ACTIVITY BREAKS WALKING Sgwd yr Eira is the star attraction
Chasing
waterfalls Jonathan Manning packs his waterproofs and tackles the Four Falls Trail in the Brecon Beacons
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hampoo ads and I’m a Celebrity have glamourised waterfalls as natural spas, pristine waters tumbling enticingly over the heads of long-haired models. The scene invariably looks warm, lush and natural. A waterfall in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park at the end of winter ticks two of these boxes, but as for stripping off and taking the plunge – no thank you! Happily, Sgwd yr Eira in the south of the national park offers an intoxicating alternative, with the chance to walk behind its giant veil of
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water, be moved by its force but feel only the mist of its spray. An experience like this would justify a journey of hundreds of miles, so it’s good to report that there are two Club campsites – Brecon Beacons and Aberbran – within 20 miles of here. Sgwd yr Eira is the fourth and most impressive destination on the Four Falls Trail, a meticulously waymarked 5½-mile circular walk that follows the Rivers Mellte and Hepste, taking in Sgwd ClunGwyn, Sgwd Isaf Clun-Gwyn and Sgwd y Pannwr. It doesn’t take a code-breaker to work out that ‘sgwd’ means ‘waterfall’ in Welsh, but the generally modest flow of water is more surprising – I am www.camc.com
