Family walk up to Pistyll Rhaeadr (Waterfall)
2.3 km long.
Difficulty: Easy
Click map to view the route published on OSMaps
Pistyll Rhaeadr* is the tallest waterfall in Wales and the largest single-drop falls in Britain.
*Rhaeadr means waterfall in Welsh.
Our Review
With some early Spring sunshine providing some much-needed warmth after the winter gloom, we headed off to Pistyll Rhaeadr.
Despite being the largest waterfall in Wales, and relatively close to where we live, it's somewhere we'd not visited before.
On the drive up, as we got closer, we could see the water gushing over the falls. With all the recent rain, it was quite impressive.
Pistyll Rhaeadr is the tallest waterfall in Wales.
First was a visit to the base of the falls, which you can reach from the car park.
There's a small footbridge that provides a really good view of the falls.
On the other side of the bridge, there's a small wooded area with paths. This is very atmospheric, with moss-covered boulders catching the spring sunshine.
Early Spring Forest Sunshine
There are two routes up to the top of the falls: a longer and easier path, and a rocky steeper one. We took the steep one up ;-)
As you get towards the top, the view of the valley is impressive and shows you just how high you've climbed.
As you climb up to the top, stop to catch your breath, and take in the view of the valley below.
You can walk right up to the edge of the falls and the edge.
Warning
Common Sense Warning
There is fast-flowing water, slippy rocks, and big cliffs that are not fenced off. So, of course, keep an eye on your kids.
After returning from the top, we learnt that if you walk a little further on, you'll reach a lake that feeds the waterfall. And this lake has a dragon! Well, so the legend goes! You can read more about the Dragon of Llanrhaeadr on the Pistyll Rhaeadr website.
Facilities
Facilities Details
The drive up the hill to the car park is on a narrow road. Carparking is available, but there is a charge. When we visited it was £5 but does go up to £10. There are also toilets there, but again, when we visited, it was 40p if you wanted to use them. We did also try the Cafe. This was very good, and you can sit outside with a view of the falls.On The Map
Address
Family walk up to Pistyll Rhaeadr (Waterfall)Pistyll Rhaeadr, Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant, Powys SY10 0BZ, Wales
Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
Powys
SY10 0BZ
Wales
Longitude: -3.378753
Latitude: 52.855218