it falls down the cliff. However, you need to be careful with the rocky boulders and slippery surfaces while reaching the falls.

You can easily take up this challenging hike if you are fit enough. Grippy water boots and walking poles are something that you should not forget packing on this hiking trip. If you are parking at Cwm Porth, you may consider visiting the cave which is just two minutes’ walk in the opposite direction.

 

Sgwd Y Pannwr

Sgwd Y Pannwr, meaning ‘fall of the fuller or fall of the woollen washer’, is found to be the highest of the four falls. Though you may see the waterfall alongside from the viewpoint but to see it from the front you need to scramble off the main track. As such, it is quite difficult to get close to this waterfall and take a perfect photo. Never try to have a conversation near this waterfall as the loud soothing noise of the cascading water would surely overpower your voice.