On the Afon Mellte There are three waterfalls of note on this river though several other lesser falls can also be found along its length. •
Sgwd Clun-gwyn – the 'fall of the white meadow' is the uppermost of the three celebrated falls on the Mellte. It is formed where a north-northwest to south-southeast trending
fault brings hard sandstone up against softer mudstone. •
Sgwd Isaf Clun-gwyn – the 'lower fall of the white meadow' is the middle one of the three named falls but is itself multi-staged. •
Sgwd y Pannwr – the 'fall of the
fuller' or 'fall of the woollen washer' is the lowermost of the three falls.
On the Afon Hepste Sgwd yr Eira – famous for being the falls behind which you can walk, the 'falls of snow' plunge over a hard band of sandstone whose overhang protects the walker from the full force of the water flowing down
Afon Hepste. The closure of the path behind this most popular of falls during much of 2007 and 2008 on safety Afon Hepste was controversial. Stabilisation works agreed between the then landowners, the
Forestry Commission and the
Countryside Council for Wales and the
Brecon Beacons National Park Authority allowed the route to be re-opened later in 2008. For a walk taking in Sgwd Clun-gwyn, Sgwd Isaf Clun-gwyn and Sgwd yr Eira see 'Waterfall Walk' under
Ystradfellte.
On the Nedd Fechan There are three falls of particular interest to visitors on this river, though like the Mellte, there are other lesser falls. but Gwladus is nevertheless a proper name, that of one of the many daughters of Brychan, the 5th-century King of Brycheinog. The sandstone tilts gently to the south so forcing the waters of the Pyrddin up against the foot of a high cliff of mudstone and over the left-hand side of the rock lip (when viewed from below). In higher water conditions the fall gradually extends further to the right. The upper surface of the sandstone is roughly patterned with the fossil roots of trees. A rocking stone (now dislodged) sits on this bench some north of the falls. •
Sgwd Einion Gam – associated in legend with the 'lady' of Sgwd Gwladus, the 'fall of crooked Einion' is one of the most spectacular though least accessible of the falls of the area. The river drops into a plunge pool encircled by dark moss- and liverwort-covered cliffs. The falls have been created where the Pyrddin drops off the
faulted edge of the Farewell Rock, a hard sandstone marking the base of the
Carboniferous Coal Measures. The falls are difficult of access with only a rough path reaching them from the vicinity of Sgwd Gwladus downstream and requiring several tricky crossings of the river.
On other rivers •
Sychryd Cascade – the waters of
Sychryd are here confined between the rocky walls of Craig-y-Ddinas (
Dinas Rock) on the one hand and those of
Bwa Maen ('stone bow') on the other. Thought not a single fall, the tumbling of the river over a jumble of rocks in its bed at this spot is sometimes referred to as the Sychryd Cascade or Sgydau Sychryd. This rocky slot has been eroded by the river along the line of the
Neath Disturbance, a heavily
faulted zone extending northeast to southwest. Tramways approach both from above and below and there was formerly a substantial metal ramp constructed over the cascades linking the two levels though this has long since been removed after it fell into disuse and became a safety hazard. :More falls occur in the section of the river above the cascade. These falls can be viewed from the north bank which is publicly accessible. A further small fall at Pwll y Crochan near where the
A465 Heads of the Valleys Road crosses the river though this spot is not accessible to the public. •
Henrhyd Fall :The
Nant Llech rises on the southern slopes of
Carreg Cadno and flows to the village of
Coelbren at which point it drops over the lip of a
faulted block of the
Farewell Rock, a hard sandstone. This spectacular site and section of the gorge below the falls is owned and managed by the
National Trust. The waterfall is referred to in Welsh as Sgwd Henryd or as Rhaeadr Henryd. •
Aberdulais Falls :The
Dulais rises near the coalmining town of
Aberdulais/
Seven Sisters and flows for several miles to join the waters of the
River Neath at
Aberdulais. The falls are set only 160 yards (150 metres) up the river from that confluence (at OS grid ref SS772995) and are readily accessible from the
A465 road which runs the length of the
Vale of Neath. Not only is this a spectacular fall but also an important
industrial heritage site which is now in the care of the
National Trust. •
Melincourt Falls :Melin Court Brook rises on the high ground to the southeast of
Resolven in the Vale of Neath. It drops from the plateau surface above above sea level to the floor of the Vale of Neath at around in the space of just under . Several falls occur over its course but the single big drop of at
Melincourt (OS grid ref SN826016) is the most spectacular and has drawn visitors for over 200 years since it was painted by
Turner in 1794. :The falls (otherwise known as
Melincwrt Falls), can be viewed from above, where a minor public road bridges the brook immediately upstream of the drop, and from below by means of a footpath which runs up beside the brook from the B4334 road between Melincourt village and Resolven. :The falls are contained within a nature reserve managed by the
Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales.
Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council provide car parking beside the road at the start of the path up the falls. ==Information and interpretation for visitors==