Pontarfynach.

It was a fine day so off we went for a day out to Devil's Bridge. I had been there on my own after a walk with the walking group and thought it would be a nice place for both of us to visit. Not having been down the waterfall side I hadn't realised that there would be so many uneven steps down one side of the gorge and up the other to view the waterfalls and I am hoping that it hasn't put too much strain on Peter's foot. 

After an easy 35 minute drive we parked in the public car park and walked along the road. Now that the entrance is manned the price has gone up to £4.50 from £4.00 through the turnstile when I came last time. We were given a map and advice as to the best point to turn around if the steps were proving too much. Thankfully there was a decent handrail along the mostly uneven slate steps that had been built by the Victorians. The route began with a view of the three bridges built one upon another starting in medieval times.

There were plenty of view points along the way as the path wound its way down one side of the gorge around the waterfalls formed by the River Mynach on its way to the River Rheidol.

Eventually we came to a modern, wooden pagoda like structure that had amazing views of the  waterfalls as they tumbled 300ft down the gorge. This was the point where we had been advised to decide if we wanted to turn back or carry on down the 100 steps of Jacob's Ladder on the one way route to the exit but Peter naturally chose to soldier on. 

The waterfalls, look closely (above) and you can see the steps going up on the right hand side.

A view eastwards of the River Rheidol.

Eventually the path reached its lowest point where this interesting metal bridge, not for those afraid of heights, took us over the Mynach.

I stood on the centre of the bridge to take this photo of the Mynach heading down to join the Rheidol.

Plenty more view points on this side too. Top centre is the wooden pagoda like sturcture from where the steps went down off to the left. The waterfalls are mostly hidden by the trees but started at the top right-hand side down to where the water can be seen at the bottom centre.

More views of the waterfalls and pools until eventually at the very top we could see the Rheidol heading westwards out to the coast. At some point in the past a dam had been built near the top of the waterfall to generate hydro-power and as ever I wonder if it would be worth re-instating in these times of unstable electricity prices.

After our strenuous hike we stopped at the station cafe for coffees, a pasty for Peter and a very indulgent waffle with ice-cream and chocolate (a serious sugar overload) for me. Will post photos of the station and steam train tomorrow. 

We got home in plenty of time for Peter's row but that got cancelled as the sea had become far too rough. Peter still went down to work on the boat and I had a couple of happy hours knocking cement off the blocks. I tried out a number of Peter's wrist supports and settled on a simple elasticated band to give my wrist support which I think helped. Only half a dozen big blocks and a few small ones done today but even a few gets me nearer to finishing the job.