Turn on the waterfall !

Dry and a lot colder today.

Our walk today was on the Hafod Estate which is considered to be one of the 'finest examples in Europe of a Picturesque landscape.'

Sixteen of us (plus a 5 year old) met up in the car park by the church for a gentle ramble around the estate's rivers and many waterfalls, made even more dramatic by the recent heavy rainfall.

The burnt area in the centre of the photo above is the valley leading to the tunnel in the rocks that we visited earlier in the year.

From the church we made our way down a steep path (on the right) through a bare hillside where all the conifers had been harvested not that long ago. It would be nice if they replanted the slope with native trees but most likely the dreaded cash crop conifers will planted there again. The one remaining tree looked to be leaning most precariously.

It wasn't long before we came to the biggest of the waterfalls, the distinctive double step Rhaeadr Peiran (engine waterfall). Back in the late 1700s when many visitors came to enjoy the romantic landscapes several dams were built higher up across the Nant Peiran (engine stream) so that the water could be released to create spectacular waterfalls for the visitors to view. You could just imagine a runner being sent up to the dam with the message 'The carriages are coming, turn on the waterfall.' 

Further up the valley a bridge took us over the confluence of two streams flowing through deeply cut rock. 

We followed Ladies' Walk alongside the small gorge until we came to a swaying bridge which we crossed being mindful of the sign that warned 'Only two at a time to cross the bridge.' On the other side we settled down on fallen trees and stumps to have our lunch.

Standing on the bridge I had a good view of the stream an of a stone folly that may have had seats or a bench for the ladies to stop and partake of some refreshments as they viewed the wonders of nature.

Then refreshed by our sandwiches and shared biscuits, crackers and chocolate we worked our way back up the slope to the track along which carriages would have driven to the mansion (now no longer standing). We followed that for a while then a bit further along a path and back to the car park.