Places

West Wales : Hills & Gorges

There are various deep, steep sided gorges within the Aberystwyth area. This page describes some of them.

Pont-Rhyd-Y-Groes

The best and most varied of the gorges.

Parsons Bridge

An interesting gorge with a sting in the tail.

Devils Bridge Falls

One of the most spectacular waterfalls in Wales.

Dolgoch Falls

A picturesque series of falls.

Pont-Rhyd-Y-Groes Gorge

This is one of the best gorges in the area, and the one I always take gorge-virgins into first. It is formed by the River Ystwyth which flows in a generally south-west direction through Pont-rhyd-y-groes. (See OS Map 'Explorer 213'). The gorge can be entered easily by scrambling down a simple slope, or as I usually do, by descending hand over hand on a rope in a slightly steeper section of the gorge. Once in the gorge, start heading downstream and the walls of the gorge soon close in on you. The water level in this gorge can change quite dramatically, sometimes the gorge can involve quite a lot of walking through calf deep water, at other times you get swept along by the waters at quite a rate.
After passing through a couple of sections, you come to the first real obstacle, a large log-jam in a narrowing of the gorge. Take care passing this, by balancing across the logs. The next section of the gorge usually involves some floating or swimming through some deep pools along with a couple of small waterfalls to climb around... Don't jump into the pools following these falls without first checking their depth, as at least one on them has a big rock hidden just below the water surface. (Take it in turns to slide into the pools and check for hidden obstacles). The gorge then continues through several deep pools interspersed by shallower faster flowing sections that you can usually float down. The next obstacle of any note occurs where a large rock outcrop splits the river into two water falls. In order to pass this section you need to swing around and down from the central rock outcrop on its left hand side (looking downstream). Depending on the height of the water, its sometimes possible to get back in and underneath the waterfall on this side of the central rock outcrop.
Soon after this, you get to the highlight of the gorge, a large, deep pool, with a small jump to get into it. Once you've checked the depth of the water in this pool...(its always deep enough, but check for logs etc.), then climb back up the rope on the left side of the gorge and then climb up to a ledge about twenty feet above the pool on the right side of the gorge. This ledge provides quite a nice jump into the pool below. The river actually flows over a waterfall into the pool. It is possible to get under the waterfall, and feel as though you're getting barrelled!
After spending some time at this pool, its possible to leave the gorge on the left hand side, or continue downstream. The gorge then continues for a while until you arrive at a seemingly impassable section where the water rushes through a narrow, steep sided gulley. If you search the area, you'll find a circular hole through the rock (a bottomless pothole). It's possible to lower yourself through this hole, into the water below and then get sucked through the section emerging into a deep dark pool. Continuing downstream, you come to a pool with its exit blocked by a large tree stump... Dive under the water below the stump to emerge into another pool.Continue on downstream until you get to some huge tree trunks that span the river. Here you can exit the gorge on the left hand side, through the woods and emerge onto the road with a big grin on your face! The whole gorge walk will take between 1.5 and 2.5 hours.

Charlie, Pont-Rhyd-Y-Groes Gorge, River Ystwyth.

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Parsons Bridge Gorge

This is a nice gorge formed by the River Rheidol. You can enter it by parking on the road at Ystumtuen on the western side of the gorge. You will then have a bit of a walk into and out of the gorge. Alternatively, you could leave a car in Devils Bridge on the east side of the gorge, and then drive to Ysbyty Cynfyn and walk into the gorge at Parsons Bridge from there. (See OS Map 'Explorer 213') You can descend into the gorge just upstream from Parsons Bridge and then head downstream. This top part of the gorge is quite impressive, with high, steep sided walls, and a few places that you can climb up to and jump into the deep pools. After this, the gorge tends to flatten out for a while and involves some walking through ankle deep water over slippery rocks. After a while, the gorge again improves, steepening up with the river flowing over several waterfalls. Take care negotiating these. Then comes the sting in the tail, a huge 40 ft waterfall, which seems impossible to pass. In actual fact, you can climb up through the woods on the right-hand side of the gorge and lower yourself onto a little triangular ledge. Here you can prepare yourself for the big jump into the pool below. The river here is part of the series of reservoirs that power the Rheidol power-station. It is therefore dam-controlled and the water-level should remain fairly constant. However, entering the gorge from this direction means that it is impossible (without the aid of a rope) to check the underlying pool for depth or obstructions. In the next couple of weeks I'm going to try entering the gorge downstream from this waterfall and then work my way up to the jump. Hopefully I'll be able to find an interesting route, allowing us to do this big jump after checking the suitability of the pool below.
If you do the jump (we have done it before now without checking the pool below, but I am not recommending it), then you can continue downstream, past the point where the River Mynach joins the Rheidol after its journey over the Devils Bridge Falls. Just after this point you can exit the gorge on either side.

The pool at the base of the Big Jump, Parsons Bridge Gorge, River Rheidol.

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Devils Bridge Falls

It's possible with a lot of help from ropes and abseiling equipment to negotiate the Devils Bridge Falls. I've completed this gorge once with Harvey, so the details below are a little vague. Basically you can enter the gorge formed by the River Mynach a few hundred yards upstream from the bridges at Devils Bridge (See OS Map 'Explorer 213'). Then work your way downstream in the river until you start approaching the falls and the bridges of Devils Bridge. Abseil points will need to be set up in order to negotiate the pools. The first one you come across can be jumped into, but after this ropes will be needed to descend the waterfalls and gain access to the pools below. Most of these 'pools' are no more than rocky ledges upon which the waterfalls crash before continuing their downward journey. Most of the abseil points can be anchored around rhododendron bushes, but at one point we used an upright from the railings surrounding the walk around the falls. Another section had to be negotiated by scrambling around and under a huge slipped block to one side of the falls, rather than in the river itself. We eventually descended the whole ladder of falls, passed under the footpath bridge and then continued down the falls until we emerged into the River Rheidol. From here we were able to head downstream and exit the gorge and return to Devils Bridge. All in all, this was quite an undertaking and not possible without abseiling. If you are considering attempting this gorge, then first pay to enter the footpath that circles the falls so that you know what you are letting yourselves in for.

Dolgoch Falls

Dolgoch Falls are situated on the B4405 inland from Tywyn (See OS Map 'Outdoor Leisure 23'). Although not a gorge walk, the pools at the top of this valley can be fun to swim in, and the walk around the falls is pleasant. It's also a nice place to have a BBQ and spend a night under the stars.

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