intrepid adventurers
A few years ago my sister, Corinne, and I
decided we’d explore and photograph the spectacular scenery of “Waterfall
Country” here in South Wales.
We went to all the falls we could and snapped
away.
But one fall remained for us to see together:
the magical, mystical Sgwd Einon Gam (or Fall of the Crooked Anvil to give it
its English name). The reason for not
going there was simple. It’s a bloody long
trek to get there. You have to walk
around 45 minutes from the road to the romantically named Sgwd Gwladys, then
clamber above that waterfall and follow the river for about another 45 minutes
to reach the Anvil.
Simple?
No.
There is no path once you get past Sgwd
Gwladys. You also have to cross the
river on several occasions when your route is blocked by dense vegetation or
rocky outcrops. Well you are in a gorge
so what else would you expect? Oh, and
there aren’t any bridges. Then you have
to clamber up a steep ridge at the end of the gorge.
But when you see the waterfall it is worth
every soggy trouser leg, boot full of water and bruise, cut, scratch and scrape
because it really is quite a magnificent sight.
It must be about 100 feet tall and in a setting that is more akin to a
tropical paradise than a Welsh river valley.
Well, in the summer at least.
I’m glad Corinne and I made this hike though. We were probably the only people to see the
fall that day and you simply cannot buy that level of peace and quiet.
I'm very happy with the picture I took. I hope Corinne has happy memories of a lovely morning spent together too. Although there's no way she got a better picture than mine.....
Lovely picture! Glad you shared! ♥
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ReplyDeleteSo ... a challenge ...
ReplyDeleteBefore I look for a photo, I'd like to point out that these explorations we made were some of the most dangerous, most beautiful and most peaceful times ever. And most exhausting. And very wet. There is something very healing about the sound of water, and when you've sometimes risked your life (I kid you not) to get there, the peace is indescribable.
When Nick says "no path", it's true. There's NO PATH. Nothing but little outcrops of grass, barely the size of a walking boot. One time we walked along in this way, Nick in front and me holding onto his coat, a 100 foot drop threatening. Nick said, "If one of us slips now, we both die." I should add here that we both have heart conditions. My heart returned to normal rhythm sometime later that week.
Now .... the search is on.