Geo-Trips :: A small circuit into Cwm Rheidol from Pontarfynach/Devil's Bridge
Cwm Rheidol
A walk from Pontarfynach/Devil's Bridge, Mon, 13 Aug 2018 by Rudi Winter
A quick evening wander into the Rheidol gorge, starting from the centre of Pontarfynach/Devil's Bridge, where there is usually ample parking space by the side of the main road.
After following the road in the direction of Aberystwyth up to the edge of the village, we took a gate to follow the path over grassland to the edge of the gorge, just above the Vale of Rheidol trackbed. The path then follows along the edge of the wooded slope and alternates between grassland and broadleaf forest.
To turn the walk into a small loop instead of a straight out-and-back route, we left the path just after crossing the Nant y Fawnog and climbed up steeply to our left until reaching the grassy field above, where we were met enthusiastically by swarms of horseflies. By just following the ditch of the Nant y Fawnog and a field boundary, we soon met the bridleway coming from Ty'n-y-castell. Turning right towards the gorge, we were soon let astray by a misaligned bridleway sign - it would have been better to follow on straight. Instead we went around a field and had encounters with some barbed wire and yet more horseflies.
However, soon the path enters the broadleaf woodland, where the descent into Cwm Rheidol begins. This is really pleasant although a little slippery underfoot. The path soon meets the railway at Rhiwfron halt and, after crossing the track, continues pretty much diagonally down the slope until it meets the path following up the south side of the valley. There is also a path that leads down to a few houses and the river, where there is a ford.
Turning back in fading light, we followed the valley path upstream into the gorge, which turns progressively narrower. After a short while, the broadleaf forest gives way to a conifer plantation, and the path begins to climb steeply through it until it reaches the railway, then doglegs to follow just above the track.
Shortly after, we returned to the bridge over the Nant y Fawnog where we had begun the circuit and return to Pontarfynach by the route we had come.
On the map below, the grey line is the GPS track from this trip. Click the blue circles to see a photograph taken from that spot and read further information about the location. The blue lines indicate the direction of view. There is also a slideshow of this trip. ( )
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Fields on the edge of Pontarfynach / Devil's Bridge
The flat grassy area separates the houses on the western edge of the village from... more
Footpath into the Rheidol gorge
The path descends broadly parallel to and just above the Vale of Rheidol railway... more
Brambles confined
Two rolls of barbed wire by the trackbed of the Vale of Rheidol railway prove to... more
Grassland on the edge of the Rheidol gorge
The path (indistinct in places) linking Pontarfynach/Devil's Bridge with the... more
Track to Rhiwfron halt
While the main path connecting Pontarfynach/Devil's Bridge with the bottom of Cwm... more
Fallen trees above Rhiwfron halt
On the edge of the woodland on the upper slopes of the Rheidol gorge. This is... more
Above Rhiwfron halt
The path towards Rhiwfron halt and the bottom of Cwm Rheidol just before it begins... more
Path descending towards Rhiwfron halt
The path leads through pleasant broadleaf woodland on the upper slopes of the... more
Rhiwfron halt
The stop on the Vale of Rheidol Railway is about half way up the southern slope of... more
Rhiwfron halt
The platform and shelter at Rhiwfron halt on the Vale of Rheidol railway. For... more
Clematis vitalba seeds at Rhiwfron halt
A large shrub next to the platform at Rhiwfron halt is covered in these seeds in... more
Cwm Rheidol mine
Looking across Cwm Rheidol from Rhiwfron halt on the Vale of Rheidol railway.... more
Cwm Rheidol
Looking across the valley towards the upper level of the abandoned Cwm Rheidol... more
Ford through the Afon Rheidol
There are a couple of houses on the south side of the river whose only vehicular... more
The Afon Rheidol as it emerges from the gorge
Seen from the ford downstream of Pontbren Plwca. The river splits into several... more
All images © Rudi Winter and available under a
Creative Commons licence 
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